The New Normal

Dave sez,

Stop me if you've heard this one: y'know why there are so many songs about UN-requited love? Because, when you DO find that connection, there are better things to do than write a song about it! Am I right? Am I right? Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Say no more, say no more.

Ethan and I came home, and Cathy and I have spent the last few weeks sick. The OTHER souvenir we brought back from our trip. :)

On top of being sick, and trying to navigate our way through the holiday season, we've all been adjusting to our "new normal": having not ONE, but TWO high energy boys.

Justin is pretty intense. He's serious, except when he's not and he's playing or teasing. Over the last year, we've had our good times and bad as the three of us have adjusted to one another.

Now, Ethan is here. Cathy, Justin and I are adjusting to his quirks and eccentricities. I may have mentioned this before, but on the flight home, he spent the trip from Frankfurt back asking if we were in America. I could tell he was excited, anxious and enthusiastic. But it was pretty much EIGHT HOURS of "Are we there yet?" We were crossing over London. America? No, Ethan, not yet. Canada; America? No, Ethan, not yet. Detroit; America? No, Ethan, not yet. We were standing in the security line to get to our gate at O'Hare in Chicago and he asked where Mom and Justin were. I told him we had one more flight to get home to them. I was telling him this in English, even though he speaks and understands Russian/Ukrainian. I was slightly confused by the perplexed look he gave me and my explanation. ;)

Since he's been home, he really only has a few questions. When do we eat? Is it burgers or soup? and Tomorrow school? He's come home pretty much like Justin did, with only the clothes on his back. Justin has pretty much earned a lot of cool stuff. What we're hearing a LOT of is, is Justin saying, "He's taking my stuff without asking!"

We're learning what sibling rivalry is all about. They haven't painted a white line down the middle of their room. Yet.

We got the boys a table top Foosball table. What we've seen is an extreme level of competition. The boys NEED to win an equal number of games. The three of us tend to become VERY excited when we score a goal. Pointing and cheering and chanting, "In your face!" I've been letting the excitement of the game get the better of me. Which is probably why Cathy WON'T play with us. The boys are worse. There's the standard post-game wrestling match to determine who the REAL winner and loser is.

There's a lot of wrestling going on! I can't wait for Ethan to join Justin in Karate and for both boys to start wrestling in school to burn off some of that pent up energy.

...As a junk food junky myself, I am learning a very important lesson from Ethan about eating healthy foods. If Justin has been watching both Cathy and me over the last year and following the example we set, now we have FOUR sets of eyes watching us closely.

It will be good to see Ethan develop as he learns English, but I think we may be at a point where we all take up Russian through Rosetta Stone...

We've had our ups and downs since we've come home as we adjust to one another.

One of the scariest downs we've seen this past week is that Ukraine's eastern neighbor, Mother Russia has started a ban on adoptions with the United States. You've probably seen the story. Here is what is at the heart of the story, according to the CNN story:

"...The move is widely seen as retaliation for a law that U.S. President Barack Obama signed on December 14. That bill, called the Magnitsky Act, imposes U.S. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia.

The Magnitsky Act is named for Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who uncovered the largest tax fraud in the country's history in the form of rebates claimed by government officials who stole money from the state. Magnitsky died in 2009 after a year in a Moscow detention center, apparently beaten to death.

The Russian bill's implementation nullifies a recent agreement between the United States and Russia in which the countries agreed to additional safeguards to protect children and parties involved in inter-country adoptions.

Backers of the Russian bill said American adoptive parents have been abusive, citing 19 deaths of adopted Russian children since the 1990s.

The Russian public has supported the bill, with 56% of respondents in a poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) saying they backed the ban, RIA Novosti reported.

In 2010, an American woman sparked outrage after she sent her adopted son back to Russia alone on a one-way flight, saying the boy, then 7, had violent episodes that made her family fear for its safety.

Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special representative for human rights, said Wednesday on Twitter that Russians were "well aware of, and have pointed out more than once, the inadequate protection of adopted Russian children in the U.S." He also said the United States is one of three nations that have not signed the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

According to the U.N. Children's Fund, the United States is one of two nations -- the other being Somalia -- that has not ratified the convention. But the United States has signed the convention, thereby signaling its intent to ratify.

Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF, touted the importance of "inter-country adoption."
See the full story here, http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/28/world/europe/russia-us-adoptions/index.html

Cathy and I hope that this sentiment doesn't spread to Ukraine, where the boys are from. Our hearts ache for families that are caught in the middle of this tragic development. We've been in a number of different adoption programs, we've even faced the possibility of Ukraine stopping international adoption. I can only imagine how hard it is to develop a bond with a little boy or girl and then have that taken away.

I'm taking every opportunity to tell my boys how much I love them and hug them close and tight. I am so grateful to God that he has blessed me with them.

This week marks two years since Justin found us. Life has never been the same since.

2013 is going to be AWESOME!!!

Happy New Year!

The One About The Embassy And The Journey Home...

Dave sez,

I have to confess that I wasn't good company to be around on Wednesday night. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I was trying to shake off a cough. I was incredibly frustrated, too. We had made some incredibe progress! Ethan and I were less than forty-eight hours away from coming home; but the biggest hurdle was STILL ahead of us.

I could tell that Igor and Vicktor were doing EVERY thing they could to get things done as swiftly and efficiently as possible. I am very grateful to both of them that bringing Ethan home only took six weeks. It may have taken the same amount of time to bring Justin home, I don't remember off the top of my head, but they really work very hard to make sure it all goes along at a fast track.

If you remember, Monday was the first visit to the Embassy. I dropped off all the paperwork. I was invited back on Tuesday after two in the afternoon for the visa. But, on Tuesday, there was no passport, so i couldn't make the appointment. We finally got it on Wednesday, and had a really long delay at the doctor's office. It was decided that on Thursday, we would take advantage of a small, narrow window of opportunity to visit the doctor for the medical exam documents, and go from there.

So, I went to bed early feeling incredibly dejected, and concerned that we would get everything done in time to make our flight early Friday morning. My prayers were like the Psalms - Oh! Woe is me! Why hast thou forsaken me? Why have you turned your back on me? Why am I cast away? I was seeing only ONE set of footprints in the sand.

It snowed overnight, and all day Thursday. Big flakes. I'd once heard a theory that certain sizes of flakes tell the KIND of snow fall, but I couldn't remember if it was big flakes, big snow..or little flakes, big snow. We got a LOT of snow. The snow already on the ground had iced overnight, and by afternoon, it was all slushy and sloppy.

Ukraine is a country rich in history. 2,500 years old and full of history. They have wash machines, but they hang their clothes on clothes lines and clothing racks or heated pipes to dry. I can't imagine how Ukraine will ever modernize to the point where there will be room right next to a wash machine for a home or apartment dryer.

At McDonald's there was an employee with a traditional mop. At the orphanage, however, a mop is a "T", with a towel or a rag thrown over the end to clean the floors.

I didn't see anyone using a snow thrower. I saw men and women out with coal shovels and wheel barrels, moving snow manually. I saw crews using a flat piece of metal on a wood stick shoveling. I have a great respect for the people and how they do things.

With Sergei's help, we got Ethan's medical documents. When we got back in the car, I asked, "Embassy?" He nodded, grunted as if it were a given, and said, "Da."

With limited internet access, I had been trying to schedule an Embassy appointment to pick up the visa, but really didn't have any way of checking for confirmation. So we went, on faith, that I was able to get it rescheduled. On the ride over I kept kicking around in my mind, "What's the worst that could happen?" They would look at us standing in the snow, and turn us away? They could easily do that. Embassy visits are by appointment only. There is a man with a clipboard. If you get past him, you're golden and you're in. But, I would need to be on his clipboard. I prayed that we would be on his clipboard, or that there was some way he would have sympathy and pity on us and let us in.

On Monday, before all the snow, there was a guy still laying sod near the security bunker that guarded the Embassy. You can imagine that it is like a fort, this complex, and that the security office is the guard station leading to it. It really is a beautiful building. There are a number of steps leading down into a courtyard walk into the Consulate offices for visas. On Thursday, with all the snow, there was a guy with a snow thrower. Most of the people manning the security office were inside or nearer the front doors. I did not see the man with the clipboard. But I did see a security officer, and I showed my passport, and told him I was there to pick up my son's visa. He found the man with the clip-board, who asked when my appointment was for. I told him it should be for eleven. We were not on the clipboard. But, he brought us inside out of the cold and snow and called about our appointment. he told us to go through security and into the consulate. We were in!!! Praise God!

Once again I got a number and went right to window to see the same man from Monday. He had a big smile on his face. He asked me how I was, and without missing a beat, I said, "Years from now, we will laugh about this!" He asked for Ethan's medical documents and Ukrainian passport with a smile and invited us to sit and wait.

We were called to a different window by a woman. She went over each document with me. I had filled out everything, signing things before I should have. She asked me to raise my right hand, "sir, your OTHER right hand", and she swore me in on the validity of the forms I had filled out.

She told me that it would take a while for the visa to print. If it did not print in the next few minutes we would have to come back for it again after two. She invited me to sit and wait again.

I sat down and bowed my head and prayed.

A few minutes later she called me back up to the window, and said that the visa was printing and would be ready shortly.

WE HAD MADE IT!

We spent a little time at the orphanage after the Embassy, and then went back to the apartment. I grabbed my computer and we went to McDonald's to check in on messages. I had gotten a confirmation for an eleven o'clock appointment for Thursday. :)

Last year, Justin's and my last day was filled with "Justin no suh-leepin'! Popi, Justin no suh-leepin'!" This year, Ethan's chant was, "Me no sleep!" but I had him lay down around six thirty. We both napped, got up at midnight, and counted down until Sergei came at 2:40am to take us to the airport.

We had a 5:55am flight to Frankfurt. It takes an hour to get to the airport, and with the weather, it was agreed that we would go at 2:40am.

The question is not What happened on our flight home from Kiev, but rather, what DIDN'T happen! I was not kicked in the shins by a midget. That did NOT happen on our flight home. I made sure I had my document binder out to show off the court decree and any necessary documents whenever and wherever possible. After checking our suitcase, and going through security, there is a window where we had to show our passports. The uniformed guard looked over our passports, chatted with Ethan in Ukrainian, called over another operator, and then invited us into a small security office where he ran everything passed a supervisor, and Ethan was questioned further. We went back to the window, he gave us back our documents and passports and wished us a safe journey.

At a little after five came an announcement over the PA that the flight from Kiev to Frankfurt had been CANCELLED due to the conditions of the runways at the destination. It was like a cartoon, my jaw hit the floor with a loud, metal clang. All of the passengers crowded round the gate as an operator came over and quickly assured us that this information was INcorrect, and the flight was still on.

If you think ADOPTING a child is a challenge, try flying with one. Last year was a debacle with Justin! This year was just as big a challenge with Ethan. I've told the story that Justin was trying to watch movies with mature content and we spent almost the entire flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis arguing. Ethan was so excited that he kept asking, "America? America? America?" We were over London. "America?" No. Montreal. "America?" No. Detroit. "America?" No. :) We got to Chicago, and he kept asking when we would meet Mama and Justin. He was fine watching kid's movies from Frankfurt to Chicago, he was constantly asking questions. The difficulty was giving him an answer he would UNDERSTAND. I could tell the day was starting to wear on him. Nine hours of sitting is hard on any one, including a child. There were extra passport checks throughout the day, but for the most part we kept moving from one flight to another pretty easily. I was not able to check in on Facebook, or get a Chicago style hot dog or any cool food at O'Hare, because we had to move through customs and the TSA office there, grab our bag, run it through security and then check it for the flight to MSP. We had to find our terminal and then our gate and then make sure that our seats were together for that flight. We had ridden trams to some of our flights throughout the day, stood in a number of different lines, and Ethan was now asking, "Bus? Car?" At one point he asked what color our car was? "Blue?" No, red. The color of our car is red.

We finally got off the plane in MSP, and met our friend, Mike, just coming in from his own flight, and he walked us down to our huge welcome home at baggage claim. After three weeks it was great to see Cathy's face again. After six weeks, it was great to see Justin's face. It was great to see as many other families from our "club" of adoptive families. It was great to see each one of them, and the signs welcoming Ethan home. He and Justin got two very nice Christmas presents; Thor and The Hulk. Justin handed his to me with a smile on his face and said, "Popi, I know you like this kinda stuff, we can share!" Yeah, buddy!

Naturally, our suitcase made one of the OTHER flights from Chicago, but we had time to take the boys to Nickelodeon Universe. Justin covered Ethan's eyes until he was standing in front of the bronze Spongebob statue. "Whoa!" was heard to exclaim.

Breakfast this morning is pancakes from IHOP.

It is good to be home.

The One About The US Embassy Visit...

Dave sez,

Hi! We are Cathy and Dave! This is our continuing adventure with our first son, Justin, and the journey to bring our second son, Ethan, home. When we first got married, Cathy wanted to start a family and have kids right away. I always thought that we would have plenty of time for that. So we focused on our careers. And when I say "we", I mean "me". Fourteen years, and a few job changes later, we found ourselves in Rochester, in a fertility program that diagnosed Cathy with cancer. I almost heard Louie Armstrong's "We Have All The Time In The World". I say almost, because the cancer was caught, removed and while we recovered, Cathy said that we needed to look into adoption. That was eight years ago. It's been almost two years, since I went "all in" and posted my determination on Facebook, "I want to be a dad in 2011." With a little help, Justin found us. He introduced us to his brother Ethan...

...And here we are, on our final Monday here in Kiev.

Sergei picked us up this morning at eight-fifteen and drove us to the US Embassy. It moved sometime in the last year. There was the Embassy; and a few blocks away was the Consulate offices in a separate building. Last Tuesday, when our facilitator, Vicktor, and I were at the Regional Office of Vital Records, he was explaining that the Embassy had moved and that I would need to make an appointment as soon as possible and let Igor know, so he could schedule Sergei to drive us, because it was, "absolutely not any where near a Metro station."

So we drove, with light flurries falling on the first Monday of December. Ethan's last Monday in Ukraine.

If I feel any guilt, it is when I come to the US Embassy. Not knowing where to go or what to do here at the new location, I walked up to a security guard, presented my passport, and told him I had an appointment. Like I did at the Consulate office last year with Justin. The guard walked me over to a man in civilian clothes with a clipboard. I presented my passport and he checked my name and appointment time off and told me to go right in. Ahead of every one else waiting in line. The building I went in was the security checkpoint. Pretty much like going through airport security. From experience, I brought only the paperwork I needed for Ethan's visa. Some Altoids. Cough drops. Along with the cell phone, Ethan and I surrendered our earbuds. We'll leave those at the apartment on our next visit.

With a smile we were directed on into the Consulate office and told where to go. I got a number that immediately corresponded to an open window. What are the odds that I would get the same person that helped me as last year - let along that I would remember that it was the same person that helped me last year? And what are the odds that all of this would happen at eight-forty in the morning? We spent a few minutes going over the packet of paperwork, and he directed me to another window, and told me to come right back afterward. By nine o'clock, we were finished and on our way back out.

We killed some time before having lunch at McDonald' at thirteen hundred hours. That's one o'clock to you and I westerners.

As the snowfall started to accumulate, we headed out to the orphanage for a bonus visit. And, what a bonus it was! The social worker gave me Ethan's school records and the classroom teacher found at least a half dozen certificates he had earned and three more certificates she still had for Justin! Bonus! A couple of the children started handing me drawings they had done for me and Cathy. Bonus! Masha handed me three that she had drawn: one of Bambi, one of a giraffe, and one of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella posing. It looks like the teacher had written her name on the picture of the giraffe and the Disney Princesses. Bambi was drawn on a small square of graph paper. Bonus!

We got our timeline of what the next few days should look like: tomorrow will be a check on the progress of Ethan's Ukrainian passport. It may not be ready until Wednesday. We may need to reschedule our trip back to the Embassy. We'll have our visit with the doctor for his final physical on Thursday.

And that's it. We will be finished. Our journey to bring Ethan home to join Justin, along with Cathy an I (or is it "me") will be complete.

Just like last year, we will start a NEW chapter. Another year of firsts, this time for Ethan, and firsts for the rest of us as we go from THREE, to FOUR.

Who knows what the future holds?

The One That Pretty Much Covers The Last Couple Of Days...

Dave sez,

Whoo doggie!

It is Thursday morning. Ethan and I have some downtime. He is watching Spongebob, listening to Big Time Rush and working on his English. We are both here in the apartment in Kiev. Together. We have been working for a long time to reach today. I would almost say we have been working on it since January, or since Justin introduced us to Ethan as "Shani! My brother!"; but this is the same journey we have been on from the beginning.

Tuesday, I met our facilitator at 9am at the Novus grocery outside the final station stop on the Metro Red Line. There is a McDonald's inside the Novus. He drove me to the court to pick up the final decree. We got there around nine-fifteen. The judge, usually in at eight-thirty, did not arrive until nine-thirty. She passed the final decree to the Chief Judge, who reviewed the documents. While we waited we talked about the recent US election and the President. He asked if I had had a chance to vote at the US Embassy while I've been here. I told him I had voted early. He was very surprised by that, because Ukraine has only one election day, and if for whatever reason you miss your opportunity to vote, the opportunity is gone and lost. I told him that I had voted before Cathy and I left, that I had found an office where I could submit my ballot early. I told him that we have early absentee balloting in the states, and that I submitted my ballot and it was sealed until election day and then counted.

His son had a question about the legal drinking age in America. So we talked for a few minutes about whether or not it is legal ANY where, public or private to drink under the age of 21.

While we waited we were joined by a young woman with a stack of documents and a ream of copier paper. From his description, she and her husband are French-Canadian, living in Paris and adopting from Ukraine. They chatted about her process.

The Chief Justice finished his review and we received the final court decree at ten-thirty. By eleven we were at the regional Office of Vital Records. He asked if I remembered where we were going and I said yes. He asked me if I remembered how to get there. We had a good laugh at that. Our case was reviewed there, and we received documents that we could submit in Kiev at the city Office of Vital Records. We were coming pretty close to the lunch hour, where most government and business offices that run eight to five shut down and close for an hour lunch break - can you imagine it? - so, we stopped in to drop off some documents at the District Office of Juvenile Services.

Here we went through the security check-point right inside the door, up a couple steps and around the corner to the office where he delivered our paperwork. I waited out in the hall. At the stroke of one, a security officer began clearing the building, inviting people to exit immediately. He looked at me and firmly said something that I did not understand. I did get the tone of his voice and his gesturing, so I got up from where I was sitting and went back to the front door on the other side of the security gate. I waited a moment as my our facilitator returned, and we walked back to his car.

We got to the city Office of Vital Records and only had to wait thirty minutes for it to re-open after lunch. This was where we had the longest wait last year for Justin's new birth certificate. Last year, there was a large crowd and a long line before lunch, and the chief was absent, so we spent the better part of the day just waiting at this office. Tuesday, there were only two other people waiting, and it only took an hour.

By four o'clock we had applied for Ethan's new tax identification number.

All throughout the day, he checked in on other cases he was working on; so, when we finished at the Tax Administration Office, it was near rush hour, we would not have made it to the Notary before it closed at five, we agreed to meet Wednesday morning to do that, and he dropped me back at the Metro station so I could head out to see Ethan, and pick up the DC cord for my computer.

It took a little longer to catch a 507, but I made it out to see him, and we spent about an hour together before I headed back to Kiev for the night.

Wednesday was a short visit to the Notary that only took about ninety minutes to wrap up and I was on my way to see Ethan.

I had the most important form to sign; his release form from the orphanage.

We were able to get his passport photo taken; then we spent some time together before his big, grande final performance.

After he performed with the children one last time, he said "Baka" (Goodbye) to them all and we left. It was very difficult to leave the other children, especially Masha.

Last year, Justin quietly absorbed every thing with wonder. We got on the 507 back to Holosiivska station, and Justin talked with a little girl on the ride, while looking out the back window. We at McDonald's and headed back to the apartment. This year, Ethan was full of questions. When Ethan and I are together - it's a lot like when Justin and I are together - it reminds me of Bill Bixby and Brandon Cruse together in The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Ever couple of seconds I hear "Popi?" "Yeeauh?" We go to bus to Kiev. Yeeauh. How far? One, two, three stops? I've never really counted the stops, so I don't know how to answer that question, but I spent most of the bus ride calming him down. I had given him the fare and told him to give it to the driver and say "Dva." So he did. He waited for the driver to take the fare from his hand rather than setting it on the engine hump like every one else - including me - does.

At the Holosiivska Metro station, I handed him his token and showed him what to do with it.

On the subway ride, he asked how many stops, so I showed him the map and we counted down to Maidan Station.

Coming up out of the subway station into Independence Square we took a couple of seconds to look all around. Then, I asked him where McDonald's was. he couldn't see it for all the lit up signs, so I pointed it out to him. We got dinner and jumped on the Number Eighteen back to the apartment. "Another bus?!" Yeeauh. This is how I've been coming to see you every day...

In no time at all we were back at the apartment, having our dinner. Before bed, he spent the night playing games, listening to my iPod and watching television. He explored the apartment some. He's doing more of all of that today.

We have a kind of slow day ahead of us, so we might head down for lunch at McDonald's or maybe pizza. I'll make sure I do most of the ordering. Last year, Justin ordered a whole extra pizza of his own without me catching it.

It looks like the only things left are to visit the US Embassy for his visa and have his final physical and we should be ready to head home. We are sixteen days away from coming back!

The One Where Dave Goes "Huh!"

Dave sez,

The weekend here is winding down. National Adoption Month is winding down as well. Tomorrow begins my fifth week here bringing our second son, Ethan, home. I talked to Igor on Friday, and he said that give or take a day, the final court decree should come either Tuesday or Wednesday. That means either one of those days, I should be heading out with Vicktor to get Ethan's new birth certificate. We should be able to get his birth certificate and tax identification number in the same day. Last year, it was a very long day. We had gone to the regional office of vital records and gotten the process started that didn't take very long. I had to go down to Maidan station, and change over to the other platform there. Maidan station is part of the "Blue Line", or secondary line, that runs North-South. I had to go to the other platform, the "Red Line", or primary line, that runs East-West. There is a third, "Green Line" that runs Northwest-Southeast. I had to take the Red Line to the last stop West, and meet Vicktor at the McDonald's there. I was pretty familiar with the Red Line - in the sense that I KNEW that there was a Red Line and that there was another platform in the subway. I was not familiar with how to get to that platform or which direction I need to go. I had to meet Vicktor at 9am, so I was down in the subway station trying to get to the Red Line platform by going the wrong direction into a sea of incoming commuters. I ended up walking against one wall of the tunnel. A woman on the Red Line train pointed at my right arm, the one that had been up against the tunnel wall. I had gotten the white chalky dust from the wall on my hat, the arm and some of the back of my coat. D'oh! This year, before Cathy left, we did some exploring and I found another way to get to the platform. We also found a walkway to the other side of Independence Square, under the street, and the mall there. That mall is smaller, and pretty much runs around in a circle. It is two or three floors. It is taller, but narrower.

So, last year, Vicktor and I went from the regional office to the office in Kiev. We had gotten there sometime between eleven and eleven thirty. We spent a lot of time there waiting. Lunch time every where here is from one to two in the afternoon. At that time, the two of us, and the dozen or more people waiting in the lobby with us, were invited to exit the building. The building was locked for the hour lunch break. We found a shopping mall a few blocks away. There we found a coffee shop. Vicktor bought me a cappuccino. I'm not a coffee drinker. Oh, did I mention that I was nervous, and I had started the day by pounding an energy drink? A Ukrainian energy drink that was probably ten times stronger than a Berry Mt. Dew Amp? And that at the regional office, our first stop, Vicktor graciously bought me a hot tea. Now, he was really killing me with kindness by buying me a cappuccino. He smiled as I spent the rest of the afternoon, running next door to wedding reception building to use their restroom. The reason for the long wait was that the office supervisor was out sick and the staff were being extra careful to make sure every thing was done correctly and nothing was amiss. We finally got Justin's new birth certificate by five-thirty, and by 5:55, we had his tax identification number. I was back to Independence Square by a little after seven. My eyes didn't stop vibrating until two or three in the morning, I was so wired from caffeine.

I don't plan on doing that this year. I've steered clear of the energy drinks. I think I might bring something to read, just in case.

I can't believe that Cathy has been home for a week now...

Back home, actor Larry Hagman; son of the legendary actress Mary Martin, and known for I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas has passed away. On the way to the orphanage, traffic was backed up in the opposite direction by a funeral procession. As the bus passed by, I could see a priest carrying a cross with mourners walking in front and in back of a blue pickup. It was a cab with a bed that had no sides. Laid out with flowers was someone's grandmother. I imagined her as that sweet old woman from An Affair to Remember. Cary Grant's sweet grandmother. That's what she looked like from my seat on the bus going by. One of the other passengers pointed out how far back traffic was backed up behind this slow moving procession. I wondered where the cemetery was. It had to be somewhere nearby, but probably tucked away off this road that we've gone back and forth to the orphanage on.

It was then that I went, "Huh", to myself. Back home, Linda Gray was saying how Larry Hagman was her friend for thirty-five years, Barbara Eden was saying how much fun she had as co-stars for five seasons. Fans have been posting accolades. Here, I was watching nearly an entire block lay someone's grandmother to rest in peace.

You never know what tomorrow brings.

That's why I tell my kids, "Never let you go. Never, ever let you go." Last year, Justin ran it all together as "Nevuhletchago! Nevuhevuhletchago!" Ethan looks at me kinda puzzled when I say it.

Today, Ethan and I had lunch together and we watching Transformers 3 and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, dubbed in Russian. We have Transformers 3 at home, I haven't watched it yet. It looks pretty good. I got to see Masha a little, along with the other children. We all watched Harry Potter together.

Tomorrow we enter the teens. We will be nineteen days away from bringing Ethan home. As excited about that as I am, I think I'm going to be a little sad. Last year, Justin and I said "Baka", goodbye to the children here, including Ethan. We got to see him over New Year's. It's been a long year being apart from him. We will be saying "Baka" again in just a few short weeks. I have a feeling it is going to be just as hard this year as it was last year.

The One About The Sun...

Dave sez,

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

~ An Old Irish Blessing

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you very much for sending the sunshine my way today. I am very thankful that the day started out bright and cheerful. That makes a huge difference, being so far away from home and family on a day like today. A cloudy, grey sky and fog would not have been right today. Hopefully you are enjoying the same where ever you are spending your Thanksgiving. This is the first time that Cathy and I have not been together on Thanksgiving, and one of the few times I can remember that I could not watch the annual parade. I've worked Thanksgiving morning before and missed the parade. But unlike Joey Tribbiani, the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade is kinda something I look forward to. That and the New Year's Day Parade. I could probably sleep in, but nah.

It is just another day here. Thursday. A week day. A work day.

I didn't feel like walking, so I took the Number Eighteen, grabbed the usual at McDonald's and headed to the subway.

There are three smaller fountains lining the walkway through Independence Square from the larger fountain that circles the glass dome over the underground mall to the subway. There is a center strip of grass along a glass roof over another section. We've rarely walked on the other side of THAT, so I don't know if there are another three fountains that have been dismantled for the winter. Where the mall and the square meet there are a number of different entrances from above ground to an underground walkway that is lined with different convenience kiosks much like the ones along the street by the SDA. There are a couple of restaurants, one that specializes in potatoes; the other I'm not sure, Cathy and I didn't go inside, and I have no inclination to go in by myself. This second restaurant is surrounded by a bakery stand, a donut stand and a waffle stand. There is another waffle stand toward the middle of the underground walkway, where a person can get a heated waffle with chocolate, caramel or other toppings and maybe even whipped cream if I remember right from last year. Since Ethan is on a pretty steady diet of McDonald's, his first meal after leaving the orphanage may be the potato. Maybe with a waffle chaser.

Today we are twenty-three days away from coming home, if Cathy's math is right. We are winding down the ten days until we get the courts final decree, and I can get a new Ukrainian birth certificate naming Cathy and I as Ethan's parents. That, and his tax identification number can be done in a day. Then he needs to get a passport photo. Then I have to ask what day he can leave the orphanage and come back with me to the apartment in Kiev.

But, for today, Ethan and I settled for breakfast, an abbreviated English lesson and a half hour of soccer outside. He still has a cough, but it is not as bad as it has been. The sunshine today was too good to waste. So we went outside for a little bit of soccer, and when he got bored with it, we came back in and sat down for some Nickelodeon. 

We were watching T.U.F.F. Puppy, when I saw something to cool to pass up. S'mores! The heroes had gone to Camp Itchy Owie Boo Boo, and the dog was gobbling down s'mores. I pointed and said "S'mores!" Ethan said, "You bring, tomorrow?" No, all four of us make s'mores over a camp fire when we go camping in the summer! "You NO bring, tomorrow?" No, s'mores in America. "Oh, s'mores, America!"

After a while we went back outside and played some more soccer. It didn't take him long to get bored with soccer, but not bored with being outside. we wandered around the playground for a while. Then, he got the idea to call me a "crazy frog" and get me to chase him around.

Most of the time we've spent has been one-on-one. Today, while we were watching television one of the little ones from the nursery, Sasha, sat with us. One of the ladies would come and get him and take him out of the room somewhere, but within a few minutes he would come running back in and sit down with us. he has a hack more serious than Ethan, so the nurse came in and gave him something for it. Within a few minutes he had fallen asleep on the couch, and the next time he was carried off for good. Well, I didn't see him again before I left any way.

I hung out as long as I could, which equals an episode of Big Time Rush and Victorious and I still hadn't seen Masha. I even said goodbye to Ethan and waited a little longer outside to see if I could see her coming back from school. I didn't. I didn't want to be out much after dark, so I gave Masha's candy to Ethan, and told him to give it to her when she came in - and to give her hugs from both Mama and me.

That was the only cloud on a sunny day. Not having her run up to me, calling me "Popi" and giving me a big hug. I hope this is one of the few days I have to miss out on something like that. Ethan is going to realize that HE is heading home. She is not. Masha, like the other children will be staying at the orphanage when he leaves with me. I will have to make arrangements to visit a couple of times before we leave for the states, twenty-three days from today. I'm sure he will be glad to get home to Cathy and Justin. But I don't know that either of us is looking forward to leaving Masha behind.

It was a long, lonely walk to catch the 255 back. I don't enjoy leaving my kids and coming back by myself. I can't wait until I don't have to do that anymore.

...And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

The One That Is All Routine...

Dave sez,

I was just thinking about how I was settling into a comfortable routine, when my routine was abruptly changed.

This must be what fall is like in Kiev; cloudy, foggy and cold. I think it may have been one day last week when I last saw the sun. I got up a little after seven. In the states in is No-Shave-November for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Hopefully next year I may get to participate. Ethan has been very diligent in reminding me to shave. I can only get away with NOT shaving every other day. A day's growth of bear stubble and I hear, 'Poppee..." and he makes a gesture of swiping his chin with a razor with the sound effect! "Yeah?!"  Da, Ethan, da. Popi will shave in the morning. Promise. Over the weekend I shaved both Saturday and Sunday. I think i shaved Monday, skipped yesterday, then shaved today.

Out the door a little after eight this morning, on the Number Eighteen to Independence Square, in to McDonald's for a couple egg McMuffins and hash browns, then on to the subway. I didn't have to wait long for the 507, since I got off at Holosiivska closer to nine. It was an unusually busy rush hour this morning with commuters racing from the subway to the buses outside Holosiivska station. I mad sure while I waited that I got well enough out of the way. I got out to the orphanage at maybe ten fifteen after. Ethan was still in bed sound asleep. I woke him up, then waited for him in the classroom. I can tell he's getting bored with the English routine, so today is probably the last day for the routine he's been in. He is learning some words, but he's not retaining anything. Some days he shows improvement. Days like yesterday and today, he's more in a hurry to get through it as quickly as possible and move on to whatever is next. Yesterday it was the computer video games. The classroom computer was shut down, and the teacher wasn't around, so that was out. Good thing I brought my computer to watch a movie.

We watched Iron Mans 1 and 2. Which pretty much took up the entire visit. At 2:30 Masha was back from school and Justin Hammer was just unveiling Ivan Vanko's drones at the Stark Expo. I got my excited "Popi!" and hug. Ethan's response was a high falsetto, "Popi!", then "Pfphah!" Gave him the John Belushi look from National Lampoon's Animal House - the one raised eyebrow, and he giggled. I remind him as much as possible of how he introduced Cathy and me to Masha. before we even saw her, he said, "Masha...sister?!" I keep asking him, "Da, or nyet?" He looks at me more sincerely and says, "Da."

Since Saturday, I've been bringing them both a Snickers bar each, along with a roll of Starbursts and Skittles. Ethan and I share Lifesavers during English and whatever else. Today he was pretty antsy for his candy. I've been making him wait until Masha is back from school and I give them both their candy along with hugs from me and Cathy, a kiss on the forehead for both of them and then I'm on my way back.

I managed to catch another 507 around three back to Holosiivska. Back at Independence Square I made my way over to McDonald's for a couple of burgers and then the long walk uphill and back to the apartment. When I got there, though the doors were locked and the lights were out, with hand printed signs I couldn't read. Fortunately, there is a McDonald's down below in the food court in the mall. Apparently there, though, they do not have hamburgers. They just have the Big Mac's and Quarter Pounders. So, I switched my order for two hamburgers to a Big Mac. I thought the price was a little high until I was handed TWO Big Macs to go. I don't get the meal, just the sandwiches. I come back to the apartment and have my burgers with hot tea. I'm wondering what happened to close down the street level McDonald's, and if it will be open in the morning for breakfast.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a uniquely western observed holiday, celebrating the migration of the Pilgrims to the new world, and the first harvest...at least those are the highlights from Wikipedia.

The most recent Ukrainian holiday was Independence Day in August. Following New Year's Day, January 1st, Orthodox Christmas is coming on January 7th.

It is hard to imagine, but we are very close to wrapping up our journey here. Early next week we will have the court's final decree and I will be able to get Ethan's new birth certificate. if we are able to get that and his tax identification number in the same day, more the better. If not, there is still time. Probably Friday, I'll check with Igor to see what day all that will come up, along with getting his passport photo taken. The other question will be, what day next week or the following week will I be able to bring Ethan back to Kiev to the apartment? Once he's back here in Kiev, with me there's only his physical and his visa at the Consulate left. It's just a handful of things happening in a short amount of time. Compared to last year, this trip doesn't seem very long at all.

This is the first Thanksgiving in twenty-two years that Cathy and I have not spent together. We will remember it for years to come as the Thanksgiving we had the MOST to be thankful for. We have Justin and Ethan. There was a time when we wondered if we would every reach a moment like this. If we would ever have ONE child. Now we have TWO.

Who knows what harvest tomorrow will bring us?

Next year, I want a Thanksgiving photo like this one:

The One That Starts Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone...

Dave sez,

"There Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone".

I've got that song by Bill Withers in my head along with my own version of Three Dog Night's "Odyn (One) Is The Loneliest Number".

Kind of a slow, quiet day here in Kiev. Pretty much a rerun of yesterday. Caught the Number Eighteen to Independence Square. Got an egg McMuffin with a hash brown.

The fountains in Independence Square were drained over the weekend. Yesterday there was a guy pulling the lights out of the fountain that circled the glass dome above the underground mall. There are a couple more fountains on the walk to the other end of the square to the stairs to the subway. Those were empty, too. This afternoon there were a couple of guys pulling the light fixtures out of them, as well. One the ledge around the bigger fountain - the one around the glass dome - there were big grey metal cases. I'm guessing that's what the light fixtures get put into. I'm thinking this is probably a seasonal thing, kinda like when all the Dairy Queens close. The fountains get drained and the lights get pulled in the fall before winter starts and the snows come.

Today was a grey, foggy day. Overcast but no rain. Dank.

I slept in a little later, and got out to see Ethan by 9:30. I found him looking out the window for me in the music room. He was kneeling on the sofa, under the sheer curtains with his face nearly plastered to the glass. There are two gates to the playground outside. One on the end by the orphanage; the other over by a daycare or pre-school that is in an attached building. During the week it is easier to come in that end, rather than walk a block over to the other side. Both gates are locked on the weekends; but since we usually make arrangements ahead of time the orphanage side is usually unlocked a few minutes before we get there, or just as we are arriving. So, Ethan didn't see me come in until I had slipped of the backpack and my coat and I tapped him on the shoulder.

I had surprised him.

I had stopped at the grocery and gotten a bottle of water, a Coca-Cola and yogurt with corn flakes. I gave him the egg McMuffin and water. He still has a cough. I had the yogurt. I sipped the Coke most of the time I was there, neutralizing the yogurt cultures.

He wasn't able to get on the classroom computer yesterday, but today the teacher was able to turn it on and start it and he spent the whole visit playing computer games. After rushing through his English. I'm sure that he will be shocked and freaked out by the rigors and demands of the Newcomers Program when he gets home. There will be plenty of time for him to get over that.

My son, Ethan, is terrible at video games. I mean that in the most positive and supportive way possible. I grew up with arcade games. I had mastered a certain level of incompetence on those. I've never really played much of the home video games. Cathy and I had gotten a Sega game system when we got married. It came with Sonic. We bought Aladdin. Not sure what happened to the Aladdin game cartridge. But, Cathy had a natural ability at both games. Her eye-hand co-ordination made her a winner. I watched as Ethan tried racing and soccer. It doesn't look like he has a natural ability for video games. I've noticed him get to a point where he resets the game. He's mastering Angry Birds. Bad Pigs is a bit of a challenge. he's pretty good at shooting gallery games. But any driving games worry me, because it won't be long before he starts learning that for real. Right now I have no confidence in his steering abilities. But then, I can't steer a video game race car either.

I'm anticipating an argument or two as "sibling rivalry" will soon be moving into my home. Justin is so much like his Mama and Ethan is kinda like me. Ethan's not very assertive, so when the smaller, younger kids come around clamoring over what he's got, he looks to Cathy and me for rescue. There's a point where he has to assert and stand up for himself and say, "Nyet". But it is a fine line between curiosity and disruption.

We spent pretty much the whole day in the classroom. Ethan played video games on the computer and I watched, or read.

Masha was just coming back from school as I was leaving. A little older and in sixth grade, Masha gets back from school a little later than the other, younger kids. She came tearing into the classroom again, today, calling "Popi!" wrapping her arms around me and burying her face into my chest. These are Ethan's final days here in Kiev before he comes home to the states with me for good. As much as I love his smile, it won't be much longer before I have his final court decree and he comes back to Kiev with me. Well get his passport and visa after his birth certificate and he'll have a final physical and we will be on a flight back home.

But, I linger a few extra minutes, until I can see Masha's smile and the twinkle in her eye, before I go.

I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Sunshine. Clouds and fog. Rain. Snow.

I have smiles at home waiting for me. I have a smile with me every day. There is something about Masha's smile that is different from Justin and Ethan's. So, I wait to see it.

Tomorrow, Ethan wants to watch a movie. Tomorrow, back home in America, it is one of the busiest travel days of the year. Please drive safe wherever you are going for Thanksgiving. Make the next few days memorable. Ethan and I will be celebrating our Thanksgiving in December when we come home.

See you soon!

The One About The Morning Report...

Dave sez,

 Dear Cathy,

Here's another opportunity for to tell about all the exciting things going on here while YOU are starting YOUR Monday by going back to work.

I had a hard time relaxing and falling asleep last night after we Skyped. Talking with you and Justin was like chugging a Berry Mt. Dew Amp. Not a good thing to do right before going to bed; but it was good to see both your faces and hear your voices and make faces at Justin and stick our tongues out at each other.

The alarm went off this morning at seven, and instantly I wished I had set it for seven-thirty. I reset it, laid back down for a few minutes and by five after, I had given up and gotten up. A quick shower, brushed my teeth and I was ready to head out by seven-thirty. I checked messages before heading out at eight for breakfast on the way to the subway.

Ethan asked if we could watch a movie today, so I was lugging a pretty full pack. I'm starting to feel the burn from walking so I took the Number Eighteen bus. I picked up an egg McMuffin and a hash brown from Mickey D's and headed down to Maidan station. Since there's no bookstore in the underground mall any longer - it's now a kiosk wrapped around a support beam with a young lady attendant - I skip walking the mall walk and head right down to the subway station. Did I tell you that yesterday there was a camera crew at the top of the stairs filming some sort of variety program. It sounded like some kind of karaoke or musical variety program. Maybe it was an audition for the version of The Voice they do here. I think it's a kid's version of that show. I really didn't stop to watch much, but there was a camera on a boom and on a track and a crowd huddled around a bright circle on the ground. I couldn't see a host, the crowd was pretty thick. There wasn't much going on this morning, just the normal Monday morning rush.

I made pretty good time. When I got out at Holosiivska, it wasn't long of a wait for a 507. I think I caught it by 8:30. It was pretty crowded for a Monday morning, and made every one of the stops on the route, so I was out to the orphanage by nine. I dropped my gear in the music room, ate breakfast in the dining room and then started to look for Ethan. I was kinda surprised he hadn't found me yet. When I asked where he was, I was told he was still sleeping. At ten after nine! I went and woke him up. He was sound asleep! He got up, changed out of his peejays into clothes and we got started on English. We started out our lesson in the music room, but the teacher said we could use the classroom today. He wanted to play on the computer in the classroom - the teacher said he could - but I guess none of the kids know how to turn it on. That's not a bad piece of information to withhold. By 10:30 he was ready for a movie. He picked Rise of The Silver Surfer. The story got in the way of the action, an he ended up playing some of the games you left for him.

I still like both Fantastic Four movies. Ethan started to pick up that we are becoming four, just like they are four.

We managed to squeeze in another movie, he picked The Incredible Hulk. We watched it together and I kept an eye on his reaction to it. He seemed okay. He was still playing the games while watching the movie.

I hung around long enough that maybe I could see Masha coming back from school. It was maybe 2:35 or 2:40 when this blur slammed into me. She gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. That's one thing I've noticed. Most of the children are pretty laid back and relaxed. They come back from school and they say "Hi" or "Hello". Even Ethan is pretty casual, considering these are his last few weeks before he heads home for good. When I woke him up, he mumbled good morning, but didn't seem excited to see me. It was like any morning back home. For him, that's probably a good thing. Every time I see Masha, she seems like she is so excited and thrilled to see me that she is about to bust. I know you probably didn't see how big her smile was when she hugged you those first couple of days we were here, but I keep watching her face. It lights up like yours does.

I don't know if I've ever told you this; but when people ask about us, how we met, how long we've been together, how I knew it was you, I tell them about when I first asked you out. I'd gotten used to hearing no a lot, so I was pretty sure that was what you would say. I didn't think we had a whole lot in common. You're smart. You went to college. The closest I've been is spelling the word on paper. But I will never forget that moment. It was like that moment in The Blues Brothers, when John Belushi's Jake is in The Triple Rock Baptist Church, and he realizes what to do to save Sister Mary's Orphanage. The clouds part, a light shines down and Jake is in this bright light and he says, "The Band." It was like that moment. I asked if you would go with me, and your face lit up like the Fourth of July. I'll never forget your smile. I'll never forget how happy you were to say yes. You probably didn't notice, but I stood up straighter than I ever had before, I puffed out my chest and I walked on clouds the rest of the day. I threw out a little Richard Pryor, too, from Silver Streak. "That's right, we bad, we bad."

That's the same light I see on Masha'a face. Most of the other kids want attention. They're hungry for it and dying for it. I get the feeling from Masha that she's glad we're there and we can be around each other. She doesn't say "Hi" or "Hello". She goes for the big hug. She puts her head on my chest and squeezes really tight. I saw her do that same thing to you. I think I will have twenty-eight hugs and kisses on the cheek from her for you when I come home.

I tell ya, I walked a little taller and straighter and a few feet off the ground on the way back to the bus stop.

Ethan has been asked how soon he's coming back to Kiev and when we are coming home. Even with the calendar I brought, he doesn't understand the concept of days or weeks yet. He counts each day as "tomorrow". He still has to learn the English for the days of the week, the word "week", "weekend" and "the day after tomorrow", "and the day after that". I think it might be kind of cool to surprise him by telling him on the day he's coming back to the apartment.

I think we'll ask Igor if we can still come back on the weekends before we come home to visit Masha.

I left around a quarter to three today and the first bus that came along was a 255.

I walked up that big hill from Independence Square and back to the apartment, and I am enjoying some hot tea. It's a cold afternoon! Colder than it was this morning!

I think I'lll travel a little lighter tomorrow. Carrying that pack reminds me of the days I was observing basic at MCRD. I'll see if I can get Ethan to play a few hands of Uno.

Tomorrow will bring us one more day closer to getting the final court decree; and, I'll be able to get his new birth certificate! I would imagine that we could probably get that done sometime early next week.

Keep you posted on that.

Love you.

Never let you go,

Dave

The One About The Lazy Sunday Afternoon...

Dave sez:

Hey, Cath,

You'll NEVER guess what bus I caught back from the orphanage...Stumped? The 507! can you believe it? I left right at five. I gave both Ethan and Masha hugs from you, I stopped for some Candy for tomorrow and a beer at that grocery right by the orphanage, and at 17:24, I caught the 507 at the bus stop to Holosiivska station. I was already to catch the first 255 that came by, when the 507 pulled up. Today was The Lazy Sunday afternoon. I went with two less burgers and one less fry, but I did remember the ketchup. The kids kept saying "Nyet! Nyet!" but I broke them down when I started eating. After they were done I sprung the Snickers on them. Ethan downed his in just a few bites. There was one burger left; and, Ethan ate that about an hour or two later.

Here's a little bit more on Masha. She doesn't like Ketchup. It's too hot. I'm thinking that would be barbecue sauce, but she sticks her tongue out and waves her hand over it at the mention of ketchup.

She doesn't cinnamon Altoids. I gave her one yesterday after we finished eating our burgers and she cried and giggled and her eyes bugged until she finished chewing it and swallowed it.

She likes Harry Potter, Big Tim Rush, Drake & Josh, Fairly Odd Parents and iCarly. I bet she likes Victorious, too. We spent the afternoon watching Nickelodeon, an
d that was the line-up this afternoon: Fairly Odd Parents, Big Time Rush - her favorite is James - Drake & Josh and Tuff Puppy. Amy Poehler's The Big B came on, and after that we switched over to The Goblet of Fire. She recognizes Robert Pattinson as Edward From Twilight.

I didn't get to stay for the whole movie. Ethan begged and pleaded for a break from English today. He promised that he would work on it tomorrow. The three of us huddled together on the sofa in the nursery where we took pictures of Scrat that other Lazy Sunday Afternoon.

 
Dinner is a couple of burgers from Mickey D's and a cup of hot tea.

Tomorrow we're back to the weekday routine of 9 - 2. Tomorrow starts the fourth week here in Kiev. We're counting down the ten day waiting period on the final court decree, in order to get Ethan's birth certificate. That should be either next Tuesday or Wednesday when we do that. Thanksgiving is an American holiday, so probably only the US Embassy and Consulate will be closed Thursday and Friday. Once we get his birth certificate, then he gets his picture taken for the passport and visa. Somewhere around there, I'll be able to bring him back to the apartment. We'll go to one of the Ukrainian offices for his passport. Then we have to go to the Consulate for his visa. He has his final physical, and then we should be on our way. That's pretty much what the next few weeks should be all about.

It seems like a month, but really, it's only four weeks.

Can't wait to see you on December 15th!

I miss you. Give Justin a hug and a kiss on the forehead and tell him Popi sez, Never let you go.

I love you,


Dave

The One That Is Dedicated To The One I Love...

Dave sez,

Dear Cathy,

I can believe that today was the day that you had to go. What a nice three-week second-honeymoon we've had, huh? I know that we've had a LOT of time, just the two of us, to do whatever we wanted - twenty-one years before Justin found us; and, he's only been home thirteen months now, still it's nice to have what we've enjoyed for the last three weeks.

It was really, really hard to let you go through the security gate at the airport this morning. But...Justin needs you back home. Max, Maize and Peanut miss you; and one of us had to get back and stock up for the coming Twinkiegeddon.

It's quieter here now. The weather's turned a little colder. It drizzled today. The weather is staying pretty damp, and blustery.

I just wanted to curl up in bed and miss you, but we both needed me to get out to see our boy today. It was really what I needed. I'm not taking the Number Eighteen anymore. There's no reason to ride the bus from the apartment to the subway, since there's no one to sit and spend the time with. So, I leg-it the half hour walk. It's a good brisk walk, and I need that right now. To keep moving. Across from the apartment there's a little convenience store, like a Casey's without the gas pumps, I picked up a Coke for me and a Sprite for Ethan. I hiked down to Independence Square and in to the McDonald's there. I found a cashier that new a little English, and I ordered four hamburgers, four cheeseburgers and three fries. A hike across the square and down the stairs to the subway. I spent a good half-hour to forty-five minutes waiting for the 507 - It's like finding a rare jewel! There was some lady dressed in Joseph's technicolor dreamcoat, painted like she was performing in The Mikado spent most of the ride talking and gesturing grandly. Not only could I not understand her, but she had a Big Time Rush soundtrack. I had my headphones in.

I got to the orphanage a little early and Shani came out to let me in. They'd let him have the key to the lock and he struggled a few minutes with it, until one of the older girls, Masha (Maria, in Ukrainian) came out to help him. It turns out he had the key in the lock and was turning it right, he was just not pulling the right end out of the lock. It was pretty comical to watch him twist and turn the key, yank; pull the key out, try the OTHER key, twist, turn and yank - nothing. Masha came out, took the key from him, put it in the lock, turned it and pulled the RIGHT end out. You should have see the look she gave him and the look he gave back.

Ethan and Masha are the two oldest children at the orphanage right now, so they pretty much spend a lot of time together. We'd seen a little of that before you left; that's why it kind of made sense to get a couple extra burgers and fries. They got permission to pull a table from the dining room into the music room while one of the ladies mopped the floor, and the three of us sat and ate together. The other children were napping. You've seen Ethan eat. He's like the Tasmanian Devil. A cyclone swirling, devouring whatever gets in the way. Masha sat quietly and nibbled at her burger, while Ethan machine gunned questions at me. Can we play soccer? Can we play base ball? - He was actually trying to say "bowling", but his English comes out as base ball. Can we watch a movie? You know he was asking two questions: either, A) can we watch a movie on television like we have been doing on the weekends; or, 2) did I bring the computer and disc drive to watch a movie that way. Since it was nap time, television was out of the question; and carrying lunch was enough. I'll probably take the computer out, maybe Monday or Tuesday...he'll have plenty of time for movies when he comes back to apartment with me before our trip here is done.

I started repeating the mantra: finish eating. Wash your hands. English first; then games. Slowly his confusion melted away, and he finished eating. I had one of the hamburgers, then a cheeseburger, Ethan and Masha both had hamburgers. I made sure Masha had a cheeseburger. There came a lull in the feeding frenzy, so I packed up the food in the backpack, and pulled out the gifts you left for them. Ethan shared one of the two packs of Skittles with Masha.

They washed their hands, and when Ethan started in on his English, Masha found her own notebook and an English book. She opened it to a page on "Family". The first paragraph was headed "My Father". Below that was a paragraph headed "My Mother". She asked me to read the first paragraph to her. Then she started flipping pages back and forth with topics like "aunt" and "uncle"; and qualities that family members have.

Then she saw what Ethan was working on. He's still working on the alphabet and numbers, plus three pages of words that he is writing out three times. She started writing the words down one page. Then I told her to write them out three times. She must have thought I meant three MORE times. Pretty soon, Ethan caught on that she was finishing what she was doing faster than he was - her four times to his three. I almost thought his head was going to pop, he was racing so fast to stay even with her. She had some spelling errors that we corrected as she went and she was still finishing quicker! Fortunately, he doesn't stay frustrated for very long. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

We played a couple hands of Uno, then Shani asked if he could play Angry Birds. He let Masha have a turn, while we set up the plastic pins and bowled there in the music room. Masha discovered a bowling game and we spent the rest of the afternoon bowling.

When I left at five, I told them both I would be back tomorrow at the same time. I may take a few less burgers and fries. They both asked for Snickers. I might stop over at the store by the orphanage and grab a couple bars.

I waited over at the bus stop for nearly and hour for the 507. When the fourth 255 bus came by, I decided to risk it. I asked if it went to Holosiivska. It takes a different route from the 507, but believe it or don't it comes right to the same spot as the 507 to the station. It sounds like the fare is different for the 255. $3, instead of $2.50...But, from now on, when I see a 255, I am on it like Blue Bonnet!

Looking at the clock, you're still somewhere between Frankfurt and O'Hare. I hope your trip is uneventful and you get to enjoy a Chicago style hotdog in the terminal before you head on to Minneapolis-St. Paul. Say "Hello" to the Windy City for me.

There'll be more excitement here tomorrow, I'm sure. Ethan still wants to go outside and play soccer. Not sure his cough and the weather will co-operate on that. I'm sure he'll ask a million questions about when he's coming back to the apartment in Kiev with me, and then home to America. I think I understand now that he says "tomorrow" and "tomorrow-tomorrow" for the day AFTER tomorrow. So, we're working on that and seven days make one week, so that he understands it'll probably be two or three weeks before he comes back to the apartment with me. Right now it seems like a long time. But, we're in the home stretch now and everything should move along pretty smoothly. Lord willin' and the crick don't rise.

I'm pretty sure I miss you more now than when I started this. I wish you were here to proof-read this. There really isn't any other way except spell-check to make sure there aren't any typos.

Time to go turn some pages and see if the words on them make any sense at all.

I think I need to tell YOU the same thing I tell Justin and Ethan.

Never let you go.

Dave