I am going to quit counting days for a while!

I have quit counting days so as not to dwell on the fact that I am going to be here for a while! We went back to the orphanage today. Sy was a bit less playful but still had the giggles and his favorite part of the visit was us helping him "jump" into the air. Over and over and over again. And when we would try to take a break he would back himself up to our legs for us to do it some more. That went on for quite some time. We tried to draw with him, but he thought eating the crayons sounded like more fun, NYET to that. His attention span was pretty short and he was definitely tired of all the same old same old. He did get to play on the piano for a bit as we were in the music room. He liked that and was displeased when the cover was put down and kept going back hoping to get to play some more. When we first got there today, they were still using the music room so we went into the "sensory room". It was giant bean bag chairs, mats and a very cool fish lamp. It was a large tube filled with water that was circulating with fake fish in it and the lamp would change colors periodically. Sy really liked that. We were glad to leave that room though because it was the size of a small bathroom. Made it difficult to play. It rained and snowed the entire trip but due to a MIRACLE I was able to close my eyes and nap through some of it. So I wont' be able to tell you how bad the trip was this time. I am sure more stories will arise. Did I tell you they have a Cinnabon here? OMG. It is by far the closest thing to home I have come across. I bought two the other day and promptly ate them (the mini variety). I want to go back and tomorrow I just might. I will need to waste some time. Dean leaves in the morning and I will not be going to the orphanage. I am hoping to go Saturday and then a few times next week. We will see tonight when our coordinator comes by. As for cards, well we are all tied up in all categories believe it or not. I won't go into the fact that twice I was this close to winning and choked. Tomorrow if everything goes well I will be visiting with an American family that lives here in Krasnoyarsk. It will be nice to spend some time away from here and with a chance to work on my English, which I am afraid I will forget in the THREE weeks I am here! Oh there I go again, reminding myself of the days. Anyway, that is all for now. Oh did I tell you they have individually wrapped ice cream cones here? I am always attracted to the low cal things, haven't you noticed. That is all for now. Paka Paka (see I am losing my English skills as we speak!)

Day 6 - Is that it, only 6 days?

Well, it seems as if we have been here a bit longer than six days, but officially it is six (but I say eight), so whatever. Today we went back to the orphanage and had a blast tickling Sy, playing catch and with puzzles. If only it were closer because I am telling you, that drive is a killer. Snowy roads coupled with us swirving to miss pot holes, surging and then braking, and passing and being passed at alarmingly close proximity to one another is making each trip seem like eternity. Even our coordinator and interpreter asked us when we got back today "Are you sure you want to go tomorrow?". Well yes we want to go back but No we don't want to drive there ever again! I have never had two hours seem like two days, but it does. On the brighter side, we were able to see Sy's sleeping room which he shares with 15 others, his play room, and his study/dining room, which he also shares with 15 or so others. Oh and the bathroom, which has 16 little potties lined up. Each child has their own. Very interesting. We tried his new shoes on him, which he definitely did not like at all! They fit, but it was a battle because he REALLY covets the shoes he wears right now, but we will not be able to take any of the clothes he has when we leave the orphanage. So, he will have to get by with the new ones. I thought I would post a few new Krasnoyarsk photos. One is of the anomoly known as the U-turn. Very interesting. The other is Dean in awe over the VERY large cans of beer they sell. And then just a few of some interesting places we saw along the way, like the fire hall and the plastic trees that line the streets. So we head back again tomorrow and then Dean leaves the next day. My posts may get longer because I will need to fill my time here and you will all be my audience! How lucky are you? There are a few good things that have come out of this trip besides the obvious. My caffeine consumption is down, one diet pepsi a day. That is an amazing triumph for me. I have also fallen in love with a new food that I found at the grocery store, called a FLARONIS. They are a waffle and they are yumlicious! Oh and I am still up one game in Rummy but have come to a dead heat with Spades and Pitch!

Day 5 - Court

We passed!!!!!! So I considered calling each one of you but then I thought perhaps since it was midnight you might not appreciate it. Court was about 1 1/2 hours long and the judge addressed almost all of the questions to Dean. Dean did a wonderful job and we have been issued a decree to adopt. Now we wait, because officially he is not our child until April 16th which is the 11th day of a 10 day wait period (I love how they count!!!). Apparently we had the tough judge and she never once cracked a smile, but no one here does! When I get back I am going to have to practice smiling again. We saw one family ahead of us who had a successful adoption and there was another family right after us. Both couples were from Spain. I can't believe this day has finally arrived. I just wish Sy was with us right now. But after over a year of being patient I think I can tough out the next 10 days. Hey, does anyone want to make a quick trip over here to hang out with me when Dean leaves? Just checking. The weather has been colder and intermittent snow but if all goes well we get to go back to Achinsk tomorrow and see Sy again. We are hoping to go tomorrow and Thursday before Dean leaves to come home. Jake has been busy with Grammie making a scarf for Sy on Uncle Rollo's old sewing machine. Can't wait to see that. I miss him terribly and all of you as well.

So, I will officially introduce you today to Sy Vladimir Schlattmann. I know many of you have seen his pictures but for those who have not, here he is.

Day 4-Medicals

Well, the medical exams were uneventful. We did have to do a urine test which apparently is not the norm, so everyone was a bit nervous. For some reason so was I, even though I knew that I was 'clean'. That was crazy! I just kept thinking, what if I test positive? What the heck would I do then? How would I ever prove they are wrong? Nerve wracking, and all the while knowing that you have nothing in your system! Geez, just think how people feel that have something to worry about? A side note, there doesn't seem to be a lot of concern as we watched two men go in together to provide the sample. Hmmm, seems a little odd. No one blinked an eye except for Dean and I. After we finished with the 8 doctor exam (lol) we came back to the apartment where we were prepped for court. Dean is expected to do most of the talking. Now if you know Dean, you know he is a man of few words. And if you don't know Dean, you need to know that he is a man of few words! So needless to say, we are practicing this evening to be sure we get everything said that needs to be said. Apparently one word or short phrase answers do not sufffice. Now, anyone who knows me would know that this is NOT an issue for me, but as I said, Dean is doing the talking! So court is at 10:45 am and I am as nervous as a trophy buck hanging out in a walk-in area on opening day! Cross your fingers and your toes that we get through this! Tonight we ate at New York New York, which I kind of like. They don't speak a lick of English but they have an English menu and play American music. I had pizza, which is what I have had each time we have ate there and 2 of the 3 days we have been here. It is safe! Dean had Reindeer one night and squid tonight. Yuck and Yuck. I will stick with Pizza each chance I have. Some might think I should be brave and try new things but I think coming to Russia was brave enough for me! Oh and by the way, I am still up 3 games to 2 in Rummie, 2 games to 1 in Spades and tied in Pitch. I mention this only because it could be the last time that I am in the winning side of these games! So I am getting my atta boys now knowing that they will run out. Retraction: I had said that Dean and I were carsick and Dean noted that in fact he was not car sick, just jet lag, exhaustion and crazy driving that was getting to him! My mistake!

Day 3 - Day of Rest-updated

Today we will be just hanging out because it is Sunday. It is snowing here as well and I am jealous that it is 75 degrees at home right now. The weather is still very nice and it is not cold. I forgot my USB cable so I am attempting to use my camera on my phone to take a few pics to upload. We have a great view of the river from our apartment and it is a very nice apartment. And I may have mentioned this before but the entry leading up to it leaves a bit to be desired. Once inside it is perfect. I am pretty sure I will be a master solatairre, rummie, pitch, and spades player before this is all over. Dean does not like to lose though! I am up two games in rummie! Forgive the formatting here with the pictures. I got tired of trying to make it work right. I am also uploading one of my new favorite pictures of the little guy that we are missing SOOOO much at home and my wonderful father who has been taking good care of him.

We had to get pictures developed yesterday. Just try to imagine what it was like speaking to the girl who spoke no English. I couldn't say one word in Russian. But I am getting good at grunting. Luckily there was one man there who spoke broken English and he saved the day and sent us to another store where no one spoke English. I again grunted and pointed like a Master and managed to get pictures developed! It was nothing short of a miracle!

Our first glimpse of what life is life for Sy daily was in the one set of prints. We had left a camera there and so they took some photos of him. Oddly enough the majority were of him sitting on the potty. I think this was to show us that he is nearly potty trained. Not sure. But we also got to see his bed, a picture of him eating, and one of him bathing. Since we will have so few of these, it will be nice to show him this later on.

Day 2

There was plenty of things to celebrate today. After a good nights sleep, Dean and I were much more able to cope with Russian driving. I have decided that it is indescribable really and that everyone should get to experience it once in their lives! No carsickness today, thank goodness. The sleep really made a difference. We spent a few hours with Sy today and it was good. But the word of day....NYET. I had never really heard him say it much before but it was #1 on his vocabulary list. No to playing in the toy house. No to get out the big truck. No to riding on any horse other than the pink horse. And so on and so on. Good to see he has an opinion. It was great though. We played with everything in the room practically and all the old stuff seemed to bore him. He is very agile and had a great time playing catch. Our new game was bowling, although his version was slightly different because instead of rolling the ball he was kicking it. We will not be back to see him until after court. Monday we go for our medical exams, that ought to be interesting!

Second Trip Day 1

Well, I am going to start with the bad news first....Dean and I had terrible car sickness coupled with jet lag on the trip to see Sy. Oh my it was terrible. I even tried the trick a fellow adopter had told me about which was to clothes your eyes when you get in the car and open them when you get out. Still sick! I am hoping after some sleep that tomorrow will be better. Now for the good news....we spent the afternoon with Sy and that was so great. And despite a few minutes of not seeming to want anything to do with us, before we knew it we were about where we left off. He was giggling, chasing us around, playing catch, chasing bubbles, riding the horse, and now it appears he is in to trucks. It was so great!. We get to go back tomorrow which will be our last date until court. So goodnight everyone. I will post more tomorrow.