it's beginning to look a lot like winter!

on saturday, sig was all snug on the couch with a cold, so the boyz and i pressed on with the plans we'd already made to go downtown for a holiday pilgrimage. i must admit i was quite proud of the three of us - we showed a heightened degree of stamina and cooperation while braving the cold, wind, snow, Bush protestors, street drummers, crowds, and an hourly wrestle with snow pants, gloves, hats, long underwear...each time we made a pit stop. we were fueled by holiday spirit not to mention regular infusions of hot chocolate, cookies, and chocolate bar sections which were rationed throughout the day. we visited macy's, saw the nutcracker windows, watched my niece jennifer skate in their holiday show at daley plaza, saw a policeman on horseback, visited a fire station, and toured the lobby of the wrigley building at ethan's request. kola and ethan compensated for my restriction of their beverage intake (see pit stop above) by eating white! snow from various gross urban fixtures - bridge railings, newspaper boxes, lampposts... i was very impressed that during the 11 blocks of walking, there was no complaining (ahem, santa) and the train ride was an all-around favorite.

we're had some good news from kola's eye doctor in that the glasses seem to be doing the trick - there may be no patching or surgery on the horizon. we're going for a 2nd opinion later this week, and are hoping for the same prognosis. this is the final week of his therapies and since he did not qualify for any further services (more good news!) we'll be relying on the park district for personal growth and fun. we've signed up for music, gym, art, and basketball/baseball. since he'll be 3 on 1/5, he'll be able to do a few 3-5 y.o. classes with ethan.

we're gearing up for the holidays and kola is just as excited about that as he is with everything else. he doesn't quite know what's in store, but he and ethan have been doing the advent countdown calendar, reading books, decorating, baking, and making regular trips to target-- something's in the works...ethan is probably even more excited about our winter trip up north to afterglow and even tho it's still weeks away, he's started packing for that. ethan is a snowshoeing/ice fishing/downhill skiing veteran and the boyz have been practicing their sledding techniques so there's even more to look forward to. "and kola," ethan exclaimed, "afterglow has a slide!" if you've gone down a metal slide on a cold day in snowpants, you'll know it rivals a rollercoaster!

hope you have a wonderful holiday - we'll post again after christmas!! ho ho ho b/s/e/k

boo!

our not so scary bear and giraffe! kola was incredulous that he could knock on our neighbors doors on halloween and grab fistfuls of candy (our neighbors were very generous and patient:). ethan was happy to show him the way and make suggestions on which might be his favorites. the kids were just as excited about boo @ the brookfield zoo where they each visited their nemesis!

mikola's baptism

we had mikola baptized at our local church (st. giles) a couple weekends ago. i tried to prepare him a little, but the priest and other families were great and the ceremony went pretty well. surprisingly, he wasn't the oldest or biggest kid in the group of 4. as we neared the end of the service and he started getting antsy, i let him know he'd be getting cake and ice cream if he cooperated and it was very smooth sailing 'til the end.

we hosted a family party at the house after the service and of course the preceeding week was full of house preparations. we have had painters and carpenters here the past couple weeks to squeeze in exterior work before the weather changes. the painter promised me he'd have all the caulk and primer on the front porch covered with paint in time for the party. he did, but no one anticipated the 90 degree heat and 90% humidity of the early october day. the morning of the baptism, i put the furniture back on the porch and all seemed fine, but 2 hours into the party, the porch floor started turning into goo!! but i think a good time was had by all, including a badminton family tourney and a welcoming committee for sig's sister andrea who completed the chicago marathon -- plus the race to the party:) sig's dad was missed, but on the way out of the church, kola's godfather and sig's nephew sebastian found a polish penny on the front steps, so maybe he (and busia?) were there after all...

other highlights of the month included a visit to the model railroad set up at the botanic garden, kola's first trip to an indoor pool, and ethan's fun birthday party adventures celebrating with friends carson, finn, and katie.

as always, thanks for visiting with us:) love, b/s/e/k

busy, busy, busy!

wow - the end of the summer blew by like a bullet train! highlights included a visit to our friends' cottage (i'll try to post separately on that once i get photos loaded), a birthday party at the morton arboretum, a couple trips to north ave. beach, visits with friends - many still meeting kola for the first time. here you see kola at his first cubs game - not yet a baseball spectator, we entertained him by running the ramps from the ground to the top deck and stuffing cranberries and goldfish into a small water bottle which he had to fish out to eat.

kola continues on his early intervention 4 therapies a week, p.t., o.t. and language. he's speaking in full sentences and was tested last week for language and is now only 3 months behind for his age. an amazing accomplishment since his arrival in june speaking no english. you may have noticed in ethan/kola's art class picture that he's now going for the harry potter look - does that make him american or british? anyway, we finally got our long-awaited visit to the pediatric ophthamologist who found that kola is far-sighted (and not severely) in both eyes - one more than the other hence the crossing. the first step in correcting this will be glasses for 2 months. if they see enough improvement, we'll continue to work with that. if not, we'll go to a patch, and if that doesn't work, then surgery. he's had the glasses for 4 days and already sig and i are noticing some improvement in the crossing so we'll keep our fingers - er - crossed. we can tell right off the bat that he's seeing better and he's spending more focused (literally) time with puzzles, books, and crayons.

the boyz are doing great. mostly having fun, fewer time outs, better sharing and listening...if this is any indication, i'm updating the blog while they're doing art time are reading books, broken up by the occasional game of chase. they have complementary personalities, and kola has helped ethan be more of a leader and try new things. in addition to the occasional field trip, frequent park visits, and almost daily plastic vehicle time, ethan is in preschool m/w/f ams, gymnastics, art class, and ice skating. ethan is doing great with his writing, has made new friends, and wishes he could go 4 times a week:) kola is in gymnastics and music, both which he loves. kola's tootsie roll for caca program is a huge success and he give us all about 20 voluntary hugs a day. i think what's hardest now for me is the busy fall with all the add'l activities, plus offloading all the baby stuff we'd crammed in the basement. thank goodness for yard sales, craig's list, and brown elephant!

we are sad to report that sig's father passed away last week after a very full 92 years. we'll miss his salmon on sale phone calls and stories but are very thankful he had a chance to meet kola, who he took a quick liking to.

thanks for checking (is anyone still out there??) hugs!! b/s/e/k

paul's pie

our friend paul made and dropped off a wonderful pie for the boyz...this captures some of their enjoyment (all that's missing is the smacking sounds!). it didn't take kola long to learn the word PIE!

when's oktoberfest??

yes, now we have more than one sausage fan in the house - and he's not picky. polish, german, hebrew national hot dogs, bob evans breakfast sausage....he's had it and loved it all! kola's two favorite things in the new world seem to be sausage and machinas. i've learned that machina means more than cars, it's everything with a motor, including my blowdryer. kola was awake early with me this morning and heard the thunder of a rainstorm, and he yelled - machina! i think he thought it was the mother of all machinas out there.

ethan and kola and having a fun summer playing cars/ramps in the house (we continue to stock up at garage sales so everyone has a favorite car in each hand at any given moment.) not to be topped by the collection of plastic vehicles they ride for at least an hour a day outside. they set up plastic parking cones, and each palms a set of keys, and they drive up to me on the porch steps when they need a sippy cup refill. often, there will be a "pick-up game" where other kids pitch in to make a traffic jam. sometimes i'm put to work as a toll booth operator (a leaf is toll change and a stick is an I-pass.) they each have a squirt bottle and towel to wash their cars and every now and then there's an effective trade made.

one of the boyz' favorite field trips was an EL ride to millennium park last week - kola's only previous train ride was more like an amtrak overnite from donetsk to ukraine, which for all of us seems like years ago. now he was able to stand in the first car and see other EL trains come and pass us. "Mama!!! Machina train!!!" he squealed every time. and if i didn't notice, he'd repeat it just to make sure i didn't miss one. passengers were at first amused then just verrry patient. one of the EL riders was very busy fielding phone calls. ethan said to him - "oh, i left my cell phone at home." which got a few laughs, but ethan was serious. between the 2 of them, ethan and kola have 9 cordless phones (2 real, my old dead cell phones)which they love to chatter on. ethan makes plans for visits, playdates, and field trips. kola greets many different callers - ello! ello! okay, byeee.

kola is learning so much english it's amazing. the other day, i was telling the story of our visit to millennium park and the water area they have there, and kola pitched in at the right time in the story, "no drinking!" with a smile on his face. it took me a minute to realize he was tracking and understanding the story and pitching at the right time. he really likes words and songs, which i'm sure helps. today at the grocery store, i handed him each thing we picked out and we named it. if i didn't name what i handed him, he'd make it up. most guesses were chicken or yogurt (for a can of tuna) until i told him what it was. and he'd repeat the word a few times with me until he felt it sounded right. and in line he started naming the woman's food ahead of us - bananas! water (sounds like wally), etc. if he learns too many words, that could get embarrassing!

maybe you can tell, but i'm really proud of how kola's doing, and how attached he is to our family and friends (oh shelley, he calls you belly - we'll work on that.) and ethan is doing such a great job as big brother, teacher and co-conspirator - they have a few squabbles each day, but those quickly dissipate and all in all they help each other, interact a lot (kola: lookit that! ethan: it's a xxx, kola), share more often than not, and if there's a time when my nerves are shot, they seem to turn to each other so mommy gets a little time out.

keep in touch and i know most of you have lost the log-in, so keep the emails coming at bethburdin@gmail.com. thanks for checking!! b/s/e/k

summer fun

we've been getting into the swing of summer and since kola seems to love (and not be overwhelmed by) every field trip we take, we've been able to do some of our "old" favorites. kiddieland was a bit hit - so big in fact that my dad and i had to literally drag kola off his first ride. i didn't have the language established with him yet to figure out how to explain that you have to get off the ride to get back in line again to get back on, so my dad had to go in one side of a ride's train car and i had to go into the other to fish him out. but once we were able to show him more! more! he and ethan proceeded to go on rides, and rides, and rides for about 4 hours. when we were leaving the park, kola gave me 4 big hugs and kisses, which i think was his way of saying "this was the best day yet!" we all also experienced our first silent card ride ever, on the way home. i couldn't tell if their heads were spinning or they were just exhausted. ethan also had his first Tums that nite after eating an entire bag of cotton candy!

the zoo was also a big hit, where kola showed much enthusiasm for the diving seals (boat! boat!) and the safari ride (machina!) and the goats (barka!=dog), well, we'll get to the english names for animals sometime soon. ethan did a great job of showing him around and teaching him about the animals. we went with our friends lori and adrianne (her daughter, ethan's age) who were also patient and helpful in getting everyone herded in one direction. kola is teaching me more words and learning more every day, so i'm feeling more comfortable with the outings. he's learning more about rules, and staying with me, and when to stop, so he actually did stop when the motor safari started moving, actually did stop climbing under the fence to pet the tiger (cataka!=cat), and actually did come back to me even when something more interesting was up ahead. none of which would have happened the first week we were here.

altho it does sound like things are getting progressively easier, it's always 2 steps forward and one step back - my friends (and neighbors) jen and kelly were here for one of my harder days on earth a few days ago when the doorknob in kola's room fell off and we were all locked in there for an hour, just after i had to practically drag kola home from the park leaving friends to pick up a trail of kids and plastic vehicles. but it is still remarkable how well things are going and how fast kola is learning. but every new day as a family of four is becoming more fun and less about laying out the rules and playing referee. the weather has been so fantastic we've been lucky with run around time and adventures. more soon, thanks for reading! b/s/e/k

Beach Boyz

We're settling back in after a week at a cottage we rent each year in Sawyer, MI. Here's a pic of Ethan beaching during kola's nap - where he noted that the beach is more fun when kola's there. a heartwarming breakthru. we got lots of pics of E & K, but almost all on my film camera... It was a relaxing yet busy week, but with wonderful weather, we were able to enjoy the beach every day. lots of digging, splashing, water transport, sandy snacks, rock gathering, dam building/destruction/repairs, irrigation, exploring, chase -- you get the picture.

we had a great day at warren dunes with mike and liz and their clan + shari and her daughter. and my parents spent a couple nites with us and had some great time with the kids - it was so nice to have a long visit & chat and they introduced kola to the joys of ice cream, cupcakes, and sandcastles. grandpa found kola's rough and tumble side which earned big belly laughs and he toasted ethan's marshmallows just right. grandma brought her patented big hugs for the boyz. we set up the tent, made campfires, visited a train museum, watched the boats, played in the hammock. kola really had no trouble settling in and only protested coming into the house for sleep or sitting down to eat. did i mention i've lost 3 pounds in the 4 weeks he's been here?

the first word kola says in the morning is 'ethan' - they've become good friends and still test us and each other. but every day is getting a little more fun with gradually less time spent 'reviewing the rules.' the boys share a passion of electronics, interactive buttons of all kinds, and vehicles of all sizes and shapes. today they spent at least an hour riding the block on their big wheels.

the next two weeks we have 2 groups coming from early intervention to see how he's doing and if he needs any help to catch up. i'm thinking they might target just language for him, but i am amazed at the number of words he's already learned - the latest are 'not yet' (i never realized how much i say that!) and shelley next door taught him 'nice' and 'gentle' as he pet her dog maxwell. he likes language and tries to teach me a few ukrainian words and laughs when i say them - i guess it's my chicago accent. thanks for checking in, more to come!! b/s/e/k

settling in...

ok it feels like i posted only a few days ago, but time is really flying! we've been 2 steps forward and one step back on many fronts, but all in all, i think it's going remarkably well after (as sig reminds me) just over 2 weeks. kola is soaking everything up - trying some new food, using new words, and using new tactics to get what he wants. luckily, i've already been road tested by a 2-y-old before and have plenty of support from friends and sig - consistency, consistency, especially for a curious 2-y-old who's getting a whole new environment and set of rules. he really seems to like it here and loves woodbine and ethan and gives me many hugs and smiles. the first words out of kola's mouth this morning were 'hi ethan' and i had to stop him from going into ethan's room and waking him up. and now with the monitor on, i'm hearing him drift off to sleep, "ethan, mama, ethan, mama..." (knock on wood) ethan seems to have turned a corner on the big brother circuit. he's been more patient and helpful and less defensive. the boys are having a lot more fun together and today ethan said - "this is a fun day after all!"

i think it's helped to add some new toys into the house - aunt julie/mark/jennifer/ andrew brought enough toy cars to make a traffic jam, and we've added a sit and spin, a new garage/car wash/car ramp extravaganza, toy remote, toy phones (each boy usually has one ringing playphone in his hand for a good part of the day). kola has discovered joy in flavored yogurt, applesauce, popsicles, and goldfish. his new words are 'oh my gosh', all done, hot, mine, no no no no no, and come on ethan. we're still employing time outs which seem to be gradually curbing his attempts to futz with the stereo, play with the buttons on the a/c, cross the street by himself, and pull on cords. he loves the blowdryer and vacuum and the other day i left the house for a minute to toss out some garbage and came back to find both boyz wrestling the vacuum out of the hall closet. their deer in the headlights look was enough to crack me up.

i've been trying to get myself in a new routine and thought i was doing pretty well until i dropped ethan off at preschool only for him to point out to me that he still had his night diaper on. then i showed up at my friend kelly's house down the block to drop off a b-day card only to realize 1/2 way there that i had two different colored shoes (saving grace they're both the same but a pair in black and brown), the t-shirt i'd slept in the nite before (the shirt i'd worn earlier that day had been soiled - i'll spare you the details), and my workout pants from the a.m. at the gym. quite a fright - definitely a new mom of two toddlers look which won't be seen on 'america's next top model.'

look for an update in the next week! xo b/s/e/k

outnumbered

today was my first day alone with the two boys. sig headed off to the office and before he left, i jumped at the chance to take a shower. it was then that i realized that my hierarchy of needs has changed over the years. on the bottom of mine is sleep, and luckily, everyone here is sleeping thru the night. next on the pyramid is shower. followed by coffee. then food. followed closely by a tie of friends and the fact i didn't need to call 911 that day. for the most part, this day one went surprisingly well. altho there were a few minor falls i missed preventing, no blood was shed today. ethan and kola had a few competitions and i ref'd one and gave ethan ideas for 2 others. ethan at one point was carrying 2 'precious objects' with him while peddling a way too small tricycle to protect his valuables from swiping - and one of these objects was a kids folded-up lawnchair. shelley laughed and said she wouldn't be surprised one day to see ethan out there with a backpack, cart, arms full of stuff. all kinds of techniques are being tried.

ethan did realize that little brothers do come with some perks. he sometimes enjoys follow the leader, last nite they ran in circles playing tag and chase, and today they got teaspoons from the kitchen and used them to drink water from the powder room sink and 'fill' up a bucket -- as captured on the above photo. kola also came with a dowry (a few toys sig and i picked up in ukraine) of 2 toy cars, a toy steering wheel, a puzzle, a a couple new toys ethan helped me pick out - all good to help enforce the sharing idea. then yesterday, karen and bill (nessie if you read the comments on the blog)gave the boys each a book and a card that said congrats to ethan for being a big brother and welcome to kola - ethan thought that was pretty neat and it helped ethan understand that they'll both have cool stuff they can share with each other, not just ethan letting kola play with all his stuff.

sig was a welcome sight tonite around 5:30 and the boyz were very excited to see 'mama papa' which is what kola calls him. kola also now uses 'done,' whoosh (which means he wants me to pick him up) moo ba lalala (his favorite book), no, banana (which basically means food), wow - ie wow machina instead of the ukraine version - oy machina...ethan uses opala = what kola says when something falls and suddenly ethan has also lost his ability to keep all food on the plate. ethan knows die (give it), spaseeba (thank you) nyet (no), machina (which all of woodbine is using) and they each recognize but don't say yet a few other words. kola definitely knows telephone, sleep, more, bath.... aside from kola's sleep protests and ethan's about 2 hours of whinyness a day, i think things are going better than i expected. kola's dr. appt. went ok - he was a trouper until the needles came out for tb and blood tests - nyet mama!! a real heartbreaker, but he didn't squirm or thrash. we'll be having developmental tests done and are waiting for the labs, but the dr. didn't find anything unusual and gave us some good tips about transitioning him.....more soon! love b/s/e/k

home sweet home

i can't believe kola and sig have only been home for 1 1/2 days. it's been a blur. ethan and i picked sig and kola up from the airport saturday morning, with a very exciting tram ride from parking lot e to terminal 3. sig and kola had had a very long and trying trip back from ukraine. i still don't have all the details, but sig said kola was good on the plane and slept as much as one could - but the only thing he ate in over a day was a rice krispie treat. there was a bout with a runny diaper and a 'hellish' transition thru the airport, but kola arrived very excited to see all the machina in the airport parking lot. he got home and sniffed out the house. after a quick inventory of the toy basket, he ate an early lunch with us - 3 entire bananas. he napped very well and we had to wake him after 3 hours to ensure a good nite's sleep. throughout the day, he was greeted by many enthusiastic neighbors and he fell right into the welcoming arms of woodbine. shelley served a champagne toast, bill and karen lent puppies as an ice breaker plus a strip of red-white-and-blue flags which we hung from the porch the nite before their arrival, carson and quinn left welcome cards for ethan and kola, and the neighbor kids are brushing up on a few russian words and phrases.

day two delivered more fun on woodbine and a stroller trip to chicago avenue to see some better machina action. in his several hours outside pushing various plastic vehicles up and down the sidewalk, he's had lots of smiles and giggles and learned a little about not going into the street. as much fun as he has playing chase and playing outside, he has pitched a couple fits about coming back into the house - which i guess i would too. tonite we had a really fun playdate with the flemmings and altho it took kola a while to warm up from his post-nap jetlag, he was right in the fold and grinning all the way. he even ate this third thing in the states (his 2nd being 3 bowls of oatmeal - funny about 3) an apple and gouda sausage! that after snubbing breads, cheese, ham, bologna, apples, crackers, corn......) he seems very happy with his new home, inside and out, and we're so grateful to our wonderful neighbors who have been so physically and emotionally supportive...words really can't describe how much it has helped us and meant to us.

day 1, ethan was very patient with kola and mostly observed from the sidelines and was curious, which come to think of it is how ethan approaches most new things. today has been more trying for him - sometimes it seems kola is a little gnat, walking in front of his cartoons or checking out the toy in his hands. then he's a new mischievous partner as they experiment with doors (and slamming) together, then he's a reason for jealousy and a request for extra help. when probed, he still admits that having a little brother is fun. i'm sure we'll all continue to pursue a range of emotions. all in all, i'm truly touched with how ethan has shared everything in his domain with kola, and i'm moved by how kola has embraced our family and home and shown so much trust in us. and even thru his jetlag, sig has remained calm and level-headed. three out of 4 sleeps, kola has gone down pretty easily, but this am kola had so much fun on the block that he and i really had a battle of wills at naptime. after he left his room for the 5th time, sig reminded me - what would supernanny do????!!!! he's given me great support and pointers.

tomorrow is the dr., which i'm expecting to be mostly unpleasant. hopefully it will exceed my expectations! thanks for staying tuned, and we'll post again in a couple days!! xo b/s/e/k

another countdown!

i talked to sig this am - he and roman had picked kola up from the orphanage and were boarding the train to kiev. sig said kola was not up for getting into the machina at first, but after his first ride, had no reservations or worries about the next. roman says all the kids like the train ride, and i expect kola will be no exception. kola and ethan had a chance to talk for a minute, not sure if words were actually exchanged but they could hear something of each other. ethan and i will be picking kola and sig up at the airport sat am!!

ethan asks a few times a day when daddy and kola are coming home. he's been making some detailed plans about our upcoming trip to the airport and has been helping me make important decisions. he picked kola's paint room color, drapes (dark blue momma, just like mine), the new stroller he and kola will ride in (it will be brought to the airport)... ethan also informed me that kola -- and ethan -- do/es not like fish or fish sticks, so i won't have to make them. i also learned from ethan that kola likes chocolate milk, but only the sweet kind. today ethan sang 'we are family' sans the 'sisters' part, and proclaimed without prompting that he will be nice to his brother.

the first few days since my announcement to ethan were not quite as rosy. he ran thru every emotion, the 5 stages of grief, and clung onto my leg for 2 days. he asked a laaaaaht of questions and with a few days of processing under his belt, and the ability to leave the room a few dozen times and see that i'm not gone, he's now very excited about the prospect. we've measured kola's height, talked about the kids who he's close to in age (esp. kyle and caroline), looked at kola's pictures, picked out books for ethan to read to him, road tested and bought a double stroller - ethan has already called dibs on the seat with the cupholder. ethan wanted to know where kola's mommy is, if ethan can live in a big house with a lot of kids too, etc. ethan also noted that 'now there will be 3 pee pees in the house.'

it's been really nice to be home. after about a week my fog is clearing and so is the house. the first several days were like living in a camper as the office was cleared for painting and all its contents were shoved into every other living pore of the house. the dining room had 2 add'l couches, an end table and files in the kitchen, boxes of books and office supplies in the bedroom. after a salvation (hallelujah) army p/u today, there's finally some elbow room. our neighbor andy, home from Indiana for the summer, is painting and eric is coming friday to put together the wardrobe and do some odds and ends. i'm working on childproofing, toy swapping, and clothes bin rummaging.

it's been wonderful to see my neighbors and good friends here on woodbine. their enthusiasm about kola and reassuring stories/and good ideas are like a constant 'Big Hug' as Po would say. i also had a chance to see my brother & julie and the kids last weekend - i was still foggy so it was nice to take a break and not be frustrated being antiproductive. we went on a road trip to my parents house + riverside to see the cicadas. it was astonishing - they were everrrywhere and almost deafening. ethan was covering his ears and i flicked a few from my legs and shoes. if it weren't for that trip, i would not have seen one yet. hard to believe with all our old trees that our village seems to have been missed! more soon, xo b

June 1 Holiday for children

The first of June is a holiday celebrating children in the former USSR. Ukraine seems to have continued the tradition. I understand that women’s day is sometime in February and Red Army day was a defacto men’s day of celebration.

The orphanage in Donetsk gathered the children in the playroom who were joined by the staff and many adults – including adopting parents and perhaps relatives of the children.
As the Mistress of Ceremonies recited a story into a large felt flower she led the children in song and dance. At times the children passed around a baby doll. In a touching part of the event a five year old blind resident recited a lengthy poem to the director of the orphanage and presented here with a gift of crafts and pictures. She and everyone in the room shed a tear or two. At the end each child received a small gift (gummy fruit wedges). Later, outside, Mikola was very industrious at opening the package and stuffed two fistfuls of the treats in his mouth. His grin not only showed how happy he was with his accomplishment, but also how he couldn’t fit anything more in his mouth much less chew what was there.

Mikola seems to be making some kind of association with me. After the ceremony he saw me in the hallway as he was being led off to his room, and he seemed to express some dismay at having to go to his room. Irena, the head teacher also spotted me and went to get him so we could go outside for a visit.

At the end of my visits and when it is time to go inside he pulls his usual trick of going limp, dropping his body, and rolling around on the floor, ground, or dirt. This is a common response of his to anything that he doesn’t like. He is very good at it and will do it anywhere without any regard to his surroundings. I can just picture him doing this in the states especially in the middle of grocery stores or other inconvenient settings. Inevitably after one of these episodes, he is covered in dirt, but when I return for the next visit he is fresh and clean. The caretakers must curse me when this happens.

His best friend Mariano, who is also being adopted, seems to be very afraid of getting into cars or going past the orphanage gate. Meanwhile, Mikola can barely be stopped when he sees a car. The Italian couple seemed apprehensive about what was going to happen when the time comes to take Marion home. In our best attempt at communicating with Italian and English hand gestures, we decided to coax Mariano across the gate line with Mikola. There are other ways that they seem to complement each other well.

Don’t do this at home:

Today, June 2, I took a random tram to the southern end of the city. After waiting out a torrential rain in a cafй, I headed in a random direction just to see more of the city and happened upon the terminal and workshop of the street rail trams. From outside the gate I noticed an old refurbished street car and took a picture. A man in a uniform emerged and signaled me from inside the yard. The last time this happened Beth was admonished for taking a picture. But, as he approached he uttered a phrase that I hear often at the orphanage, that I believe is used to encourage someone to come and follow. So I did. He invited me to take more pictures closer up and even go inside (not that I understood what he said). Then he further encouraged me to follow him and as we got closer to the back to the yard in a more secluded place, I was thinking, now I’ve done it and who really knows I’m here!

Tucked away in a barn was a refurbished #1 street car. It may have been redone for a 70th anniversary celebration in 1998 – as it had the numbers 1928 – 1998 on each side. The first street car outside was #2 embellished with 1928 – 2003 on its sides.

For a city that doesn’t offer much for tourists – it was a nice gesture to me a stranger, randomly showing up in an obscure cranny of town. My thanks to the yardman, whoever he may be.

June 4 Decree in Hand

I received the court decree today granting our adoption of Mikola. Roman will arrive tomorrow and we'll scurry about to finish up the Ukraine paperwork and then off to Kiev for more US paperwork. Then some more waiting and a long trip home, changning in London and overnighting in New York.

By the way;

For anyone else thinking about doing this, American Airlines has been very flexible with changing my ticket at a minimal change fee. The adoption rate of $650+ one way, while not cheap, is a reasonable fare for our latest addition. It’s about 1/3 to 1/2 of an unrestricted roundtrip ticket and is about the same as a highly restricted round trip fare.

good morning illinois!

was up with the possum near dawn this morning -- it was lumbering thru the tall grass in our backyard. it's weird (but productive) to feel your day is 1/4 of the way over by 7 am. i hope ethan will read me books and put me to bed early tonight.

i think i left off musing about a visit to TGIFriday's on my last full day in ukraine. the more i thought about it, the more i started craving fried mushrooms of all things - i have them here about once a year. so i went for the mushrooms (which were very tasty) and a beer and eavesdropped on an american conversation and on my way out bumped into someone i knew from forest park! it was a couple and their two kids who had just arrived in kiev - they're on their way to adopting their 3rd. we had met them at a bbq in wheaton last summer held by sue kane who did our homestudy. small world!!

my visit to the embassy was quick and uneventful, and after lunch with anatole (who helps the team here) and roman, i was off to the airport. with a flight of less than 2 hours, i landed in vienna for an overnight stay. what an unbelievable city! this never occurs to me when i see chicago's massive skyscrapers, but i couldn't believe that the earth could support vienna's massive collection of 5-story heavy block baroque-looking buildings. and one is more ornate than the one before it. i walked around with my jaw at my knees for a couple hours. vienna is not as dainty and scrubbed as salzburg - and with dark storm clouds looming during my tour the gargoyles and busts and statues decorating the buildings seemed even more ominous. some cities pour their resources into their churches and to vienna, every building is a chapel to its purpose - government, the arts, and religion.

after a wonderful german-style hotel (buffet) b'fast, i was back at the airport for the flight to chicago. it was a long, 9-hour daytime flight. it seems so much longer when it's not an overnite flight and when you're anxious to get home. my mom, dad, and ethan met me at the airport and were first, front and center outside the double doors of baggage customs. ethan seemed taller and older and gave me the biggest hug of his life. neighbors were out front when we drove up and our bock had turned so lush and green, new neighbors and puppies were settling in and shelley and haley and mary b. had added some beautiful flowers and baskets to the porch for such a warm welcome!!

ethan's anxious to watch his new train video with me - we'll call sig later today and i'll update again soon! xo bb

just point

Independence Square - site of our 2 kiev apts. and protests


the last couple of meals before i left for kiev, we wandered off the beaten path and had to make due without an engleeskee menu. i spent some time trying to translate using my poclet dictionary but really only got as far as the headings. when we went out with the delaware couple, scott could recognize chicken kiev, chicken cutlet, and french fries, so he'd point to a couple of those and held up 3 fingers and that's what he, his wife, and I had. since sig likes to eat just about anything (and you really can't go wrong here - except i'm afraid of mystery meat) he just points to something on the menu and waits to see what shows up. so far he's done very well.

i'm back in kiev (or kyiv which is the new interntional spelling) now and on my own until the translator and driver pick me in up the a.m. for my exit adoption appointment with the u.s. embassy. today is a religious holiday in ukraine and maybe memorial day? so the embassy - which celebrates both country's holidays - is closed. there's one americanskee in kyiv experience i haven't had yet, which is dinner at TGIFriday's. a good number of americans congregate there, including adopting couples. it could be an interesting experience, but i'm not sure if i want to give up one more really great ukrainian meal. i did walk thru a mcdonald's and sig got me a carry-out coffee from there for mother's day, so i can cross that off the list. those are the only two american restaurants i've seen here, and probably the only two in the city that offer carry-out food aside from food stands on the street.

my latest apartment here has a/c - quite a luxury for us. it's becoming more common, but nothing like it is back home. at first when we arrived here, i was reticent about leaving our apartment windows open. screens here are unusual and none of the places we've stayed have had them (hence the cottonwood storm.) i kept thinking a pigeon would fly into the apartment and how the heck would we get it out? our translator assured me he doesn't know of that happening, but anyway staying here alone i feel alot better cooling the apt. down with a/c.

international flights from kyiv leave later in the day so since i don't have a direct flight, i need to overnite somewhere, and it was my good luck that the route that was available included an overnite in vienna. i hope it's not raining so i can walk the city a bit. i have directions to the original julius mienl (some of you have been to the wunderbar imported cafe at southport and addison) so i hope to find it. i'm practicing "vo ist julius mienl, bitte?" those of you (M,D, shelley, laura, kulandas) who remember my intense airticket search may find it as amazing as i do that the ticket i originally booked ended up being the exact date i need, leaving just enough cushion in case there's a fire drill at the embassy.

on the political front, the demonstrators have vacated independence square and it's again lined with souvenier tables. maybe the resolution of a sept. 30th election date is enough to quiet things for the moment. thanks for the emails good to know you're there and reading - didn't know about the posting password. i'll continue posting from home with sig and kola updates and more i haven't had a chance to say while i'm here:) paka, bb

Scott and Suzanne from DE with future son Nicholas


Kola and his best friend, Mariano, who will be on his way to Italy in a couple weeks


we visited kola this morning and i said my goodbyes to some of the adopting couples we've interacted with during out visits to the orphanage. lots of photos taken and emails exchanged and we hope to keep up with a few of the couples when we all get settled. kola and i spent our last day (at least for a while) in ukraine together sitting out front watching the machinas. he pointed some things out to me and i pointed some things out to him and tho we didn't understand each other's words, it was a very warm moment. not to mention it's in the 90's again today. sig had packed his bathing suit and roman confirmed that sig would not get arrested for bathing in the fountain in the square -- kids commonly splash around in them. it's a relief to see that when the temps climb up above 80, the nylons stay home and - except in the orphanage - shoes and sandals are worn without socks. seeing all those leg coverings was making me itchy. the 20-something women are very fashion conscious (full makeup, coiffed hair, matching bags and shoes, appropriately tight fitting outfits, no jeans) and sometimes when i walk around our apt. it looks like a music video could break out at any moment. especially when i catch a rhythm of clicking heels.

The cottonwood trees here created a blizzard yesterday. we'd left our apt. windows partly open and when we got home in the afternoon, it snowed in our apt. sig had to vacuum everything, rugs, towels, furniture. This morning, trucks came to water down the trees behind our apt. i think it was by the arrangement of the outdoor cafes that are affected just below. Roman found he could light the furry part and an entire patch goes up in flames for a second and leaves nothing but a trace of small brown seeds. but we all agreed that wouldnt be a great way to clean the apt. next time. our landlady came today and her helper put paper on our shadeless windows to help reduce the sun's impact on our apt. temp. it has white paper on one side and a silver reflective surface against the window. as we walk around, we're seeing more and more silver windows.

i'll be packing tomorrow and might post again so i can absorb some AC here. i'll report from kiev on what i see on the street, but since mary's comment we did hear more about the unrest in the capitol city. it's more of the same, but the heat (ahem) is turning up between the president (v. yushenko, who represents west ukraine and aligns with western europe) and prime minister (who represents east ukraine and aligns with the soviet union - or CCCP here.) yushenko had requested the new parliment elections because basically government is in a stalemate and can't get anything done. The election date hasn't really been set and the PM and his party is pretty much trying to delay/ignore/block it. So Yushenko fired the chief of finance, which is one of the PM's posts and the chief and his staff were fighting to get into their offices, maybe you saw footage of that (it was on BBC!) . The PM controls the interior police force, which is like a small security army for ukraine with helicopters, tanks, staff...) and the PM called in some of that force to help is chief of finance get to work. the country is pretty divided on who they support, so more flags, peaceful rallies, etc. are happening as a result of this scuffle. i think i have that 90% right. more soon:) b/s

have a cigar!

i know bill will, all others can be chocolate. today we went to court to formally adopt kola. after about a 15-minute standard interview by the judge and jury of two (one is kola's teacher), the court decided they would grant us permission to be kola's parents.

next is a 10-day waiting period which sig is going to stay for. today was a busy day with court, two visits with kola, and paperwork in between. Roman and i have arranged for our transport back to kiev, an apt for me for monday nite, my embassy appt. early tues. morning where i sign a couple official adoption documents which they'll hold onto for sig to complete before he leaves. tues. afternoon is my flight with an overnite in vienna and home wed late afternoon. neighbors can expect me to be bleary-eyed - i'm sure i'll be following ethan's bedtime for a few days! Tomorrow is my last visit with kola before he comes home. amazing. i'll miss the other parents and kids (esp. mariano, kola's best friend) and kola's teacher who always has a smile and tries her best english with us. a german couple arrived yesterday - they're from near cologne. sig was chatting it up with them in german, so maybe they'll hook up for dinner a time or two while i'm gone.

mary - hadn't heard about the riot, but all we can understand is BBC news and Deutche TV's english broadcast. we're pretty much up on western europe...plus 2 sets of coverage from hollywood - one on star wars 30th ann. and one on the pirates of the caribbean ride? in disney. i'll have to ask roman if he's heard anything about ukraine! I'll post once or twice b4 i leave. the Internet cafe has A/C. i think it's in the 90's today and for the next few and very few places have A/C. I told roman, since the computers are .80 cents USD per hour, it would be a great deal to pay for 8 hours so we can sleep here! the video gamers would probably make that hard tho!

more soon! бет + сiг

We’ve been able to entertain kola enough, and build enough trust, that he listens to us (sometimes) and does things other than roam the parking lot admiring the machinas. Today the big excitement was that the wind kicked up when the garbage truck was loading, unleashing a flurry of small plastic bags. All bags had to be caught and secured – some in a bag we brought and some in the garbage. He imitates things quickly so we built a tower of blocks and he knocked it down and helped us rebuild it. We taught him how to drink from a sippy cup but he thought it was a better idea to take the top off and drink from it the old-fashioned way (they drink out of small regular cups at mealtime.) We learned that the meals in the orphanage are primarily: homemade soup, fish, apples, bananas, oatmeal with milk and sugar, cooked wheat cereal, meatballs made with meat and rice, apple juice. We’re told kola is a very good eater and given that ‘on the charts’ he’s 50% height and 90% weight we believe it! He might be the first orphan to come home and lose weight with the increased exercise he’ll be getting back home.

We’ve been eating a wide range of things, but my staples here have been: al dente oatmeal with milk and sugar (called porridge on the engliskee menu), red caviar especially in the thin crepes that are sold almost everywhere from good restaurants to food stands, a chicken stock quail’s egg soup with dill and parsley and thin noodles, salmon carpaccio, and a thin creamy mushroom soup. I’m sure I’ll go thru withdrawal when I get home, missing this simple, yummy, very fresh food.

We’ve had a chance to interact more with the other couples at the orphanage. Most of it is during visit/playtime so it’s pretty brief, but the parents are all friendly, supportive, and share experiences/encouragement. We’ve talked with two Italian couples, one swiss, one canadian from montreal, and had a very nice time at dinner with a couple from Delaware tonite. They're in their 10-day waiting period for a 2-year old boy at the same orphanage. When we walked away from the cafe after dinner, it took me a minute to realize we were in a non-english speaking country. The total English immersion was a real treat!! more soon:) xo b/s

day of rest

Today is Sunday, so we don’t get to visit kola. Our translator has left for a few days and will be back on Friday. Although I’ve realized it’s an anemic description to call him a translator because he’s so much more. (he’s pictured here with sig, I hope.) he manages our long and deep daisy chain of paperwork required from local inspectors, the orphanage, the sda, the Ukraine government, and the u.s. embassy. Much of which is stamped by each authority with a colorful seal, pushed down with two hands with an authoritative ‘ka-chunk.’ He also helps us navigate here, like with yesterday’s shopping, getting the driver, securing transport back to kiev, what to bring kola, our visitation hours, helped get our independent dr. to the orphanage location, etc etc. yesterday during dinner we were reviewing our timeline here and I added to it, then roman flies to Chicago for a one month transition period. He laughed and said we weren’t the first couple to propose that.

Throughout Ukraine, it’s actually pretty easy to find just about anything we need. We find coke (not pepsi, which is our 2nd choice anyway), sprite, fanta, lots of bottled water, pantene, dove lotion, kit kats. Food like yogurt, butter, milk are all national brands, but it’s clear what it all is. I’m sure I could list 50 stores I recognize, all designer types and boutiques, since stores here tend to be specialized and small sized in typical European fashion (anyone remember the SNL scotch tape store skit?) we see reebok, addidas, laura Ashley, louis vuitton, chicco (baby toys), benetton, but no larger stores like gap or any super stores.

Cell phones are pretty much an appendage and there are cell phone kiosks and stores everywhere. Our facilitator gave us a phone to use while we’re here and we buy $10 phone cards which we use for minutes. Incoming calls are free. Around the corner from our current apt., they’re airing the new shrek and pirates of the caribbean with Russian or Ukrainian over dubbing. These two languages are very similar, with a few letters changed here and there but both using the Cyrillic alphabet. Roman confirmed that Ukrainian (esp. the further west you go) sounds softer, not as staccato and heavy as Russian. Two nights ago, I watched planet of the apes (the 90’s follow up movie) with roman in the apt. it was overdubbed in Russian but every now and then I could hear a peek of English. Lots of u.s. music is here too, and roman tells me that’s a pretty recent thing. We talked about 80’s music – he asked if we were listening to a lot of Italian music in the u.s. then, when we saw an 80’s program with Italian ballads. I said the foreign pop music I heard at that time was german (eg kraftwerk) or ABBA. He said until their independence from Russia, in1991 I think, American music wasn’t easy to find here and was considered a bad influence.

Driving here feels like an Olympic sport and luckily for everyone, we’ve only been passengers. Our driver from kiev to the orphanage would put any Chicago taxi driver to shame. Passing can be done in any lane or shoulder. A Ѕ hour out of kiev, sig mouthed to me “maybe we should have taken the train.” Outside of kiev police standing on the side of the road waved us over. Our driver handed them his license with a 10HRV (2.50USD) under it and we were off to the races again. And our driver in our current town can maneuver within a toothpick’s distance of the next car…all without the benefit of side mirrors.

The weather here seems similar to Chicago’s with one big difference we noticed in kiev: for three of the 10 days we were there, it would rain for 10 minutes then become completely clear for 2 hours, then cloud up, the temp would drop 10 degrees, rain for 10 minutes and clear up again. We were caught off guard the first day when we ventured out in blue skies with short sleeved shirts and no umbrellas. Kiev is not near a sea or mountains, so I’ll have to consult tommy skilling on that one.

We’ve found most people here to be friendly and helpful, and unlike our experiences in other countries, seem to have a pretty positive view of America/ns. We thought is was funny tho when we met with the local inspector before heading to the orphanage and she asked us some questions about what we did, where we were from. She asked if we had a flag outside our house (here flags are only flown on gov. bldgs) and we mentioned sports flags, season flags, and bill’s Scottish flag! Then we heard here say Chicago – al capone!

People on our team have been incredibly hard-working and totally accommodating. On an upcoming, entry, I’ll have to do a dedication to all the people who’s efforts have helped make this happen – it’s really staggering. Thanks for spending time with us! Xo b/s.

Day 3 and sig thought I had given kola a haircut (already) but you can see from the pic of them outside if it posts!! I’m just doing a little styling. Today we went on a shopping trip to get him clothes for the trip home. That won’t be for a while but the benefit of having our translator (roman) with us is immeasurable. He’ll be leaving us within a day and will be back in time for the court date next week. Until then, we have a driver scheduled to pick us up from the apt. and take us to the orphanage, wait and take us back to the apt. (:15 min. each way) which is $10 a trip incl. the 1-1/2 hour wait while we’re there. But during our visit with the car waiting there, it’s hard to get kola to focus on much else!

Today, without the translator, a doctor, or caretaker at our side was quite a bit tricker. He’s a good listener and native speakers who do and don’t know him have been able to get him to follow their direction, but without the benefit of language, it was hard for sig and i to get him back out of the parking lot during our visit today. Thank goodness he likes to be carried. We can see he’s full of curiosity, but also saw stubbornness and a little confusion when we couldn’t express ourselves to him. He is already picking up a few words from us tho (and we are from him) – he’s learned ball and your turn, mama’s (purse) dada’s (camera). I’m glad we have this time to figure out how to communicate with each other during the next couple weeks he’s still at the orphanage. sig got him to laugh and smile today and that was a great relief to us all as we struggle to understand each other!

Feet here are usually covered – not many open-toed shoes, heels worn with hose, sandals with socks, and two of the last three visits kola had had on ribbed tights (which sig calls his "tube socks") with shorts and sandals. It’s in the 70’s here and he’s usually wearing a flannel shirt or sweater. He was getting shpritzy outside on the playground! Roman said they dress the kids warmly so they don’t catch cold but once he leaves the orphanage, we’ll introduce him to the wonders of the t-shirt. A few new things we’ve learned along the way: in kiev especially there were lots of smokers (sig and my unofficial combined and averaged estimate: 38%) and Roman told us a pack of Marlboros here cost USD $0.80. well no wonder! Maybe that (instead of a mocha in their hands) and the lack of preservatives and the amount of walking people do and the lack of carry out/fast food helps people here stay so “right sized” even tho I don’t see gyms or slim fast around. BTW i'm at an internet cafe typing to "eye of the tiger" the only news i've heard from the us is that paris hilton is in jail for 23 days for breaking her parole? i've heard a few items of new about america, but i'll leave that for another day!

sorry if we don't really reply to the comments but we love them. hope all's well with you! xo b&S

Kola

The dust has settled a little bit here – it’s still a kind of busy day. We can visit the orphanage twice a day, for an hour each time now. Yesterday we were there for about 5 hours. Mikola (kola for short, sorry Shelley, your name was my first pick but sig voted for keeping his name) looked a little bit tired today from all of yesterday’s activities. Today will be a little more poking and prodding for the blood tests. We talked with two u.s. drs. yesterday – one our IA doctor and our eye doctor and got encouraging news and learned that treatment for his eye may be a patch, glasses, or minor surgery and they said 2.5 is a perfect age to start and they have great success with it.

Kola has taken a liking to sig. he’s still a little suspicious of both of us but goes to sig first and likes walking outside with him. Sig was actually able to get him away from the machina! (car) and inside for lunch without the use of our translator. Today we brought a toy car remote with four buttons and keys on it. I don’t think he knew what the keys were for, but he loved the remote buttons and checking the sounds. he’s 2 months younger than Jen/tom’s Kyle (will be 3 in jan.) his height is 35" and weight is 34#s. We saw him smile with his caretaker today, but he’s still pretty serious and suspicious around us. He really likes his kids group and if we’re there during outside playtime, he’d still rather be there with them than us and if we bring something, he wants to show it to them but then get it back. There was a little tug-of-war over our camera case in the playground yesterday. He liked the Velcro and how the batteries rattled inside. Our kiev doctor said to help him learn and grow and catch up, let him follow things he’s interested in, and it’s nice to see him interested in so many things.

It’s a little hard to tell how many couples are at this orphanage since we go in shifts, but prob around 8. We hear Italian, Spanish, german (swiss), French, and 1 american couple. Usa, italy, spain, and france I think are in the top 5 for foreign adopters here. Everyone is various stages with kids there, some are meeting them, some are still connecting and learning about them while doing paperwork (like us), some have been to court but are hanging out for the 10 day waiting period (which sig will do). I hope we have a chance to meet some of them while we’re here. If all goes well, it seems our court date will be a week from today, then I’ll need to go to the American embassy in kiev and fill out paperwork before I can come home. My current return air ticket is still in play…more soon!

Happy b-day “p!” cara – thanks for the nescafe tip – it’s a great fix and about the only decaf we could find! xo bb & sb

it's a boy!

what a difference a day makes. it's been a whirlwind 24 hours -- we made it to the orphanage with our in-country doctor in tow. after a local stop for paperwork, we went to the orphanage and met with the director who had an inch+ thick file waiting for us which she reviewed and answered our questions from. i'm sure we'll tell you more in the coming days, but he's in good health, and actually right on target on the growth curve. he was evaluated by our dr. using the denver test and was on target developmentally in every area but language he's a little behind on. usually at this age, kids are expected to be 6 months delayed in every category, so this is all very good news. he has one what they call minor correctable health issue which is moderately crossed eyes, which they felt will be easily repaired with short term glasses or minor surgery.

the first thing i noticed about him is that he's really sweet and very focused and patient when he plays. when we took him out to the playground, he was facinated with cars (machina! machina!). but he didn't want to go in ours. he has a good amount of stranger anxiety, but not too much, and is friendly with the other kids in the group. we have a lot more info about him from this 3 hour appt/visit, but i don't want to bore you with all those details. the orphanage is bright, cheerful, and we saw lots of middle aged women (50s? my definition keeps moving up!) who were very attentive caretakers to the kids. there were a lot of sweetie pies there. we're having indepenent lab tests done just to confirm what's already in his file and if those all come out negative (hiv, etc.) then he'll be coming home with us! we're started the paperwork already. more soon! xo bb

the next step....

a quick update - we had what feels like a successful appt. today and accepted a referral. he is 2 1/2 years old and they said he's a little (maybe 6 months) delayed but expected to catch up. they said he's bright, speaking well, and friendly with the other kids and caretakers. we saw a photo of him and tho he was a bit younger when it was taken, it's cute and sweet. the next steps are we'll be driving to the orphanage once we get our referral letter from the sda. then we meet with an official in the town where the orphanage is to get permission to visit. we'll post as soon as we can after that visit with more news. thanks so much for your love, prayers, and support. it's gotten us this far! xo beth and sig

lots of views...some news

lets us eat cake


military and dignitary


our rooms with a view


heels on the rocks


we have news that we'll have our 2nd appt. tomorrow. we'll post you when we can about the outsome of that. in the meantime, we’ve posted a new batch of photos. If they’re in order, the third is the view of the courtyard from our room. Other highlights: women walking confidently on golf-pencil wide 3” heels on kiev’s rocky streets. Short skirts and high heels are de riguer, making me an obvious tourist with either jeans or a looong skirt and almost invisible heels!

We’ve also explored the food markets, where I’ve been now able to cut out the middleman restaurant and stockpile my own supply of red caviar in our fridge in the apt. Sig has been a babushka magnet. You’ll see a picture of a woman who roped him at the market I think yelling to him – you want to taste this cake! – in Ukrainian. It was inarguably tasty and we took home a hefty piece. Also in this batch are pics from the WWII victory day parade – featuring military music and speakers. It was more about the people than munitions. On one of the jumbotron photos you’ll see president Vicktor Yushenko. A few of the picturesque monastery pics after the parade are from the caves sig wrote about the other day. We couldn’t take pics in the caves, it was very dark and we carried candles to see the mini churches, alters, and glass-encased saints in the tunnels under ground. Sig’s observation: boy, they were short. Mine: I keep thinking brent and gaye are going to jump out and yell boo! (and yes, brent we have found chicken kiev - but only twice on the menus. Have yet to find chicken chicago.)

See our new kiev photos: www.snapfish.com login as bethburdin@gmail.com password = Ukraine. If it didn’t work for you, wait a little while and try again – I think it can only be used one at a time. :)

Engleeskee in Ukraine

Cars have the right-of-way


A 'Babushka' with friend


Quickie Mart


Today I bought a souvenir made of wood, and asked the Ukrainian craftsman if I should oil it – he and I did quite a pantomime to communicate. It ended in the 6’4” 250 # guy sticking his elbows out flapping his hands near his ribs and buzzing around in the square like a bee – ahhh beeswax! Trying (with varying degrees of success) to speak Ukrainian has opened a few doors and connected us a little more to the people.

The other night for dinner, sig and I went to a Czech restaurant for a change of pace, and sat in the outdoor cafй in a 4-seat table nearer the street. Just a few minutes later, a group of 4 older Ukrainian businessmen came in to a cafй with only (2) 2-seat tables left, each near a post. So sig and I got up pointed to them and the table, “pajowlsta” (please) and that started an evening-long friendship. I was the benefactor of lots of hand kissing, sig got pats on the shoulder and handshakes. At first they thought we were german, and we all spoke a few please & thank you’s in german, then I said, no usa – but when that didn’t get a reaction I realized in Cyrillic we’d probably be YCA if that was even the right order, so the next time they toasted us – I said we’re American. Ahhhhh - americanskee! Bush! Well, whatever countries we were all from, it was a very fun exchange, from hello thru goodbye.

Friday nite we were able to meet up with a couple who’s working with our same team of Victoria and Alex. They were on their way back from their region and flying back home on Saturday. It was very helpful info and generous of them (thanks if you’re reading!!!) to spend their last nite in kiev with us. They shared their wonderful story and we were able to meet their terrific new 6-year-old daughter (who was their 2nd referral). Their son Daniel was enjoying being a big brother and his sister was teaching him counting numbers in Ukrainian – they were at 14 when we left. Besides language, the only other way we could tell she wasn’t an American kid was that while we were there, she said ok, she was tired and going to bed – she went into the bedroom, lights out and went to bed:) It was great to meet them all and I hope we have just as happy a story to tell at the end of our journey.

We’re still hoping for our 2nd appt early this week.

Happy mother’s day! Bucky – happy b-day Monday and lori happy b-day tues! And thanks thanks thanks for the wonderful posts! it's so helpful to know you're there and love the comments!!
Xo beth and sig

caves and cafes

With a day off yesterday, we went to visit an old monastery in Kiev with catacombs reputed to have unenbalmed yet well preserved saints. The caves are small with passages just under 2 meters tall and 60 cm wide (6’x2’). The site draws many devout and tourists alike. Here is a notable example of their interaction. We happened upon the bearded lady who seemed to be admonishing a couple for improperly genuflecting at the holy site. Turns out the long haired blond in the pair was also a man. It seemed like a scene Monty Python would have depicted.

Anyway, still keeping our fingers crossed that Monday or Tuesday we will meet again with government to see some kids.

(Beth here) wanted to wish Julie F happy birthday today! Hope it’s fun:) and also happy b-day to lynlee on Saturday! we’re heading out soon for our daily cup of coffee – our apt. does not have a coffeemaker and although we have yet to find a plain old cup of coffee, we’re having a lot of fun trying! I thought I found one yesterday – listed as coffee with cream on the engleeskee menu, but alas it was a generous cup of espresso with a side of steaming cream. Oh so yummy. We’ve also tried lattee, mocha, Americano, in several of the many coffeehouses and cafes. There doesn’t seem to be such a thing as a to-go cup. I have yet to see someone walking along the street with a cup of anything in their hand. The coffee is good, strong, and not bitter, and the daily routine of sitting in a cafй pouring over a travel book and planning our route certainly seems like a nice luxury.

More soon! xo bb (p.s. looooved the comments. glad you're out there:)

photos!

thanks shari and shelley for the comments! it's great to hear from home. we opened a photo album on snapfish - it has pics of our touring of kiev. go to www.snapfish.com and log in as bethburdin@gmail.com and type in ukraine as the login password. i'm thinking two people might not be able to use it at the same time, so if it doesn't work, try again! more soon, xo beth and sig.

not yet...

Sorry for the delay in this post, but I was waiting for more info so I could give you a complete story. We had our monday morning appointment at the SDA (state dept. of adoptions) and after waiting nervously outside for about the longest 45 minutes I’ve ever known, we were shown in to meet with our SDA-provided translator and their psychologist. The two women were very nice, patient listeners and did not rush us during the appt. After reviewing who we were, what we were looking for and overviewing the process, they went through 8 files of boys with us, ages 1.5-3 and mostly 2-3. We asked several follow up questions on the ones that seemed most promising for us and sig and I both felt it came down to two. After asking more follow up questions, we chose one file and the SDA wrote down that child’s name, b-day, and orphanage location – 3 hours west of kiev by car (toward Poland.) When we exited the appt., our facilitator alex was waiting for us – he looked at our slip of paper and we gave him some of the details of our appt.

The SDA was to give us our referral paperwork on tues. around 4 and we would probably travel on wed. (holiday permitting) to visit the orphanage and get more info from the director/dr. there. But within about 20 minutes of the appointment, alex had made contact with the orphanage to get additional information – he found some preliminary red flags and spent the next few hours following up on that and waiting for answers. By tues. am (today) we were all in agreement to pass on this referral and wait a few days for a next appointment to review a new group of referrals.

We weren’t really heartbroken after this appt. and are more hopeful for the next one, which alex is working on as we type. It was actually helpful and eye opening to have our first appt. behind us, but I do hope the next appt. is not too far off. In the meantime, kiev continues to offer so much to see and do and eat!! Today is sunny and in the upper 60’s and we hope the victory day parade will happen tomorrow. Although there are no demonstrations now, not even congregating, there’s talk that they might skip the parade this year. It commemorates the end of WWII and is I guess a military-style parade with tanks, flags, and marching soldiers.
The next few days we’ll probably post more views than news, but keep up the good thoughts for our next appointment and successful return:) xo beth & sig

day dva (2) beth adeen (1) sig

square in front of st. sophia


st. sophia


st. sophia


old city gate, entrance to kyiv


walked around a lot yesterday and am thankful for the central location - altho i came in knowing how to ask for a bathroom, i think most of them are in restaurants and you need to buy something to use them. so about every 2 hours i'd stop back in the apt. - there's a 'babushka' (their word) who mans the door in a little office and at first when i went in and out a few times i think she gave me the fish eye, but now she's used to my frequent visits.

altho kiev has around 5 million people, sig and the facilitator, Alex, found me by chance on the way back from the airport - i was standing in a square in front of st. sophia's church 2 blks from the apt. boy, Alex is good! sig's here, a little jet lagged but not too tired to have figured out by glancing at the computer (all instructions in russian remember) and figure out how to hook up the camera.

i visited the most amazing church today - dates back over 1,000 years. and people are very patient with my sparse russian. went to a nice coffee cafe for lunch - espresso and a very tasty chocolate torte cake - gave me a lot of energy to buzz around the city.

happy 1st communion jen F! wish we could be there!

tomorrow is our appt. and i'm nervous!! sig and i are going to walk around now and let kiev distract us...looking forward to a ukrainian dinner:)