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