Yesterday we went to a couple of parks again. One was a WWII memorial park. They had the names of everyone who died in the war from the region. Katya got to eat a hot dog at the park for dinner. Whenever a loud truck or plane comes near, she runs to me to be picked up.

Katya got up real easy this morning which really surprised me. She didn't eat much at breakfast, but she wants to go roam real bad. She has been walking the hall for nearly 1/2 hour back & forth and wants to go outside. We're waiting for 10:00 to get here so we can go roam a park or such.

Katya went to sleep with no real fuss last night which is surprising. Maybe she is getting used to us being here finally.

We just put Katya to bed. She's still up, but no fuss yet. Yesterday afternoon we went to get her passport photos taken. It went about as good as any 2 year old photos go. Today we applied for her passport and name change. Monday it becomes official. Once we have the court decree (we saw it today) and the court puts its stamp on it (Monday) the adoption is finalized. We went to 2 parks today and let Katya roam so she would sleep. We got ice cream this afternoon. Katya loves ice cream. I can see we will be sharing ice cream on occasion. One myth I wanted to mention is that diapers bought here are not as good as those in the U.S. It's not true. No need to bring your own. The ones we got here are just as good as any we could buy at home. This time next week we should be almost back to Moscow. 7 days with Katya so far and all goes well. I gave her a bath this evening. She was OK until I rinsed her hair. She does not like her hair wet at all. She wanted out right away. She fussed when I washed her but got over it pretty quick. When Katya saw Tatiana I think she associated her with the hospital and thought she was there to take her back. She did not seem to trust her at all.

The zoo yesterday was fun. Katya loved the animals, especially the bears. She was walking until we got to the bigger animals and then she wanted me to carry her. I think she felt safer being carried. We saw a baby bear at the zoo, wolves, foxes, deer, reindeer, birds, etc. The zoo is more like the Popcorn Park Zoo. they take in injured animals and release them back to the wild once they are better. The zoo is about 1/2 hour outside Khabarovsk. We got to see the country. It is real poor out there. In some areas there is only 1 community well. We went to a beach along the Amur river near the zoo. It was real trashed, garbage all over the place, a burned out car, etc. We saw a cow roaming free on the beach too.

Joe

OK, so yesterday we went to the zoo. More like a wild animal shelter. There were foxes, bears (Marsha and cub Prussia), wolves, hedgehogs (which Katya liked best), a squirrel, a polar bear, wolves (very pretty), and deers, and some real reindeer. They remind me of a cross between deers and a moose (think big). When we got near the bears Katya went to Joe and wanted up. In the afternoon w went to get Katya's passport pictures done then we went to Lenin stadium to walk Katya walked most of the way. I would say we walked about a quarter of a mile. It wasn't that hot. We ate in a restaurant last night. Katya likes fish, some beef and loves french fries (what kid doesn't). She hasn't raged as much. She has tantrums but they don't last long and aren't as violent. She might finally see us as her caretakers. Yesterday on the way to the zoo she wanted to cuddle in my lap - it was great! She goes to Joe when she wants something (bread, more juice) but comes to me to cuddle. She didn't sleep well last night. She cried "Dye" (give me) a couple of times in her sleep. But when I checked on her see she was clearly asleep.

One of the things here is the humidity. It's always humid - so you are always stinky and sweaty. The second is the lack of hot water. They turn the hot water off during certain parts of the day. Also when someone else is taking a shower - you have no water. And three is having to rely on someone else to get you anywhere. That at times makes me crazy. I can't just get into a car and go to the Wawa or to Walmart. I have to make an appointment with someonw to pick me up and they will take me somewhere. Plus being kind of stuck in a hotel room is really no fun. Thee is nowhere to get away from each other. Joe and I play rummy after we put Katya to bed. And talk we both are ready to go home. To our house, our bed, our cats, our music and our computers. One more week and we fly back to Moscow. One more step closer to home. My contacts are bothering me today. I might have to wear my glasses which will slide down my face in this heat. I am beginning to enjoy yogurt, toast with butter and a slice of mild swiss. I know it doesn't sound good but it is. Today we are going back to one of the parks to walk and let Katya play. She woke up very cranky and her mood has not improved.

Rain

Yesterday at the zoo didn't work out too well. We were there maybe 15 minutes when it started pouring hard. Katya didn't get her full nap so she was tired anyway. We'll try for this morning, it's looking to be a nice day. Katya is adjusting to bedtime, etc pretty well for a 2 year old. She is definitely not a morning person. Also I think she is a lefty.

Joe

Well, it's Tuesday afternoon here in Khabarovsk. We stayed in this morning. I went to the grocery for supplies and Rain & Katya stayed at the hotel. I just went down and checked the email, etc. We're off to the zoo in 1/2 hour. This should be fun.

Joe

Well, we have been here a week (in Russia) in Khabarovsk 4 days but only 2 days of our mandatory 10 day waiting period weekends don't count. It is 10 business days. Today Katya and I walked up and down the hall while Joe showered. She still hates showers. But now she will wave goodbye to the maids and doesn't think of them as her caretakers. She walked all over the park this morning but had a tantrum when we took the bag we are using for a diaper bag from her. And a tantrum when I had to take the groceries from her and a small tantrum when we put her down for her nap. As nice as everyone is to us I still can't wait to get home. Being cooped up in one room 24/7 sucks. At home if Katya had a tantrum I could put her in her crib and let her cry it out - without an audience. Here we have nowhere to go. Plus the humidity is like 97%. No matter what you do you stink. I have forgone foundation for the past three days as my face is constantly oily no matter how often I wash it. Perfume is a bad move - it attracts mosquitoes - by the swarms. I think these mosquitoes are related to the jersey green head. They can find you anywhere. The women here fall into two categories - young, thin women with no hips or babushkas - grandmotherly women. Guess which I fit into? Yup babushka. We figured out today the cereal one of the "doctors" recommended and we had bought was buckwheat - no wonder why Katya's rash seemed worse, we were told before that Katya is allergic to buckwheat. So today at the children's store. (we stopped to get more toddler food) I saw "gerber" oatmeal with bananas. In English. I bought it! Now I can read the directions. Something from home! I can't wait to get home. Or at least Moscow - where more people speak English. We went to Baskin Robbins yesterday it was funny. Baskin Robbins in Khabarovsk Russia each day is such an experience with Katya. Well we are going to another park this afternoon. Tomorrow, if the weather is good - we will try the zoo.

Rain

We took Katya to a park this morning. She walked her little feet off and was real tired when we got back to the hotel. We stopped and bought a ball and a pull toy for her to play with. She likes to drag her bag behind her. We're hoping that she will pull the toy instead. She is handling nap time and bed time better each day. I think we are all adjusting to each other real well now. Svetlana and Alec are wonderful to us. They take us anywhere we need to go and try to come up with interesting places to take Katya. It seems that anywhere that we let her roam is a good thing. We had a good trip to Baskin Robbins yesterday. Katya loves ice cream. She loves to feed herself and only asks for help when she can't do for herself. This morningminnu she let me help her get dressed. She never had coveralls before and could not figure out how they went on. We tried out sneakers on her. Se asked for help with them too - no Velcro on them. We've been away from home a week now. We're ready to go home. 10 more days to go here then 5 in Moscow and then we're off to home. It's tough being in one room with a 2 year old for this long and being this far from home. The staff at the Sapporo are really helpful to us. The chambermaid is going out of her way to make sure we are comfortable and getting along with the new baby. When we got back to the hotel this afternoon, Katya was really tired. She was screaming and such, the chambermaid saw us come into the lobby and rode up in the elevator with us. She ran ahead and opened the door to our room for us. That was really nice of her.

Joe

We had an adventurous day so far. We went to a museum this morning after breakfast. Katya enjoyed it - seeing all the animals on display. We had a bit of a temper tantrum at lunch time. I think we're giving her too much stimulation. Maybe we need to be spending more time at the hotel and less running around. Maybe just Baskin Robbins this afternoon and back to the hotel.

Joe

OK so yesterday went pretty well, Katya was very good at breakfast, she eats well. We went on a long walk to a river side park. Katya of course brought dolly and the infamous sippy cup. She loves her sippys. Food is "num num" at lunch she ate yogurt and some juice and a couple biscuits. We had a nap then out again to another park. The sun was very hot. Thank goodness Katya's outfit had a hat! I got to look at a local man made lake swimming area. Svetlana says it was built because the current in the local river is so fast and the river can become very deep very quickly. They have doctors check the water of the river and let people know if they can swim in it for the week or not. Nice. Svetlana said the swimming lake was built because alot of children drown in the river last year. She was trying to impress on us how clear the lake was. Not! I saw a layer of crud around the edge of the non used side. Gross. Beer bottles and a green crud. Nice. I'm glad I don't swim. I got a sun burn on my chest and shoulders. Fortunately Katya did not. We walked about a 10th of a mile in the morning and another 10th in the afternoon. Katya should sleep good. We met another adoptive parents at the park. They were from Hartford CT with their 3 year old son Mishka (Michael) another cutie. When we stopped at a childrens store we ran into them again. We stopped for Katya some hats to block the sun , sunscreen and PJ's. Joe went with Oleg to to the store and Katya and I went to the hotel . Katya Realized Joe was gone and asked "papa" ? With her hands up like "where is he" ? we had bought Katya a small doll to take into the bath with her . Unfortunately it had some things like a child sized ring with it. I try to be slick and remove it before she saw it but no she caught me . This involved a tantrum with her slapping at me, trying to pinch me and biting her hand . I used English first and then resorted to Russian "eta neelza" That's not allowed . More tantrum -- I finally put her in her crib without toys . after a few minutes she stopped and after a few more she and motion for me to pick her up . She had a good dinner beef, potatoes, and dill toddler food from a jar, yuck, some apple pieces, water and of course part of my dinner of meats and cheeses. It can last night was again a treat, kicking, biting in screaming, and demanding her sip cup. It lasted less than ten minutes then she was out. We learned to put her sip cup out of sight. she did finally have a bowel movement. Or actually three woohoo, I forgot how bad baby shit stinks! Oh well. The alarm just went off time to start today's festivities.

Rain

We went to a park with a lake today. It was hot & sunny today and Katya certainly got a workout. We got her some hats and some sunscreen to help protect her from the hot sun. After we got to the hotel I went to a grocery store and bought fruit, soda, snacks, etc. so we can avoid eating out every day. I spent 928 rubles (about $35) on groceries but that should get us a bunch of lunches and several dinners. A typical dinner runs 600-1000 rubles for the 2 of us. Katya loves the stroller and backpack now which is a good thing. She really is a good kid. Putting her to bed is fun. Tonight we let her cry herself to sleep - only took her 7 or 8 minutes to go from tantrum to sound asleep. She does not like being put to bed and wants to take her sippy cup with her - we don't let her do this. She will learn sooner or later, hopefully sooner.

Joe