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

We just had a 2 hour nap after walking around the park at the river. Katya walked all the way from the hotel to the river - about .1 mile. Then we put her in the stroller and walked some more. She was pooped by the time we got back. The backpack stroller works great. We stopped at a grocery store right around the corner from the hotel and got coke, yogurt, and more water. I think we're going to get some cold cuts and call it dinner - maybe get some ice cream.

Joe

OK so I have been a parent less than 18 hours and a few (at least three times) I wasn't sure I was going to live through it. Everyone calls then the "terrible twos" for a reason. Katya's temper tantrums are bad but her and my language barrier adds to both of our frustration. She is very clever. She has picked up several words - "Book", "papa", "mama", "truck", and "big". Basically book is her favorite word, and "no". Last night Katya's worst tantrum happened when a chamber maid picked her up and after a few moments had to leave. There is no fury like a woman scorned. Katya freaked out. I guess Katya believed this was a care worker from the orphanage. She was a woman who wanted her and spoke Russian. This tantrum lasted 15 minutes, complete with screaming kicking and biting her own arms and left foot. (Don't ask me why) She does walk with her left foot outward - kind of bowlegged with her left foot kind of stiff. I will mention this to our pediatrician. Today we realized Katya is not a morning person. She was downright surly. Kind of like Linda. Showering was another traumatic experience. Last night I bathed her and we put lotion on for scabies. That was rough. The bath part. Lotion she didn't care about. She didn't like being washed. Didn't like the soap or the shampoo. The only part she did like was the baby duck (thanks girls it helped alot) and the bath puppets. Joe did the redressing part. I surveyed the bathroom damages, not bad. Today she did not like the shower. She didn't like water in her face, the soap or even sitting in the tub due to the fact that there is a small hot water tank here. When someone else turned on their hot water ours went cold, at any time which happened twice. She let Joe dry and redress her. Breakfast went well, she ate a cup of yogurt, 2 hot dogs, half a sippy of apple juice and nibbled on a piece of bread. I ate toast with cheese and butter and coffee. So far Katya is content to sit on the bed while I write and push her stroller with her toys and diapers in it. As ten we will meet with our translator and we will go to the park for two hours. Then lunch and a nap. Wish me luck!

Rain

Well, we survived our first night as parents. Katya slept the night through which is a good thing. One thing that I noticed is that whenever someone speaking Russian tries to entertain her, especially if she is picked up by them, she does not want them to leave. She throws a fit and won't really calm down until after she is alone with us again. Also she does not like being brought through doorways - I think to her this means we are going to be leaving her back at the hospital again. This should improve with time I would think. When she gets really upset she throws a temper tantrum and kicks and screams. She also bites her arms - I think it is frustration issue more than anything else. When she is calm she is obviously very intelligent and inquisitive. She loves to stack things up, instead of line them up like 4 months ago. She has already repeated 2 English words and understood what we meant them to be - 'Truck" and "Book". I have a feeling that she will speak a few English words regularly before we get home in 2 weeks. Time to wake Katya up, this should be fun.

Joe

We're parents! We had our court hearing this afternoon at 12:30. We have Katya with us in our hotel room. It is a wonderful feeling to finally be a parent. Now it gets fun. We're trying to get her to go to sleep.

Joe

OK, so the last two days have been a total experience. We landed in Khabarovsk and it was raining (yesterday). We went to the Sapporo and had the same room as our last visit #512. I think when we get home I am going to play that number. It is very humid and the pollen is very heavy. At two thirty our interpreter came and took us to the orphanage. Katya has been moved to the "older wing". Another building with kids from 3 to 9 years old. There are four floors and the building is in better condition but there are six beds to a room. And one sitting room have 6 or 8 beds in it. When the nurse brought Katya to us she was covered in a red bite rash. We were told they were mosquitoes. But it looked like scabies to me. For over an hour Katya screamed and tantreumed when we tried to hold her or touch her. Three or four workers tried to help. It did no good. We even put on jackets like the staff. No. She wouldn't even let me touch her. I had pictures of the three of us from the last trip. She looked at them and slowly she began to remember. I finally bribed her with chocolate. Our translator made the workers leave so we could be alone with her in the playground. She finally let me hold her and Joe pick her up. The playground was hideous. A sandlot full of tall grass, mosquitoes, ants, broken glass, broken playground pieces and dog crap. We hated to leave her there. When it came time for us to take her back she began screaming and clinging to Joe. It was so hard to leave her there. The orphanage director loved all the donations. She was truly overjoyed. It was nice to see someone who appreciated our help. It was hard to sleep that night. With our board mattress, court date and jet lag. I got up at 6:30. I went downstairs and sent out some emails then had breakfast. After breakfast I picked out the interpreter Galena's gift and the clothes for Katya. Lemon yellow and white dress, bloomer, yellow socks and white sandals. Court lasted only 40 minutes tops but it was a stressful 40 minutes. The judge without much emotion, the prosecutor stern. Finally it was over. We were awarded adoption of Katya. The judge did not waive the ten days, so we will remain here for 10 days. It will give us more time to bond. Katya has thrown 4 tantrums in 5 hours. First for Joe trying to wheel her down the hall, (She didn't want to leave) then for the chamber maid (she thought the chamber maid was one of her care workers). then before and during her bath. And then over going to bed. Its almost ten and she now appears fallen asleep. Tomorrow I will bathe her to remove the scabies cream. She loves her sippy cup. She has taken it to bed with her. Good night Katya. Sweet dreams my beautiful daughter.

Rain

We went to see Katya today. I was so happy to see her, she hasn't changed one bit since we last saw her. I'm sure she grew some - her foot measurement went up by 1/2 inch in 4 months. At first she didn't recognize us, but after a while she was interacting with us. She let Rain hold her hand while she walked around and eventually let me pick her up and carry her. She fussed but when she realized I was not putting her down she calmed down. When it was time to hand her back over for the night she did not want to go. She screamed and carried on. I'll take a sign that she was comfortable with us. Tomorrow at 11am is our court date.

Joe

We're here. The flight was pretty much uneventful for us. We ended up paying 1164 Rubles (about $39) in excess baggage charges - not too bad. We have moved in to the Sapporo hotel for the next 2 weeks - it seems so strange. We got the same room that we stayed in the last time. Russia looks so different with no snow and leaves on the trees. We repacked the donations and they fill the small suitcase and one of the large suitcases. We should be leaving behind like 100lb of stuff.

Joe

Well, we are winging our way to Khabarovsk and Katya. Today we went to the Kremlin and the many cathedrals inside. It was so beautiful! Some of the paintings on the walls have faded to mere shadows. Tragic but awe inspiring. All the amazing icons! All the amazing architecture! Donna would be in her glory! We went to McDonalds for lunch, funny Happy Meal is still a "Happy Meal". It tasted just about the same. I think I like Domodedovo airlines better than last airlines we took to her. The plane is cleaner, the stewardesses speak English and the plane doesn't smell like dirty socks. I still haven't gotten used to the way people push in crowds or will push in front of you in line. I get annoyed and say Eezvinite "excuse me" but they don't get my sarcasm and look at me funny. Joe has changed his watch to Khabarovsk time. To be almost 9 O'clock at night the sun is very bright. Joe and i slept funny last night as at 10 O'clock the sun was just going down! We know at the Sapporo to close the blinds at night to make the room darker. It's ironic, on the way to the airport I was fighting to stay awake. Now, even with a glass of wine, I'm not tired. Hopefully I will sleep a little later. I'm a little anxious about court. I'm afraid I will say or do something wrong, I don't know what. Some unknown thing, but I keep having strange dreams. Maybe things will get better once we land.

Rain

Last night was a little interesting. I went to sleep at 11pm Moscow time and could still see some blue in the sky. The sun rose before 4am. We went to the Kremlin today and took a tour of the chapels. They are absolutely amazing. The largest cannon & bell are both on display there as well. The cannon had to have a 3 foot bore. The bell was about 15 feet tall and 2 feet thick at the base. There is a piece broken off the lower rim of the bell that is taller than Rain. I took about 50 pictures of the chapels and inside the Kremlin wall. We're in the air on the way to Khabarovsk and should land about 10am. We're flying Domodedovo airlines this time. So far it seems about the same as Dalavia. The plane is an IL-62M - built in the 70's judging by the formica paneling. I'm adjusting to the jet lag a little better this trip than on the first one. The return trip should be easier too since we'll be in Khabarovsk 2 weeks and Moscow 5 days. A little over 24 hours stands between us and our court date now. We're almost there.

Joe

It seems strange - the sun is still out at this hour and is just starting to go down. Back home it's pretty well dark by now. The weather is pretty good in Moscow. It was about 70 F when we landed and sunny. Moscow looks different without all the snow. The hotel we are staying in is a really nice place with a great view of Moscow. We had a good dinner in the restaurant and enjoyed the atmosphere. This could be our last western style meal for the next 2 weeks. We fly out tomorrow night and hopefully will see Katya once we land. Then on Friday we have our court date. This will probably be our last English speaking TV as well. The next 2 weeks will definitely be interesting to say the least.

Joe

Well the hotel is different. There is a casino and a strip bar in the hotel. This kind of worries me. I just haven't experienced this kind of hotel before. The room is huge! King size bed, a seating area, a work area and a large bathroom. The bathtub is large enough to lie down in. I had a long soak. And after the plane it felt wonderful. It is very humid here today. I fell asleep on our way to the hotel in the van. It (the van) was hot and felt steamy. That's a perfect recipe for a nap for me. We had dinner in a nice restaurant we remembered to order in courses so we actually were pretty full. I think Joe might go explore the hotel for some soda or water and see what else this place offers. I am going to relax and if I can stay awake for another hour or so read or watch TV. NASCAR sounds funny in Russian. We hope to see the Kremilin tomorrow before we head out to Khabarovsk.

Rain

Well, we are getting ready to land once again in Russia. This time, for some reason I am very anxious. Yesterday seemed strange from the moment I woke up. I woke up at 8:00 (EST) . This is odd because usually on a Monday morning I am leaving the house at 8. While I was doing some basic straightening of the house time fly by, suddenly it was 10:30 and I hadn't even had a shower yet! But after I was ready to leave, time seemed to drag. It just seemed like twelve hours from 11:30 (est) to one O'clock (est) when Al (my fater in law) came to see us off and Fred (our driver and all around wing man) came. After stopping at the Wawa for my last cup of American coffee for three weeks (comfort food for me) we headed for the airport. The plane was late boarding and taking off by an hour (give or take 10 minutes). Warning - never drink margaritas before flying! The salt will make you retain water and swell up like a puffy pink balloon. And hot wings will.... well enough said. I still haven't gotten the knack for dressing for Russia. This time I wore yoga pants, cotton socks, canvas sneakers (black) (white runners let the locals know you are a western tourist) I was still hot! I have found I like Russina breakfasts better than Russian dinners. Breakfast is a hard roll, butter, cold cuts, fruit and coffee or tea. Dinner is a meat (I had boiled chicken, rice, cooked carrots and a roll). Sounds good but there is something different. Maybe it's a spice or something but it's different. I slept only about two hours. Joe was able to sleep four or so hours So today I am a cranky, swollen pink hot balloon. I give up! I hope our hotel is nice...

Rain

We're about an hour from landing in Moscow. I actually slept a few hours this time. This is a good thing since it is about 6am back home. We just had breakfast - typical Russian fare - fruit, meat, bread. It doesn't seem as strange this trip as it did last time, now that I know what to expect.

Joe

Well, We're in the air on our way to Moscow. We got off the ground 1/2 hour late - not too bad. We have more luggage this trip due to donations - so we can expect excess baggage charges on the second flight. At least this time there are no winter coats & boots to deal with. I can't wait till Friday to go to court and get this adoption finalized. We should get to see Katya Thursday if all goes well. I think we're getting ready to have dinner. We did eat at the airport while we were waiting for our flight so we're not all that hungry. We brought plenty of music and reading material for the trip. We even have speakers for the CD player for the hotel that are battery operated.

Joe