Settling In

We are having a very interesting time trying to figure out the food here. Everything is in tiny servings.

Here is spagetti sauce.

The biggest box of laundry detergent we could find!

Ice cream comes in a tube.

The washing machine is under the stove. We can only wash two pairs of pants at a time.

I feel so sad for some of the dogs here.

I am amazed at the young children who walk around the city all by themselves, crossing the streets alone. I wish my children could do that!

When we were on the bus going to the orphanage today, someone spoke English to us! I almost hugged the man, I was so excited. He asked us where we were from and when we told him, his eyes opened wide with amazement!! He acted like we were celebrities. He said no one from the US ever comes here. He told the whole bus about us. I asked him if we blended in and he laughed.
"No", he said, "you do not blend in. You smile too much."

Nastya can do an amazing amount of things. She can stack blocks.

She crawls!

She stands!

She likes to throw the ball under the desk. Then, she smiles up at Travis and waits for him to get it!

Moira is amazing too. With only one finger on each hand working, she can grab my glasses off my face in a flash. She can drag herself on her arms a little.

They said she couldn't sit by herself, but look at her!

She grinds her teeth continuously. She bangs toys on her head. I showed her how to bang two toys together and then look......

If I lay her on the floor, she covers her eyes with her arms and lies motionless. It breaks my heart.

It is so hard to take them back to their rooms each day.