Birthday Party for Dennis (and his "twin" sister Amanda)

As I previously posted, Dennis turned 10 on January 16th while he and I were still in Ukraine, and we celebrated with friends in Kyiv. Well, our Amanda turned 7 on the same day, and she got to celebrate with Daddy and the other siblings at McD's for breakfast AND lunch ... and a family friend joined them for BBQ dinner and Blizzard ice cream cake later.

Me and the "twins" before the party
(Troy needed to be included, too)

Fast forward a few weeks ... many of you know about the big snow storm that hit the east coast last week ... we got caught in the traffic that resulted from the main HWY (Rte 7) being closed down in both directions! What should have taken 35-40 minutes to get home from Ashburn took seven and a half hours and that included sitting on Rte 7 not knowing it was closed down for a couple of hours first!!! It was Brian and me and Dennis ... we had no food (well 2 snack size Larabars but you really don't want to eat those without sufficient water), no water, no pit stops (that last one is a miracle all by itself)!

We would not have otherwise gone out this day, but we had already rescheduled Dennis pre-school enrollment health screening for a day that the other kids would be in school ... only to have school closed for another snow day! It could not be any later than Wed because his TB screening results must be read in 2-3 days and he was supposed to start school on Monday. So, we dropped of the other kids with a friend and took D to the doc. He got a clean bill of health to start school, pending clear TB screening, and referrals for specialists. We made a quick stop by Target to pick up the photos I ordered to mail to Snezhana, and we were on our way home just before 3:30pm ... at this point a 30 min drive from Leesburg ... not to be the case!

The birthday bunch about to have some burgers

Ok, so we survived the snow storm and them it was time to plan a party! :) Approx 25 guests, church friends, family friends, co-workers joined us for the celebrations! Dennis had chocolate cake with Toy Story theme. Amanda had yellow cake with Tinkerbell theme. Of the 25 people, only 5 boys were there, including our 2! Oh well, Sam is used to it by now since he's only had sisters up until this month! :)

Hurry up and take the picture -
we want cake!

Brian BBQ'd burgers and we had salad, fruit salad, chips, and soda ... and of course I bought way too much food so the rest will be headed to the super bowl party next weekend - GO STEELERS!! While waiting for dinner, the kids played downstairs with the new ping pong table, and friends (some new and some old).

For more b-day party photos, visit my B-day Party for Dennis and Amanda facebook album.

Opening gifts with dear friends
(Stephanie and Melodie)

Yeah for technology - my inlaws in California were able to skype into the party and view it while we just went about our business. Actually, I think it was quite a hit for most of the kids at the party. I saw Dennis at the computer quite a bit of the time ... Ashley and some of her friends were chatting with the cousin(s). The adults also stopped by to say "hello" and meet the folks! :) We could turn the camera to view the table during dinner and view the family room during gift opening time.

Oh yeah ... another noise making toy!

Well, with school closed 4 days last week, we were unable to get Dennis registered or meet with his teachers, so we will be doing that on Monday. Hopefully they will let him stay the rest of the day, but if not then he will just ride the bus to school and start on Tuesday! The start of week 3 at home! :)

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[Lack of] Vote

The schedule came out for Feb 1-4th and Bill 4313 is not on it,  Feb 7-11 are planning sessions with no votes planned, and it is currently not in the bucket of agenda items to be scheduled for Feb 15-19 either.  No updates to the bill page itself.

I can't see taking that as anything but positive.

Our First Week at Home

DRUM ROLL PLEASE . . . DENNIS WILL BEGIN 2ND GRADE AT LOVETTSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON JAN 31ST!

I will get to the details of how this came to be later on in the blog, but I wanted it posted at the top just to keep your interest because the rest of the blog is well ... pretty blah as far as my posts go! :)

Not too much excitement the past few days, but we did have some company on Thursday night (will write more on this later). On Wednesday we just hung around the house and I decided to try some home schooling until we can get him evaluated for public school. I printed out letter pages A - F with coloring pages to accompany each and let him choose where he wanted to start. He choose the dog, so D it is ... D for Dennis, too! :)

Showing off his artwork -
first piece (of many I'm sure) to go on the wall in Dad's office

What you might not understand about why this is such a wonderful thing is that with Dennis' mild CP he has difficulty with fine motor skills, especially when it comes to using his fingers. Also, no one in Ukraine has taught him how to write, not even his name. He usually uses both hands to hold a crayon, so we have to keep an eye on him and make sure he's only using one hand. Also, when we watched him color in Ukraine he would often scribble well beyond the lines and would not change colors or distinguish between the items on the page and color them different colors. The fact that this page is mostly inside the lines and has several different colors is a huge improvement just since arriving in the US ... and being worked with by our 10 yr old daughter, Ashley! We tried tracing the letter D, but that didn't work out very well. We'll try again another day.

Daddy's coat is just a wee bit too big!

On Thursday I took D to Target to pick up a few things before our company arrived that evening. The Rowell family we met in Ukraine had an overnight layover coming into Dulles before leaving out of Baltimore the next day ... for those who don't know us all that well ... we live 30 mins from the Dulles airport and just over an hour to Baltimore ... so I offered them our extra beds and rooms. They arrived at almost bedtime for us and they were exhausted and basically just made plans for the next day and got everyone off to bed.

This morning the Rowell's looked like they felt much better! Ash, Sam & Amanda were off to school at 7:15 and most of the others were not up. I found Sam helping Dennis get dressed in the hall and asked what was going on ... he said the 15 yr old was still asleep in their room! :) Teenagers! Once they all got up we had breakfast together and then the kids mostly played with the Wii and DSI and Gameboy until it was time for them to leave for their flight. The rest of the photos with the Rowell family can be found in my Homecoming 2011 album on facebook.

Then I took Dennis with me for a visit to Care Net, where I work as a paralegal (currently I'm on parental leave). Que shameless plug ... Care Net is a national Christian pro-life non profit organization serving over 1100 pregnancy centers across the US and Canada. I LOVE working at Care Net! :) I was so excited to see my friends and colleagues today and of course everyone LOVED sweet Dennis! He gave everyone hugs and was all smiles and blushes as we basically stood around talking about how cute he is ... my boss even said she was going to take him home with her, but I stood my ground! ;-) Then we talked about the paperwork to get him on my health insurance plan and had lunch at Not Your Average Joe's ... our favorite work lunch location ... I was craving Ahi Tuna Nachos and D had chicken strips & fries with a ton of ketchup!

While at lunch I got two calls ... on my new DROID 2 (Christmas present, by the way). One was Amanda's dr saying he tested the sample from her infected toenail and wanted to change her meds. The other was from the school VP asking what we wanted to do about school for Dennis. I decided to stop by the school on our way home.

We had a good talk about his CP and high functioning level, but that he would need help with getting his lunch from the lunch line and may need adaptive rec for PE and recess. She said they have several kids with CP, some in wheel chairs and they use a "buddy system" for lunch and other situations where a student needs physical assistance. She also told me that the PE teacher works with all levels in his classes and the school's occupational therapist would sit in on the first few classes to help determine how they can best meet his needs in this area.

Regarding the ELL (English Language Learners) program, he will have 1/2 of his day as 1 on 1 with the ELL teacher! I saw the classroom that is used for this and it was filled with large alphabet charts and bold colored numbers and animals, etc. I let her know that he also has a speech impediment, which often accompanies CP, so that will impact his learning/speaking of English. The ELL teacher was not there today, but I can stop by next week and meet her.

I explained how developmentally he is not on par with 10 year old kids in the US, more along the lines of an 8 yr old and asked that he be evaluated as an 8 yr old rather than 10 for grade placement. I also told her that research shows that most children with even mild forms of CP have learning disabilities. She agreed, but said that it would be much easier to evaluate him for an IEP (learning disability) once he's been enrolled and we have a basis to work with.

As far as how we determined grade placement ... she said they usually don't put kids behind their age group due to ELL issues, but with his other developmental delay issues, and agreeing to treat him as an 8 yr old, she recommended 3rd grade. I told her my other son is 8.5 and in 3rd grade, but that Dennis is no where even close to being able to be in the same grade with his brother. I think that if he really gets up to speed quickly and catches up with other 8 yr old peers, then we could make an adjustment later. I would rather him be in the lower grade than the higher because it would be more embarrassing to be held back rather than just start in with younger kids in the first place. Due to his small size, no one will even know the difference.

She was concerned about him needing to "transition" into a school and classroom setting. I explained that his classroom at boarding school was about the size of her office and had 10 kids in it. She relayed a story of a boy that came to the school a few years ago that would not even come into the building after getting off the bus because he was so scared! She said that boy started with 1/2 day, 3 days a week and finally worked up to full-time. I don't think that will be necessary. He will ride the bus with his 3 siblings and Ashley mothers him quite a bit so I'm quite sure she will take him to where he needs to go until he knows it well enough for himself!

After we decided grade placement and that we don't think he'll need transition time, she asked when we wanted to start! I said as soon as possible of course. We had already told her previously this week that we have a dr appoint for him next week on Wed, so she said to come in on Thursday and register him! She said on Friday I could ride the bus with him to school and meet his primary teacher and then he could start the following MONDAY!!!

After this there was about 30 mins before the bell would ring to let school out, so I thought the other kiddos might want to just come home with me. We went down to Ashley's class and they were playing "Just Dance" on the Wii. I told the teacher that we heard they had gotten a Wii for the classroom and my husband wanted to know what educational purpose it served ... the answer - indoor PE! Well, um ... right whatever you say! ;-) Ashley came right to D and hugged him, picked him up and hauled him to the back of the classroom where she had been on the computer. She asked permission to leave with me and we went and got Sam and Amanda from their rooms ... then we had to sign out and we went home!

Week 1 accomplished! :)

Oh, and we scheduled a joint welcome home/birthday party for the "twins" next weekend on Saturday!

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HOME: The rest of our trip and first 24 hours!

Some of you (I won't mention names cause you know who you are) have been bugging me to post since getting home, so here you go! :)

In Germany we got on the plane without any issues and the plane left on time. D and I had the middle two seats on a 4 seat row, but no one was sitting next to me, so I used that chair to prop my feet up from time to time. An Italian man was sitting next to D and he was nice enough to help us when D got sick a few times during the trip; the stewardess brought us wet wipes but offered no other assistance and they had the isles blocked with food/drink carts so I couldn't even get to the restrooms to clean him up. Seriously - who puts barf bags inside a plastic bag with a magazine so one cannot get to it quickly when it's needed??!! Ok, anyway ... moving on ...

D chillin' with the ipod before take off

D was great as far as not fussing about ANYTHING during the flight. He listed to the ipod for a while and watched a couple cartoon movies on the personal TV stations we each had with about 15 movies to choose from. He slept for 2+ hours and then had a cat nap later. He ate/drank what we were served, which was mac & cheese for lunch, brownie, and juice/sprite throughout the flight.

I get motion sickness, but usually only during take off and landing, and once at cruising altitude I can usually read and watch TV without issue. I don't care much for airplane food, but it was actually pretty decent for mac & cheese. The movies really helped pass the time since I can never sleep on a plane. I was fine until I had to keep cleaning D up the last few hours of the trip. I got really bad once we started our decent into Washington and I had to miss the last drink offer due to taking care of D. By the time we got to Brian and the kids I really wasn't sure if I would keep down dinner and I just wanted to go home and crash!

Most of the gang (even Gus)

Amazingly passport control and customs was a breeze. There was no line at either location. Passport control took the longest because I had forgotten to complete my customs form while on the plane. I explained to the officer that I was cleaning up Dennis so I had forgotten to do it. He was sympathetic and gave me the form to complete while he logged D's passport and reviewed his documents. He told me he would be taking care of processing the paperwork and gave me D's alien registration number to use until the SSN arrives.

By the way, those of you who will be doing this after me, in Kiev get in the FOREIGNERS line. Coming into the US get in the Citizen's line ... don't ask anyone ... just act like you know what you're doing and go there.

Next went to get the luggage and I called Brian while we waited. He explained that I still hadn't been through customs ... oh fooey! Luggage arrived pretty quickly as well and off we went ... through the EXIT hallway and ah ... there was customs control. No lines though, just one person in front of us and there were no issues. I walked up and handed her our passports and the completed form. She asked if I had any food with me ... I said no. That was it!

The "Twins"
(share the same day of birth, just different years)

Exit doors ahead ... fighting back the tears since I didn't want D to be worried or my other kids when we saw them. Around a corner and WOW was I surprised at how many people were there - I had never seen this baggage claim area so full. I guess all the international flights arrive about the same time cause people of all nationalities, many not speaking English, were waiting for their families, some with names on signs, lots with balloons, bears, flowers, and other gifts.

Brian and the kids had balloons, flowers, and gifts, but honestly those didn't matter - we just wanted hugs and to get home! As Brian stated in his post, the friends who were meeting us there didn't make it because D and I got done so quickly, but "Aunt" Jamie was there to greet us as well. We headed for home and I just crashed on the sofa until the pizza arrived and then I went to up to shower as soon as dinner was over. D hung out with the kids and Daddy and the dogs for a while ... he wasn't as tired as I was.

The kids making coffee cake for breakfast the next morning

I seriously had not slept in at least 36 hours. I had to pack still after the train station and of course I had to post the photos of the hosting kids I got to visit with, so I didn't lay down until almost mid-night. I had to be up in 3 hours to shower and finish the last minute packing in order to get to the airport by 4:45am! I never actually fell asleep and got out of bed before the alarm actually went off. Can't sleep on the plane no matter how tired and I didn't want to take a sleeping pill in case D needed me, and he did.

So, 5am next morning my phone beeps ... I didn't hear it, Brian did. It was a text msg that school would be closed due to inclimate weather! REALLY? There was less less than an inch on the ground - must have been the ice then, not really sure. Anyway, back to sleep and then of course the house phone rings about 6-ish with the recorded message that school will be closed. So much for sleep ... the kids get up around 7-ish and Brian gets up with them and tries to let me sleep in! :) Hard to do that with 4 very excited kids and 2 dogs in the house!!

I finally roll out of bed around 9-ish, though not much sleeping was happening, and this is the scene I find downstairs in the kitchen!

Once we got past breakfast and showered, we started making plans for the day. I checked my email for my regular account, which I didn't check while I was in Ukraine ... over 1,200 messages ... most junk mail since anyone who knows me already had been emailing my gmail account to touch base in Ukraine.

Brian took Ashley and Dennis to Costco and the pet store to get the dogs new collars, and I took Amanda and Sam to the DOCTOR! Amanda got an infected toe nail, which had been getting worse since Brian told me about it so I insisted that she go.

Then we met with the family we missed at the airport arrival for the Tangled movie, which Dennis and I had seen with two other families in Ukraine on Saturday! :) Everyone enjoyed it, both times.

I made chicken for dinner ... the first homemade meal I've had (or had to cook) in over 40 days! D had seconds so I guess it was good. :) We had the left over Blizzard ice cream cake that Jamie had brought over for Amanda's birthday the night before. Then everyone got showered and went to bed.

End of day 1 ...

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They are HOME!!!

So they both made it.  Dennis slept some and he's doing ok... he was a bit dazed when he came through customs and didn't really warm up until he got home and saw Troy outside.  Apparently he got sick a total of 4 times during the day.  They came through customs faster than I could have expected... there was no lines, the guy at IAD knew exactly what he was doing, and he even helped work things to let Melissa fill out some paperwork without it adding any additional delay -- so much for the stories of it taking 2hrs.  Unfortunately that meant some good friends didn't make it to see them arrive... and they were both so out of it they didn't want to go out to dinner.

Denns was very happy to get a shower and mostly remembered the routine but I had to remind him how to wash himself a little.  The wall mounted shampoo/soap dispenser worked well.  He didn't want to get out after he finished washing so I let him stay in a while.  A few minutes later he wanted out.  Funniest thing... he put the towel on his head to dry and then tried to walk out of the shower unable to see.  For most people that would be adventurous, even more so with his stability issues.  So stopped him and he got the idea.

After getting back from Ukraine, a shower was the first thing I wanted too (after hugging the kids).  Then I washed all my clothes, including the ones washed before I left.  Remember Dennis was like Pig Pen when we saw him at the orphanage... for the most part they made the clothes better after the first day but he was still dirty.  He has a nice clean, never been used, set of Toy Story sheets and comforter to sleep in tonight with a brand new pillow (we gave him the choice of 2).  He also has a heated mattress pad  that he can control to keep extra warm.  I'm sure to him it'll be like heaven.

The kids are showing him around the house again and practicing English with him -- Ashley is already mothering him.  Tomorrow we'll give him his home coming gifts and he will love them.  He won't even know what they are for and I'm not sure we can even explain (he can't read so we'll try the google translate speech feature).  We need to plan a birthday party for him and Amanda where we'll give him more presents, but we wanted him to have some of his own toys in his and Sam's room right away.  Dennis came home with some of the clothes we sent him, some other clothes, but none of the toys/gifts.  It was a last minute rush out of the orphanage so it wasn't a big surprise.

So Melissa is toast... she hasn't slept in like 36hrs.  I'm sure she'll wake up in a couple of days and post.

GERMANY!!! USA here we come!

D at the airport in Kiev

(dude, guys ... it's January 17th, take down the tree & Santa)

We made it to Germany! The flight out of Kiev was delayed once we got on board because they had to de-ice ... then one of the runways was closed down due to the snow ... so we had to wait "in line" again so the captain said. Made it to Germany about 9am ... flight leaves at 11:35. We almost went to the wrong gate because the board showed Dallas/Washington DC for the same time, but a different flight number ... hmmmm ... we went towards that gate and then saw another board that showed a second flight for that time with only Washington DC listed and my flight number. Had to turn around and go the other direction. Once we found it we went and found the facilities and then got lunch. Now we're just waiting at the gate for boarding to begin ... and no one has moved their bags from chairs so D and I are sitting on the floor.

D at the airport in Germany

Farewall to Ukraine for now

Melissa will eventually blog about this and add more pictures but since it will probably be a few days I will write some notes as I understand it.

I'm not sure what went on this morning... probably picking up some last minute items including the pre-paid phone cards for Snezhana.  Figure about 6mo worth to last until summer hosting or however this turns out.

In the afternoon she went to the train station and met with some of the kids and chaperones.  She gave the stuff for Snezhana to one of her friends "T" that we knew would have time for the exchange at the train station.  "T" hung out for a little while and talked with Dennis which was nice.  Her other friend "O" barely made the train... we had been wondering... and only was around long enough to wave hi.  I assume that Melissa was able to give the little gifts to the kids/chaperones that she intended to.

There was another girl "A" that we are looking to host that Melissa was able to meet.  Melissa took her and some other kids/chaperones to dinner (McD's?).  "A" was smiles and tried talking, even if in Russian.  She did really well with Dennis and both seemed to enjoy their time.  "A" was comfortable enough to accept Melissa's iPod to listen to while they waited... wonder what she thought of all the contemporary Christian music on it.  All in all, pretty good especially this girl has had a long, tiring, and emotional last few days.  "A" was confused about why Melissa was there and it was a while before a translator was by to explain.

The other interesting thing was some conversations "T" and Melissa had with Snezhana.  Most of it was the "normal" topics and went well.  But then she told both "T" and Melissa that "Snezhana no want to go to America"... from further discussion this appears to be in regards to summer hosting.  This is interesting as this is the exact same wording she text'd us on Tuesday morning before Melissa picked Dennis up ("Dennis no want to go to America") which was completely bogus.  This is a 180 degree change from Tuesday night where Snezhana was giving Melissa many long hugs and said she really did want to come to America for summer hosting.

We are pretty certain the text "on behalf of" Dennis was due to biomom pressure from all the yelling/abuse at Snezhana that happened 24hrs before that... I'm pretty certain the "brainwashed" words from Snezhana were too.  There are several things that Snezhana has been using as rhetoric that when she states she will not listen to anyone.  Obviously biomom is being very [harmfully] selfish and she knows that Snezhana coming has a real possibility of getting her to change her mind... seeing Dennis happy & doing well (english, physically, etc), back with a family, etc.  Snezhana's friends and some mutual adult friends are going to try to talk to her and figure out what is going on with her... a honest/true understanding of what is going on might help.

Another thing we found out today... just before everyone left to hosting -- just before we got there --, Snezhana was apparently very happy (remember she thought we were coming but didn't know when) and she tried to give some gifts for us to someone traveling to the US.  Unfortunately they never made the exchange and of course she wasn't happy by the time we arrived... and we never got the gifts from her.  So something happened and changed things dramatically in that very short window.

Countdown to HOME - Only 1 More Day!

We had another really great day! I remembered my camera card today, so I have lots of photos! I also got ripped off for 500 grivna by a street performer taking our pictures, so be sure to scroll down and see those and be forewarned if you're coming to Ukraine!

We Woke up early, like before 7am, but dozed back to sleep. D was trying to play peek a boo, but I wasn't catching on, so he completely hid under the covers! Then I understood what he was doing and tickled him! He gave me a big hug and then we got up, about 9:30am.

D having brownie/ice cream after lunch @ TFIG

Yep, that hit the spot!

D finished watching the movie he started last night and I showered and did some laundry. After the movie I gave D a bath - he LOVES bubbles! He points to everything around the bathroom and I name it and he repeats it. We do this over and over again for about 40 minutes or so. While he was dressing I got a call from the Sanner family http://astoryoflena.blogspot.com/ who I gave my phone number to last night on facebook! :) I told them about our plans to meet up with the Rowell family later for the movies and tried to explain how to get to the mall for the movies.

A sign outside a cafe

By the time we got ready, it was almost 11, so I decided to skip breakfast and just go to TGIF's for lunch again! I had another burger and D had chicken fingers and the brownie/ice cream show above for dessert! :) Then we walked down the main street in front of the apartment just taking in the sights and stopping for photos every now and then. We also bought some souvenirs for the family back home.

These next few photos were taken from a street guy who ripped us off

About the time I was ready to head back, I got a call from the Sanner family again. They were "lost" and weren't sure how to get to the theater. We figured out they were close to the big tree at Independence Square and so was I, so we met there.

A man dressed in the traditional Russian Grandfather Frost costume walked up to Dennis and placed a small critter in his hands. I think it's a chinchilla. I got out my camera to take some photos and the man grabbed D's hand and took off with him!

I chased them down of course and by then he had taken D over to a carriage next to another costumed person and was posing for photos. I was about to take the shot, when a man, not in a costume approached me and basically grabbed the camera from my hands. He motioned for me to get in the picture and snapped a few. Then he motioned for me to get out of the photo and the Santa guy also and took a few of D.

Then he grabbed the critter and shoved it into my arms. I had my eyes on that thing when it was in D's hands and it was all calm and nice. I think it knew I didn't like it so it got a squirmy and didn't want to sit still when he gave it to me! I was just glad the thing didn't pee on me!

So, now the photographer is trying to tell me how much to pay the Santa guy. I tell them I don't speak Russian so he gets out a piece of paper and writes down 120 x 3 = 360. I said "why 3" and he points to Santa and says 1 and D and says 2 and me and says 3. I said "NYET" and he wrote down 300 even.

Then he pointed to himself and said "my carriage two photos" and write down 120 + 120 = 240. Again I said NYET and he wrote down 200. I was like are you kidding me? Then he acts like he's not going to give me back my camera. Of course I want the camera back, but I mostly just want to get outta there ASAP! Who knows if they're going to try to steal my wallet here in a minute.

I paid him the 500 grivna in 100's and grabbed D and we got outta there as fast as we could and have no intentions of returning to the square again before we leave. I am also warning anyone who is coming to Ukraine ... DON'T GET NEAR ANYONE WEARING A COSTUME and don't let anyone take your photo! If they approach you, tell them "NYET" and get outta there!

D at the 3D movie "Tangled"

Once back to safety I show the Sanners how to get to TGIF and make plans to meet them back in front of the apartment buidling at 2:15 to get a taxi over to the Rowell's place. D and I go up to the room and chill for a bit and I work on some more laundry.

We get a taxi and I show the driver the address. He says 100 grivna, but it only cost me 50 last night, which I thought was a bit high, but maybe they charge more for 5 instead of 2 people. Anyway, we hop in and get a ride to the mall and find the movie started at 2:30 and it's already 2:45. We use Lena to help figure out if they have enough seats for all of us and our options are row 1 or section 8 (the back rows). We opt for row 1 and then there is some confusion about how to pay.

Left to right:
Kristina, Vladik, Lira, Dennis, Lena

We get that figured out and then don't know how to read the ticket to know which theater it's playing in. We go the wrong way ... someone tells us to go the other way ... we go another wrong way ... we finally locate it and they don't have enough glasses for all 12 of us! All the Rowell's go in and the rest wait for employees to locate glasses. Other people are also waiting in the hall for glasses. We get those and of course the movie has already started, so we enter late and sit in the front row. The movie was excellent, even in Russian it was funny and heartwarming. I will be taking all my kids to the English version once I get home (but will skip the 3D part).

D and I playing race car arcade game

We all hung around for about an hour and half afterward playing arcade games and air hokey and the adults just chit chatting about our stories and lives in the US. It's great how friendly American are, isn't it! :) D and I and the Sanner have to get a cab back to our side of town, so we head back to the Square since we can both walk from there. I tell them we're going to Sojo Pizza, which they haven't been even though they are closer to it then we are, and they join us.

We had a very nice dinner together and then D and I went downstairs into the mall to get ice cream. I was thinking McD's, but there was a huge line. I looked around and saw a gelato place - it was really good! I'm betting we'll go back again tomorrow. We agreed to meet the Rowell's and Sanners in the square tomorrow for ice skating. Well ... we won't ice skate, but I bet D will have fun watching them. And, we'll avoid the costumed creatures like the plague!

D and I at Sojo Pizza for dinner

We got back to the apartment and skyped with Brian and the kids. Then we called Snezhana. We played phone tag for a bit and then I realized that my phone was out of money! We called her back on skype and I explained it to her. She said she was low on money too, so I will buy another phone card for her tomorrow and go online and apply it and buy more for my phone, too.

The laundry is all hanging out to dry now and tomorrow afternoon I will pack. Then we'll see if we can get a taxi ride to the train station to meet some friends, old and new, before they return to their regions after the current hosting program. I have gifts to send with one of the girls who is a friend of Snezhana and hope she will be able to write us.

Well, signing off and going to bed now.

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The Home Front week 2

It is nice to be back at home but we are all missing Melissa and excited to see Dennis.  Sam and Amanda did well behaviorally at school which is good, they tend to have problems periodically.  It's been a bit of a battle at home... they are testing me to see what they can get away with... they haven't ended up on the good side of that :)  There will be a bit of turmoil for a while, both good and tough.  Everyone is healthy so it looks like I'll be able to make it to church again!

Right now we are trying to get everything ready.  I was going to take 2 days off this week to get stuff done around the house before they arrived but alas they are going to get here 4 days earlier than expected so so much for that.  I suspect the Christmas tree decorations will still be up.

So I bought this no bark thing that is supposed to work really well.  It uses ultrasonic noise which I'm hoping works.  The "zap" collars are useless on our big lug Gus.  I swear you could tazer the dog and he wouldn't care. You tune the thing with it working on human audible noise. Gus does decide it is irritating so he knocks it over and stands there barking at it.  Well, it's tuned... hopefully the ultrasonic fairs better.  Troy our little weasel dog hates it and runs into my office but the zap collars work fine on him so that wasn't a problem in the first place.

Yesterday I answered the Android vs iPhone question.  I chose Android.  My LG enV3 has the problem where it randomly turns itself off... with much of my cell phone's purpose being for people to get ahold of me this kind of made it pointless.  On Tuesday it did it 4 times, even when sitting on my desk untouched.  So thanks to a 2 for 1 deal on DROID2 Global phones, Melissa has her Christmas present for this year and so do I.

Sunday is Dennis and Amanda's birthday.  We will do a party after everyone gets back... still haven't figured that one out.  I understand people don't tend to celebrate birthdays in Ukraine so if this isn't his first birthday party, it will his first in a while.  Melissa will do something special for Dennis on Sunday and we are having a little cake/ice cream at home for Amanda.

Melissa and Dennis get home on Monday... some folks are coming to meet them at the airport.  Then on Thursday some new friends who adopted 4 will be flying in and are going to spend the night before heading out the next day.  Really looking forward to that.

YES - We ARE done!

Embassy appointment was at 10am. I went a bit early so I could pay on the way in. No line to pay. No line at window 15 (visa application location from yesterday). I had to ring the bell to get service. She took our passports and receipts for payment and told me to have a seat and I would be called in a few minutes. I grabbed a magazine (haven't seen an English one in a while) and browsed it. D sat next to me and I offered him the photo album we brought along, but he didn't want it ... just sat there. We waited 10-15 minutes.

"Macy Family window 17 please." The words made me fight back tears as I took D's hand and walked to the window.

The man at this window was an American! He made a joke about being in typical government style having lots of papers to sign. He handed me the ones I had turned in yesterday, one at at time to sign. I signed and returned. Took less than 5 minutes. He returned the passports, birth certificate, and one copy of the receipt. He said it would take 30 minutes if they didn't have any computer/printer problems and I could wait in the other room, which has toys for children to play with.

I told him I brought copies of the court decree and other documents so that I could get back the originals. He looked at them and said "They look exactly the same." I told him I knew that, but my facilitator insisted that I bring these copies and get back the originals. He was agreeable and we traded. I also asked if he would keep our I71H open since we are approved for 4 but are only adopting 1 this trip. He said he would make note of that.

D and I went into the other room and we met this family http://adoptinggrady.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-28-visa.html waiting for their son's visa as well. We chatted for a bit and they were called to the window a few minutes later. D did not want to play with the toys, so he sat next to me. He did wave/say hi to their little boy - he is a very sweet boy also and was friendly to me as well! :) They invited me to meet them and another couple at TGIF at noon! WHAT???? Where is that because maybe, just maybe I can get a REAL BURGER!!!

Yes, here we all are at TGIF
and YES, I did get a real burger!

We waited a few more minutes in that room and then we were called back to the window. This time it was the same man who took our application in yesterday. He said "CONGRATULATIONS!" Ok, cool, thanks! He handed me a packet and told me not to open it, that only an immigration officer in the US can do that. He also asked if I was aware of the reporting requirements. I said I was, but he explained them anyway and handed me a checklist. He also told me how to apply for a social security number and that I would need to trade his Ukraine passport for a US passport.

Then he said, "You may take your son and go." Again tears fought to break the surface, but for D's sake I could not let them - he would not understand the happy tears a mother sheds after childbirth.

As we left the building I saw another family that I knew what they were there for and I told them "good luck." I think they were surprised I was an American. I stopped at the guard post to retrieve my items. I texted pretty much everyone on my phone list that WE ARE DONE!

I wanted to take a pic of D outside the embassy, but the man who waits between the embassy and the guard post told me I could not! Well fooey ... I tried again once outside the gates, but then I realized my camera didn't have the memory card in it - I had left it in the laptop at the apartment - FOOEY again! (This is why I don't have many photos on today's blog).

A few minutes later the driver showed up and guess who was in the front seat - Karen Rowell! She was surprised to see me - very surprised and we gave each other a big hug and started chatting. The rest of the family was in a much larger vehicle behind them and I asked what they were doing. They were there for what we did yesterday!! Then they were going to try to get the medical visits done also. With 4 that seemed like it was going to be a LONG day for them.

I offered to take Kaden with me and D to TGIF and shopping and back to the apartment. Everyone was agreeable to this and we went our separate ways. The driver was amused when I asked him to take us to TGIF ... "what for?" he asked. Um ... LUNCH!?? Ok, he says with a question mark! :) Guess they don't eat lunch at noon in Ukraine? We arrive before 11:30 and browsed the underground walkways shops between one side of the street and the other and we come across another underground mall! Beautiful water fountain was saw from the 2nd floor - again wish we had the camera.

We arrived at TGIF a good 20 mins before noon and we asked for a table for 10 and they made it for us and seated us. We ordered coke and water and waited. Soon the family we met at the embassy arrived and they started chatting with Kaden. He mentioned another family he met at the SDA and low and behold that family walks in! They recognize Kaden and start chatting it up - don't you just love Americans!!?? :) They had their facilitator with them who inquired which one we were using and of course they know each other.

D and the Rowell's at dinner

After lunch we walked back towards the apartment and find the department store. Kaden and his family had already been inside this one, so he shows me around. We browse all the floors and quickly find the kids clothes on the 2nd floor. We found shoes for D right away, but slippers take a bit longer to find what he likes and in his size. Then we just walk around for a bit, not sure what else we'll find. 5th floor we find some paper, pens, envelopes, etc. which is great because this is what I want to send with one of Snezhanza's friends back to her (I plan to meet some of the hosting kids at the train station before they depart for their regions on Sunday evening).

D picks out a Tom & Jerry backpack, which is much more suited to his size. I also found a souvenir for Ashley. I got to pay and the bill is almost 500 grivna ... for some pens, envelopes, paper, and a backpack!??? HUH?? I check the tags and the backpack is 320 grivna! Are you serious!? This thing I could get for $10 at Walmart .... but D has already picked it out and I really didn't want to have to to back and try to find a cheaper one, so I just get it.

We get back the apartment and Kaden and I skype with Brian for a bit ... first thing he does is tell Brian the cost of the backpack! D shows Brian his new stuff. Kaden's mom calls us and says they're done with the medical visit and going to the apartment and will have the driver come to our apartment and get Kaden. She asks if we can figure out a place to meet for dinner 1/2 way between. I suggest that the driver just brings me and D to them ... much easier than carting 7 of them all over the place!

Arrangements made and we go to their apartment, which they actually have two given so many of them! :) We hang out for a bit and Karen unpacks the clothes they brought for the kids. We suit up and head down the street towards another mall, which simply says Ukraine in Cyrrilic on it. We find the movie theater and then have dinner at the buffet on the 4th floor. We found the movie times, so provided they are the same tomorrow, I'll get a cab and head that way in the afternoon.

They go to the market and D and I bought some DVD's ... I got 6 for less than $20! :) Strange how some things are so much more and some are so much less here! Steve helps me get a cab, to the tune of 50 grivna for a less than 10 min ride, and D and I get back safely to the apartment. We skype with Brian for a few minutes and D wants to watch Beethoven. He is now sleeping, but he talks in his sleep, so he keeps waking himself up!

The laundry just finished, so I'm going to get to bed myself! Oh, and I tried to call S last night and again tonight so she could talk to D, but the phone wasn't in service either time.

So far this trip ... one of the best days we've had ... the only reason the day I picked up D wasn't the best day was because of all the drama surrounding the rest of the day!

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WE ARE DONE!

Well, I think we are done :)  That was the text I had on my phone at 4a this morning from Melissa.  That would be 11a in Ukraine and their final embassy appointment was at 10a.  30minutes for embassy interview and 30minutes for VISA if she meant that too.

I tried calling her cell but their was no answer... could mean she's actually back in the Embassy (no phones) getting the VISA or the phone is out of batteries or their are at a movie or ... who knows.  But sounds like we should be in good shape.  I'll let Melissa update us all when she gets online but I wanted to update everyone on this now.

So if anyone wants to meet them at the airport with us Monday just let me know :)

Gotcha Day +2 - Part Two: Tickets HOME!!!

YIPPIE!!! WE HAVE TICKETS HOME!!!

Our plane leaves Kyiv on Monday morning at 6:45 (ouch, that's gonna hurt) and arrives at Dulles at 3:10pm the same day! I am so glad for no overnight flights or more international hotel stays! :) Brian promises to take me to Red Robin for a huge big juicy cheeseburger before we get home and I'm putting him on notice today that he'll be making me one every night for the next week!

D having dinner at the buffet place

Brian & I liked so much the last time we were in Kyiv!
Looks like he likes it, too! :)

By the way, using this blogger program it's way easier to just add a new post rather than edit a new one, especially if adding more photos. I figured my post from earlier today was long enough anyway!

D and I just hung around the apartment for a while this afternoon. I did some laundry and D played with toys and listened to the ipod. We called Brian and the kids before they went to school this morning. We also skyped with my parents and Brian's mom for a few minutes before we went to dinner. Then I got the email back from our agent about the tickets!!!

Our feast!

No we didn't finish it all

I let D pick out everything he wanted at dinner. I had no idea if he actually knew what he was getting, but there wasn't much Brian and I didn't like at that place, so I figured something would be decent! I also got borscht and rolls, sorta hard to mess that up. He took one bite of the large meat roll he picked and made a face ... I thought he was going to spit it out! He was a good boy though and just shook his head at me and pushed it away. It was so bad that he had to have a drink of his orange Fanta before he could do anything else! I was a bit scared to try it, but it was really good - I think it was the dill sauce on the top that he didn't like.

The interesting decor at the Ukrainian/Italian buffet

Right outside the apartment lights and camera crew were setting up when we got back from dinner. I have no idea what's going to go on here tonight, but I hope it's quite so we can get some much needed sleep after last night on the train. A man had just come in from walking his bull dog and it liked Dennis! :) I gave it a pet, but it wasn't interested in me. I pulled out my camera and asked the man if I could take a photo. He agreed. The dog kept sniffing D's leg so I thought we might want to get outta there before it started to do something else to his leg! :)


Oh, and I forgot to mention in the previous post that on the way to the apartment this afternoon, N showed me where the president's administration office is located - it's walking distance! She said the scuttlebut is that he bought a chopper that is more $$ than Obama's! :) The Ukraine economy is so bad here that they just shut down several ministries, had to lay off a bunch of government employees, and move the SDA to a different ministry to save money ... but the prez does this?? Hmmm ... what's wrong with this picture?

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Gotcha Day +2

The train is always miserable for me. But sorta like childbirth, after the first time you know what to expect so it's not quite as bad the next few times around (at least not for me). I had forgotten about the motion sickness, but remembered quickly after departure and took some dramamine, which takes a while to kick in. The first class cabins have TV but ours didn't work. I turned on my computer (wall plugs also in 1st class), but my touch pad wouldn't work (works fine today). I did get my computer to play the DVD which was Happy Feet and Dennis likes penguins, so we did that for a while. Then he ate some peanuts and chocolate. When the food cart rolled by he perked up, so I got him chips and his own water bottle. He asked for the ipod ... and stayed up with it until 10pm, when I just had to take it away so he would sleep. He tossed around until about 10:30 and then I heard him snoring ... never heard a more beautiful sound in all my life! (No dear, that does not mean I like YOUR snoring, but I still love you anyway).

D by the tree in the lobby of the hotel -

all suited up (backpack) and ready to take the train

D woke up in a good mood again this morning at about 7am, played peek a boo with one eye at me, and then sat up with a big smile! I had been awake for at least and hour, but had no idea what time it was and I was dreading checking the clock and seeing it was only like 2am! I had woken up many times during the night due to sudden chugging or violent rocking of the train car ... or the slamming of the restroom door (we had the cabin right next to it). When D woke up I checked the clock and it was 7:06am and I breathed a sigh of relief since our train was to reach Kiev about 8am. I got Dennis up and we used the facilities and packed up and it was time to go.

N met us at our train car and we all walked out together and got in the minivan type taxi she had already arranged to meet us. She took the metro home to retreive the forms Brian had to Fed Ex her since we hadn't brought them with us because we didn't originally intend for me to stay in Ukraine during the waiting period. Driver took us to the apartment - the same one we had before, so I am very pleased about that! It's a very nice one and D will LOVE the jacuzzi tub and I know my way around the area, how to get food/money, etc. so we will be perfectly fine here for a while!

Lady @ hotel front desk took our pic before we left

I took a quick shower knowing I'd be going to the embassy in an hour and then D and I went back down to the driver. He met N along the way and we drove to the embassy ... about 10 minutes. N insisted that I do the paperwork in the car because the forms had to be completed before I went into the embassy. She accompanied us to the security check point (by the way US Citizens get to cut in the line) and then she took all my stuff cause I forgot to leave it in the car ... cell phone, ipod, they wouldn't even let me take lipstick/chap stick with me - sheesh! Even the airports allow that! :) Anyway, all I had left was my $$, passports, and forms.

In I went ... it was crowded ... but a man met me at the door and asked "adoptions?" I said yes and he pointed me to another man who escorted me to the correct location. Once inside that room there was one man behind a window and a man standing outside of it talking to him. There was a woman and two adolescent boys sitting next to him. There were to other families in the room also, but plenty of chairs were still available. The man in front of me finished in under 5 minutes and he left with the woman and 2 boys. My turn ...

D in the train car, chilin' with the ipod

The man on the other side of the window (Ukrainian man) asked me for my passport and then asked my husband's name, then he went to get our file. He came back and followed a check list asking for each form one at a time. First the adoption decree and birth certificate. I handed him two copies because that's what I was told to do, but he handed the extras back to me and told me they were extras (N told me to be SURE to get the originals back tomorrow when I pick up the visa). He went through every paper and stamped the date and something else on them. He told me I would sign them tomorrow during my interview appointment.

One of the forms was filled out incorrectly, but he was very nice about it and handed me a blank from to complete and told me how to do it (I had written D's address of the boarding school, but they wanted the address he would be living in the US). He told me my interview appointment was at 10am tomorrow and handed me a slip of paper saying that I could pay on my way out today or the way in tomorrow. He told me to bring the child, our passports, the medical papers and payment receipt when I come tomorrow.

Quick and painless, in and out in less than 30 minutes. Off to the medical facility ...

D on the sofa in the apartment

I thought it was crowded, but N said it was actually not. She said this facility is only for people who are applying for visas to immigrate to another country. D and I waited on a bench in the hallway with other people while N went in and out of different rooms collecting documents. Then we saw the doctor.

Side note: Remember the woman and 2 boys I mentioned from the embassy? You guessed it, they were at the medical facility. They are from Kentucky and one of their boy's names is also Dennis. They met him during hosting when a friend of their hosted but was not ready to adopt him. We didn't get to talk much before they were ready to go see the doc, but it was nice meeting them ... I wonder if our paths will cross again at the embassy tomorrow.

D with the street view of Kiev from the apartment window

Doc was a very nice woman who appeared Asian, but spoke Russian/Ukrainian and English. N told me what was going to happen and said she would wait outside. I had to sign a couple of things and then she asked me if I knew that he has cerebral palsy. Um ... DUH! Anyway, I said yes and she said he can walk, so tell me what else he can do. I said ... feed, wash, dress, etc. She asked if he talks. I said yes, but slowly. She asked how old and I told her 9. She said let me ask him. He thought about it and said devit (which is correct). She smiled and he smiled back - she was a really nice lady and everyone who meets Dennis immediately likes him cause he's just so stinking sweet! :)

Anyway, she told him to take of his shirts and he did (sweatshirt & regular shirt). He laid on the table and did everything she told him to do. He dressed again and I asked about his nose issue (runny nose and bloody scabs). She said, "Maybe you can clean it." I said it's not dirty, it's blood. She was like "OH, I didn't know that" so she took another look. She told me to go to the pharmacy on the way out and ask for an ointment and also nasal spray to clear up his sinus before getting on the airplane.

Then we were done! We waited about 15 minutes for them to create the sealed medical records that I need for the embassy tomorrow. N helped us with the pharmacist because she didn't want to give us anything for D without a prescription! I said the doctor didn't say we needed a prescription, just something over the counter for his runny nose and scabs. She said she wanted to know the name of what the doctor told me to get ... she hadn't told me specifically. N talked her into giving us something; I hope it's the right thing!

Off to the computer store to buy a mouse since my touch pad wasn't working last night. Wouldn't you know it worked when I booted my computer up in the store!! I still bought the mouse in case I have any issues with it in the future.

D and I are now back at the apartment and I started some laundry, chatted with Brian about my day, and contacted our agent to see if I can get airplane tickets for Monday! :) It's oddly not getting dark as early now ... it's getting dark about 5pm instead of 4 these days. Anyway, we're off to see if I can get D some shoes (the boots are heavy and probably a size too big) so that doesn't help with his walking issues. Then we'll get some dinner and then he'll have a bath in the giant tub we have here! :)

Hopefully we can both get to bed earlier tonight! The TV isn't working at the apartment either, so he won't have anything to keep him up late tonight once the ipod runs out of juice!

Oh, and we just got off skype with my folks, which is a treat because I haven't gotten to talk to them much on this trip. In Ukraine we are East Coast time + 7 hours ... my folks live in CA ... so as we are getting ready to eat dinner, they are eating breakfast! :) D said "hi grandma ... hi grandpa" and blew kisses to my mom! He's very interested in learning English and points at everything so that I will tell him the words.

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Gotcha Day +1

Today, Jan 12th Dennis is doing much better than he was last night. He woke up and decided he wanted to play peek a bo with me in the bed before getting up. Once I finally saw his face, he was all smiles. He immediately asked for "musica" which in our talk means "ipod." I said he needed to take a bath first. He agreed ... then he wouldn't get out! That's fine by me ... long bath is good ... get him cleaned up. After getting washed up and dressed, I gave him the ipod. As you can see from the photo he's in a much better mood. He wants to watch Happy Feet on my laptop so I'm going to set that up for him and then take a quick shower!

Ok ... so back from the passport office and shopping ...

D showing off his new clothes that he picked out for himself!

The school found his passport!!! I will have his new one in 1 hour and we have tickets for the train back to Kiev tonight! YIPPIE!!!

I took D shopping at the mall. I let him pick out his own clothes - we was SO HAPPY! He seriously would tell me no on stuff, which was surprising. He picked out his own underwear and socks, too! The school only gave us the pair of socks he had on and they are girl socks! He picked out red and black socks and soccer ball undies!

Me being the "blond" that I am wasn't thinking about possibly leaving on the train tonight so I bought about 2 days worth of food ... some of it perishable so I can't take it on the train ... oh well ... maybe the room cleaning ladies will eat it.

Ok, so now I have a ton of packing to do before we leave, which will be in about 4 hours. Dennis is eating some snacks and watching cartoons. Brian can update the blog through my text messages once we get on the train.

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Staying in Ukraine: Day 10 (cont.)

Well, I guess I didn't finish my post last night, did I!??! I was so tired and it was about 1 am (my time) when I called my mother out in Cali because I didn't want someone else to see our news on facebook before she got home from work and tell her before I got the chance.

Ok ... so after I found out about the passport situation and discussed the options, there was nothing left to do other than pack up Dennis' clothes and say goodbye to Snezhana. I also had a couple of small gifts for "our buddies" upstairs, so I asked the deputy director if she would get Anton and Tolic. She did and they came down, very curious! I had the red ball we'd been playing with along with a new spiderman toy that Dennis didn't really like for them. They readily accepted and I got several hugs and KISSES from both! They are such sweet boys and I really hope that when NHFC comes they will be able to get them on the hosting list for summer.

After that Snezhana arrived and she and the deputy Director and N had a long conversation while Dennis and I played with the ipod to keep him distracted for her clearly emotional state. N told me later that the deputy director told her that her grandma knew weeks ago that we had come to adopt Dennis and if she and/or mom was going to do anything about it they should have already done it. Now it was too late and she had her rights terminated anyway. Sneza said her mother had gone to child services and was trying to get them back. The deputy told her it was too late and there was no chance the mom would get back her rights. Sneza started crying ... I don't know if it's because she knew it was true or if she didn't believe the woman.

After she calmed down, I told N we had some gifts for her and she agreed to take them. I gave her a new SIM card and had N explain the service plan was an extra 500 minutes per month if 50 grivna was put on the card. I told her it has 100 grivna now and we would put more money each week so she can talk to Dennis. I told her we were going to Kiev soon, but she could keep calling me on the Ukraine cell and I would tell her the day we leave so she can call my US phone after that (or SMS me to call her). I also gave her a snowflake necklace, but it was wrapped in a small bag and she did not open it. She gave me a hug though. She ran off and got Dennis' clothes for me ... a couple of shirts, sweaters, long johns, undies, and the coat we brought him our first day here. Then she walked us outside.

She held Dennis close to her, as if to keep him from me, but I understood how hard this was for her. I was adopted as a child, along with my biological sister, so I can imagine the pain of having to lose her at age 15 after growing up with her (yes, Kristy ... I love you!). Anyway, once at the car she hugged him for a long time and I think she said something along the lines of "I'll never see you again." Then he got into the car.

I asked if she wanted to be hosted again in the summer so she could come visit Dennis. She said yes. I told her Brian and I would talk about it. I also told her that if she could overcome the pressure from her grandma and mom that we would be happy to take her home with us. N translated so that I was sure she understood. The tears welled up in her eyes again, so I know she understands and I hope she knows that would be the right decision for her also.

The drive to the hotel was fine and I text'd Brian to let him know we were on our way so he could update the blog. When we got to the hotel I left N downstairs to check in and D and I went to the room to upload before going to dinner. D started crying. I tried to take off his jacket and boots, but he didn't want that. I was surprised that he let me hold him, but he did. I sat and rocked him on the bed for a few minutes. I tried to offer his favorite, the ipod ... no. I offered to talk to papa ... no. After a bit N knocked on our door and I let her in.

She tried to talk to D to see what was wrong, but he answered NYET to everything ... sad? scared? hungry? tired? Finally he told her he was mad ... that's it just mad. He wouldn't say why. He said he didn't want to go to dinner with us, so N offered to sit with him while I went to eat and then she'd go eat when I came back. Although I appreciated the offer, I didn't think it best to leave him. Yes, he knows N so that wasn't the issue ... I also didn't think it best to just sit in the hotel room either. I knew he hadn't eaten dinner as well.

We went to the Chinese place on the 7th floor, but he refused to eat. I asked if he wanted ice cream, because I know he loves it. He said yes, but still didn't smile. If you notice the 2nd half of the photos last night he's either not smiling or it's a fake one to please N and me. He ate about 3 bites of the ice cream and then said "all done." Ok, ... well can't make a kid eat! So, we finished our dinner, snapped a couple photos and went back to the room.

I asked if he wanted to watch TV and he said yes, so I turned it one. Yeah for SpongeBob! :) D was much better in no time and then dozed off while I was writing the blog. He was in an awkward position proped up on the bed, so I went to move him and he woke up. I asked if he wanted to talk to Papa and he said yes! The kids had just gotten home, so he was able to skype with everyone before bed last night!

He fell right to sleep once back in the bed. They're so precious when they're sleeping, aren't they?! :)

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