Happy Birthday, Laura E!

Ditto the comments to Eleni yesterday – enjoy the warmth and also have a Starbucks (or any other non-instant) coffee drink for me! I'm really getting tired of Maxwell House and green tea.

This is our second "Friday the 13^th" while here in IRK – boy if that doesn't make you realize how long we've been here! I am not even going to comment on the number of Fridays today as you can count as well as I can and the numbers are getting too big! No matter what we hear or don't hear today about the passport it will be nowhere like 2/13 when the news was out of nowhere…today we're more emotionally prepared! Well, I'm prepared anyways! {I know when I write I use way too many exclamation marks but that's how I talk too! LOL}

Genya had stayed up later last night watching the Toy Story movie with us so we were hoping for 10-hours of sleep from him but no, up at his usual 7am! Brian got up with him again and said that they were just sitting in the living room and Genya walked off into his bedroom and came back to show Brian he had made his bed. First time he's done that without prompting since about day two with us! So then Brian turned on the cartoons – not sure if he wanted that correlation or not but that's what happened anyway! Then we went through the normal morning procedure of juice, apple, cereal (dry), banana and then yogurt. Makes his breakfast stretch out a few hours! We won't be able to do this at home but right now anything we can do to pass the day is what we're doing. We've turned him into a TV junkie like his mom and brother but once we get some other ways to occupy our time that will go away some! He loves to stay into his pajamas until late morning also – but then again, that's what Brian and I are doing too! We have the morning cartoon routine figured out – channel 4 until 8am, then channel 13 until 9am, at 9am it's time for DVD – usually Arial. Then there are some cartoons on the TV again around noon and then again at 3:00 some "Dark Wing Duck" comes on. At 5:10 it's "Hannah Montana" speaking Russian, sometimes it's "Zack and Cody" tho… I said I wished we could tape some of it for my nieces – maybe will just try taping a little with the video camera or something!

Got a phone call from JJ and my mom this morning…JJ says to me "I really want you to come home soon but, this is bad, in some way I hope you don't!" So I said "Why, you having too much fun at Grandma and Grandpa's?" He replied "No, because then I have to go to the dentist!" (he needs some fillings) I said that we will NOT go to the dentist right away when I get back – I don't want that to be his memory of my return! LOL

It's sunny out again today and the weather was a little warmer than yesterday as more is melting. I said to Brian that while I like the nicer weather it limits our walking ability as we have to avoid a lot of streets that are muddy and watery. We really are hitting two seasons here in Siberia – cold and mud!

After Genya's lunch of cheesy hotdogs and pickles (he liked them even tho at first when I told him what they were he didn't think he'd like them) and Brian and my lunch of scrambled eggs and fried toast we headed outside. We walked toward the big park by the Angara Hotel and Genya walked around the fountain a few times. While I was sitting there I thought to myself – I really have to let the sounds, smells and sights of this city sink in. I am so focused on leaving here that I'm not overly enjoying these final days. I hope to somewhat change my attitude and live in the moments rather than wishing them away. It's already been three days since we got the first disappointing news about the passport – we can make it through a few more! Continuing on our walk, then we went to the courthouse area and bought some sunflower seeds and a trail mix like item. Brian and Genya fed the pigeons the seeds and had them literally eating out of their hands! That was very entertaining and cheap! We then walked down the walking street and went to the 4-story mall. We were on a quest to buy a different adapter as the ones we have are quite used and don't hold the plug real well. For 15-rubles we got a nice one! Then I went into the "people's market" to get some bananas as I had forgotten to bring one along for the afternoon snack. She also had a box of the kiwi like I had purchased last week for 80-rubles…she wanted 200rubles! I said no, just the bananas! Gave one to Genya which he ate on the bench while we people watched and then we started walking again. A leisurely walk down Karl Marx (very clean, no mud puddles) and we went into the souvenir store to pick up a few more items. Then it was on to the deli to get something for dinner. Genya thought the chicken coated in crumbs looked good (Brian agreed to them also) so we got them – hope they enjoy it! LOL We had also gotten a few pierskees for a snack so we walked toward the Alexander monument and ate them. For the most part Genya was a very good walker today. We then headed back to the apartment and did our normal afternoon hanging out.

Genya story: when we were walking he and Brian bought a juice to share. Genya stopped and wanted to tell us what we all drank – he says "Papa – soda, Genya-juice" So I asked him "what does Mommy drink?" He thinks a minute and says: "Chay! (tea)" Whew, was worried he was going to say peeve (beer!). Then once we were back at the apartment he walked into Brian and my bedroom and came out to the kitchen to get me – he led me into the bedroom and proceeded to give me a lecture and it ended with "aye, aye, aye!" I think we were getting talked to about not making the bed this morning!! So he and Brian then made it! Usually when we talk to him he answers us in Russian, even if we ask him the question in English. His talking is getting a little better and he's using the words more appropriately now – it's not "juice, please" for everything!

So Alex called at 5pm to say he checked and the passport wasn't in, that he'll check again tomorrow but that we can go Monday with Andrew to check for it… So Brian's wondering if he's really checking or not? Who knows but no sense getting (extra) upset over it – we don't have a single piece of paperwork we need so have to depend on them yet until we get on the airplane out of here. Apparently the officials keep saying "Monday it will be ready" so we'll focus on that….

To answer more blog comment question, we are the only American family here right now for adoption (as far as I know anyway)! Our friends had their paperwork presented this week and are waiting for the legal statement as to find out how the reception of the paperwork went – hoping it's not many changes, if any, and their daughter's paperwork can start getting prepared! Otherwise there are a few families in the States gathering paperwork to be submitted… I know there was a French family here last month anyways but when I asked Alex if they spoke English he said "no" so we haven't met anyone else adopting since the Holmes left!

Dinner turned out to be Chicken Kiev! I told Brian too bad we didn't find that before the end of our stay! Made it with some sautéed cucumbers and red peppers. Genya acted up at supper like he has been doing so tonight he got the threat – if he doesn't eat he gets pajamas on and no bath… He did wind up apologizing to both of us and ate his dinner but still got no bath. I think he understand why also so hopefully a learning lesson! He still got the DVD tho as we can't make all of us miserable over here! The movie tonight was "Monsters Inc" which pretty much held his attention even tho we played it in English. Then he willingly went to bed but not to sleep right away! Brian ran to the corner market for some ice cream for him and I. The movie last night was a little hard to understand so we'll have to try it again sometime – it seemed to be an "ok" movie (not great) but I told Brian he had to watch like my dad and point out all the inconsistencies in vehicles – the movie takes place in 1946 and he had to look for like 1948 cars, etc… LOL – not sure if he found anything wrong or not! Tonight the adult feature is "Hairspray" – first time I'm seeing it!