February 18, 2005
TGIF
Her tiny finger digs into the raisin box and pulls one out. She doesn't know that we brought them from a place far away. She eats them all very carefully, one by one. We should have brought more with us!
Other children walk down the hall in their groups, but one always manages to break away to see what we're up to in the play area. "Papa!" a little boy calls out to John. They call all men Papa and women Mama. It makes you want to take them all home. The little blond boy about three years old wants a raisin. John slips him a few and he smiles.
Many of these adorable children are not "available" for adoption because their mothers have not signed release agreements or some relatives still visit them regularly. The orphanage has hopes that they will return to their families some day, but many have been there for years. They are well cared for, we have seen this on our frequent visits. They are very disciplined and listen to directions. They are too young to remember any other kind of life.
Meanwhile, we are managing our days between appointments. And yes, we have discovered why beer and vodka are plentiful here!
Posted by Laura at February 18, 2005 02:10 PMPosted to
Hello Weekend,
Its going on three weeks and you guys must be worn out. Your notes still sound upbeat.
The description of the orphanage is very touching.
Everyone really enjoys reading your blog and we cannot wait until the next installment.
Funny, if you were back home, no one would care to read that blog with entries like:
I washed the cat.
John has gas again.
Austin is practicing his dancing.
I better get up and go to walgreens to pick up some cialis .
Hi, I am sure we had a more action-filled day. We DIDN'T go to Walgreen's. We went to Great Lakes Crossing. Mike and Austin spent a two hour pass, each, in Gameworks. Shudder...that place is like a casino on steroids. Couldn't stay in there long. Caroline shopped and it's my job to just throw money at her when she gets in line. Can't stand shopping either. She got things she needed. The we got out of there. Mike is teaching Austin how to be a Marine. He is learning to march. We watched the Marine Corps Drill Team and that was pretty cool. Austin wants to know, if the guns are loaded and one of them makes a mistake, what happens? I told him that they don't make mistakes, especially not in front of the President! Now the two are watching hockey and Austin is learning the finer points of the game. He learned all about NASCAR yesterday. Austin wants to hear some of my ghost stories, but I told him that cousins Alex and Kelly are STILL having nightmares from when they were little. I told him if he could sleep all night with my life-size rubber human hand on the dresser, then I would tell him the stories. So far, no stories. Kiev must be more exciting than this! I would take that bit of advice and start mailing souvenirs back so you don't have to carry 'em with you. And yes, when is the "blog party"?
Posted by: Karen Wiz at February 18, 2005 09:45 PMHI LAURA AND JOHN;READ YOUR MESSAGE ABOUT THE CHILDREN IN WHEN VISITING TARA. THEY ALL LOOK SO WELL DRESSED.
AUSTIN IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF, HE HAD LUNCH WITH ME AND AUNT FRAN. TAKE CARE WITH THE WEEKEND AND BE RESTED FOR MONDAY.
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU SOON.
LOVE ****MOM****
i am going to say something that will irritate some people: your mission (and others like it) would make a great reality TV show. like "a baby story," (which i have never seen). it would be "an adoption story."
the story has natural suspense and draws people in emotionally.
Posted by: heidi at February 19, 2005 09:30 AM