Happy Mother's Day!

No internet in the room… still. We are forced to write these posts on our computer and them upload them in the business center… for an additional cost. Maybe we will have the Wi-Fi back up tomorrow? Still no ability to check email… sorry.

We learned today (Sunday) that it is Mother’s Day in Russia. We were unable to visit the kids today because the holiday means that our Russian support staff have the day off. Everyone needs a holiday and a day off sometimes, so we understand. Today we spent a good part of the day with another adoptive family from just north of New Orleans Louisiana. We met the husband yesterday while playing “Phase 10” in the lobby while the housekeeping staff made up our room. He is originally from England. We met the wife this morning at breakfast. They are adopting a 13-month-old boy. After breakfast we showed them the way to the open air market we they did some shopping. He bought some fur lined boots (it’s colder here than in Louisiana), they bought several things for the baby and we bought some bananas, bread, oranges, and a copy of Kim’s English textbook (the same as she uses at school). We also stopped for more ice cream on the way back. The kiwi ice cream was REALLY good… maybe my favorite so far (but the blueberry was a close second).

We managed to spend a good 3 hours on this adventure. While that seems insignificant, it isn’t. When you are on your 10-day wait in Stavropol, there is not a lot to do. Finding a way to fill 3 hours on a day when you won’t see the children is a blessing. We spent the afternoon in the room. The kids played computer games and we also did another batch of bathroom sink laundry. The heating registers in the room make pretty good dryers. After dinner (at the baked potato place on the upper floor of the Galleria… 2nd time there… one of our favorites), we ran into our friends again. We played some more Phase 10 down in the lobby… another way to kill a couple hours. While there, we met another adoptive parent from California who had previously left a comment on our blog. It was nice to put a face with someone you’ve only known over the internet. It was also good to share adoption stories, which we did for over an hour. We also received a call from our interpreter telling us to be ready at 8:30 tomorrow morning to go see the kids. There is a good chance that we can bring them back with us for the day. It’ll be good to get them out of the orphanage, even if only for a day. It will also be good to be able to put a couple of meals in them. I don’t recall if we mentioned Peter’s dinner in the infirmary the other day. It was a roll with cabbage in it. One roll the size of a normal dinner roll. Nothing else; No plate; No silverware; No drink… Just a small stuffed roll. What will they think of dinner in America? Today is day 5 of our wait… halfway there. Five to go!