Tuesday, 11 Apr

We went to the Orphanage to see whether Vitalik would spend the day with us or if we’d have to visit with him at the Orphanage. Luckily, he could come home with us again today. Today he really enjoyed watching me wash the dishes and tried doing so himself. He also is in total amazement of being so close to so many different kinds of food. He’s better at keeping his food on his plate vs. hoarding it all in his hands but he does still eat it quite quickly. It’s also hard for him to only hold one crayon at a time; in the beginning it was due to his fear of them being taken away, now it’s more to test us, as he smiles his little sneaky smile while he arches his shoulders. Again the big hits of the day have been paper air planes, lasso ropes, and shaking partially filled water jugs. We may venture out for a stroller ride this afternoon and try to find a semi clean playground. He’s excited to have a banana later in the day. The boys do well playing together and sharing Mama and Papa’s attention. Vitalik also loves to copy Ian’s every move. We tried once again to get Vitalik to rest, but to no avail. We did have a bit of a bonding time and we tried to get him to relax by watching The Lion King 1 1/2. Poor thing, he can’t seem to relax, he had no interest in the movie, but rather to covet his string and make certain it was in perfect condition vs. being bundled up. He so wanted to fall asleep on me, but I think he’s just to excited and still a bit nervous about his new surroundings. I’m certain some of his obsessive-compulsive issues come from his rearing in the Orphanage, but hopefully we can get him to let relax a bit when he is finally ours and in our home and our surroundings on a regular basis. We took off his green shirt and put it up on top of the couch and he constantly had to check to see if it was ok and if it was folded well. Poor thing, I’m glad he’s a neat freak like his mommy, but not to that extent. He speaks more English daily as well as speaking to us in Russian, which is great. Our food choices are growing a bit thin--tonight we’re getting all crazy and having eggs and bacon and cereal. There are some hot dog looking sausages and some hard salami type meats, but no true deli meats to speak of and what I wouldn’t give for a spinach salad with raspberry & walnut dressing!! No new pictures today, just some of the Orphanage and apartment.