Saturday, October 2, 2004

Doing the Bunny Hop

<Groan>  We're relaxing after another delicious lunch prepared by Inna ... a Georgian dish with soup and noodles, and a ragout of meat and potatoes.  Definitely not South Beach diet friendly.  So, if we roll off the plane in 4 weeks looking a little rounder than you remembered, you'll understand!

Yesterday we we able to spend both visits with Melanie outdoors.  It's beautiful here, warm and sunny, but not hot.  We of course bundled her up within an inch of her life, only to have a caregiver tell us she was too hot!  Usually it's the other way around here ... they dress the babies so warmly and will fuss at you if they're not bundled enough.  She was happy to walk around the perimeter of the baby house holding on to our fingers.  She is still very serious, only smiles when we swing her around.  However, she has definitely tagged us as "HERS" ... as we dropped her off with her group yesterday afternoon, the other children scrambled around us.  She started pushing them away, one by one, as if to say, "MINE!  MY PARENTS!  HANDS OFF!"

We watched "Diner" last night before turning in ... David fell asleep reading his book, and the next thing we knew it was sunup.  Another brisk bath and breakfast of bread, cheese, apple and imported Community Coffee.  Then off to the baby house, where we once again made the circle around the baby house, again with the group, and with the Spanish family.  We were able to talk to them quite a bit ... the husband speaks very passable English.  We chatted with one of the doctors, who said that typically cleft children in Kazakhstan don't have their surgery until five years of age. 

At one point the Spanish family asked me to take their photo, and I dropped Melanie's hand.  She immediately threw herself to the ground in tears, and David swooped in for the comforting.  Yep, she's ours all right.

Tonight Aida says she will take us to the Hassenpop ... ?? ... for dinner.  Something about German ... and beer ... sounds good to us!  Just getting out and about sounds appealing.  I'm reading a great book called "Flyboys" -- highly recommend it!  Until tomorrow ... da zaftra!  

PS ... if you want to reach us, please leave a comment on this website, or email us at  twighz376@yahoo.com ...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

<slapping forehead with hand>  Well, you probably heard a great big "DUH" all the way from Kazakhstan as I realized that the name of the German microbrewery where we had dinner is "HESSEN PUB".  Lost in Translation, indeed!  More tomorrow, after we sleep off our pivas ...  

Anonymous said...

Melanie looks just adorable in the bunny hat. I have never been as hot as I was in Kaz! I love reading the journal and I'm so happy to know that Melanie is accepting your presence in her life. Can't wait to hear that you have gone to court, she's yours, and you're heading home! Looking forward to meeting her in person soon.
Lea Anne Thomas
China Grove, NC

Anonymous said...

Liz and Dave--  Melanie is just darling!  If you don't mind, stick 2 or 3 of those cuties in a duffel.....  they are so cute.  Makes me want them all.  Glad you guys are having hot water and things are going well!!
Amanda Hoelscher (TX-- mamma to Reed 6 and Jordan b. 7-29-02 a. 4-18-03 Uralsk BH#1)