Our visit :)

We are here! After a quick stop for lunch, we have arrived at the orphanage! It is a holiday today so all the kids have a day off school. We ring the doorbell & wait, and wait, and call, then wait some more. The Orphanage Director arrives with her husband through the gated entrance with the key. She lets us in. She makes small talk w/ our translator & the lady from the Ministry of Education, who is here to observe us, while people take turns using the bathroom. The Director points out the 8x10 photos on the wall. These are kids who have graduated her boarding school (orphanage) & have been successful after they left. Some kids have graduated college, others have gained honors in the military. The Director is very proud as she points to different pictures & speaks in Russian about their accomplishments. As I look at the pictures I wonder, do they look Russian? If I saw them in the US, would I know they were Russian?

Finally, we are ready to go. The Director leads us to the same room we met L & O in last time. The door opens & they are there waiting for us! They wear great big smiles on their faces. It's so good to see them! I can immediately tell that they have been told that we would like to adopt them. We were worried about what they would think. Last visit we were just 2 visitors, Corbin & Suzanne. It's obvious they are happy to see us & I'm so relieved. Right before we arrived at the orphanage, I feel a sense of panic set in. What if they aren't happy to see us? What if they don't want to be adopted by American parents? In that first moment I see their faces, the feeling vanishes. I just want to hug them so tight & not let go. Of course, I don't want to overwhelm them either. As we say hello (da-su-cha), I take off & hang my coat over a chair. There is a slight hesitation on both our parts until our translator says in both Russian & English "we'll, go ahead (nodding) give them a hug!" I give L a hug first & tell her how pretty so looks in her dress & oversized hair bows. Then it's O's turn. He smiles so big it takes up most of his face. I tell him how handsome he looks while I hold his hands in mine & rub on top. 

This visit I don't waste anytime pulling out their gifts! I have 2 hours & an entire list of things I need to do. The visit went so quickly last time, I don't want to run out of time. I pull 4 hand puppets out of my bright pink bag. I tell them the English names for the animals & our translator helps us repeat the Russian names for them. I decide that singing Old McDonald would be a good way to play with all the animals. I start the song & quickly realize that I am alone in the song! I should note that I am not a great singer... Why isn't anyone else singing? I figure out that besides Corbin, no one else knows the words :). Luckily, Corbin joins in soon enough. The kids laugh at all of our animal noises...apparently in Russia the animals say different sounds. Who knew? We have fun tinkling the kids & making the animals kiss. I catch a glimpse of someone watching us. I had forgotten we were being observed. This trip is different from the last time. We have made it through the first round. Now we have returned to make it official & become their parents. I'm not worried about what our observers are thinking. I'm only concerned about the thoughts L & O. Deep breath!

Next, I pull out blank paper & a pen. I show L my hand on the paper & pretend to trace it. Then I point to her hand & the paper. As she rests her hand on the paper I trace it. On her second hand, I make a small noise while I'm tracing. She looks directly at my face with big eyes. So I begin making lots of silly noises as I trace hands, then feet. The kids are laughing & pointing at the little places I made bumps by mistake. I'm purposely trying to make this fun, but honestly I need these so I can buy proper-fitting shoes & mittens. Then I will put these pictures in their adoption book. I also use a ruler to measure their arm & leg lengths. It will be very cold when we return in December & I want to be sure that the pants & shirts are not too short.

Next we bring out the photos we brought. It's a small photo book with pics of us, Tommy, Jake, Hannah, our pets, our house & both their beds. We tell them the names for everyone. We have brought 2 photo books, one for each of them. When L puts hers down, the Director asks to see it. Although she is not making much conversation, she is much friendlier than on our last visit. She smiles at the photos. I imagine her thinking of what their lives might hold as they grow up in our family. I know we are not the parents she imagined when their referral went out. But, for Americans, I think she has decided that we are not too bad. :) We tell them we also have a few short videos from their new sister & brothers. Corbin gets the IPad. Tommy, Jake & Hannah say "hello" to L & O in Russian, then say "my name is..." in Russian. The kids love it! O wants to press the arrow (play button) over & over again! L tries to stop her brother from taking over the IPad. The Director is very excited to see the videos. I move over on the rug to make room for her. When it finishes, she excitedly tells us that she has been teaching the children some English. Of course, we can't whip out the IPad fast enough, as any parent does when you are sure that your child is about to do something absolutely amazing! We get a short video of L & O saying in English "my name is..." Ahhh, priceless!

Before I know it, both kids are drawing on the backs of the paper. O waits patiently for L to hand over the pen. She draws a girl centered in the middle of her paper. She wears a shirt, skirt & has big rosy cheeks. To the left is a big house with windows, which is the same size as the girl. To the right is a small cabin, some flowers & a mushroom. Along the bottom is grass & at the top is a bright sun! O draws a house with windows, mushrooms, grass, raindrops & a larger cabin with legs. Our translator mentions that he often copies what his sister does. He explains to the translator that the cabin in his picture belongs to Baba Yaga. There are Russian fairy tales of this character who lives in a cabin with chicken legs in the woods. She is like a witch & eats small children if she finds them. Fairy tales really are terrifying!

The kids get bored, so we move into the adjoining room to play. I play w/ L while Corbin & O play with cars. I grab my short list of Russian words I wrote down to practice on L while she arranges the dolls & prepares the tea party. I tried to think of all the words I'd use for the next trip when I want them to get dressed for the day. I go down the list trying my best to pronounce the words for shirt, pants, shoes, etc. as I point to the items. She smiles & nods as I say each word. I get to the word for underwear...yeah, I'm just going to skip that one. I'm sure by now she's thinking that I'm just a little strange & I don't want to reinforce that :) 

The Director asks L to help O walk to the bathroom. She does but, mutters something in Russian quickly. The ladies giggle after they leave the room. I wonder if she's telling him to hurry up. She is the big sister after all. We get our five minute warning that our visit is coming to a close. I take a moment to confirm that we will have time to ask more questions when we pick them up. I have a whole list of questions that would be helpful, but not essential. I'd really like to talk with their primary caregivers. We will see. The director tells me that there will be time. She is able to answer the question on bathing. They shower every night, no baths, & have some type of sauna once a week. Ok, this is helpful info. The other questions will have to wait. 

I look at my list quickly. What else do I need to do? I grab my bag. I hand the director 2 disposable cameras. I ask her if someone could take photos of the orphanage, their friends, teachers, etc. for their adoption book. These are probably the only real photos they will have from here. We have seen very little of the other rooms in the building. We have seen few children except those walking in the hallways. I want them to have more than memories of their life here. 

Lastly, I discreetly take out a card & 2 small chocolates wrapped in birthday paper. L's birthday will come before we see her again. I ask if the Director would give these gifts to L & O on her birthday. I am unsure if they celebrate birthdays or not. I am prepared to hand it to them now if its not possible. The director looks pleased & flashes a small grin.

I hate this time. I know we need to say goodbye. Why can't we just take them? Maybe we can just stay here? We all know it's not possible. This is what must happen. As it goes with life so often we say we are ready. We think we are, but maybe not fully ready. God says wait. And that's hard to hear. I hug them each tight. I tell them that we will be back soon. It won't be as long as last time. We are going to prepare a place for you. We watch them as they slowly walk out of the room, their arms filled with puppets & photos. Their faces show big smiles, but their eyes are glazed over. This is where they need to be right now. They will go through the next days & slowly process all this information. There is a reason why today is not the day we take them home. We will be back soon. I promise.

As we walk outside there are children playing on the playground. This seems like a nice orphanage. I'm thankful they have be taken care of here & will be taken care of until we return. Next step- court!