Dniprozherzinsk Day 2

It is day 2 of the waiting period down and 10 more to go! We won't be able to start on the birth certificate until day 12 because of the Easter holiday. We had a good time yesterday. Drew and I just took our time around the apartment in the morning and I took many hours downloading pictures to the blog! Sometimes blogger drives me crazy with how long it takes to download pictures. It took me like 4 hours to get all the pictures from Odessa downloaded! So anyway, by the time I was done with that and we did various things around the apartment it was 11:30 before we left to pick up Masha. We got to Babushka's at 12:00 and took off. Everytime we go to Babushka's she is still very dramatic about us leaving for America on an airplane with Masha. Even when Drew is just there to drop her back off for the night, she is starts crying. She is a sweet lady, but please, we're still here for three more weeks and if you are that sad, why don't you take the opportunity to come talk to Anastasia???? I know it would be hard to see the girls go and maybe she feels being dramatic is the only way for her to communicate to us that sorrow.

Yesterday we were able to pick up Masha and keep the drama to a minimum and quickly leave to do some shopping. We asked Masha if she would help me find a black church coat and whether she wanted to the shopping in Dniprozherzinsk or Dnipropotrosk. She wanted to stay in "zerstink" as Wendy calls it. I was surprised and thought she would want to go to some place new and explore. She didn't and that is what I have found. These people like to stay where it's familiar and comfortable. She did know what she was talking about though. She showed us the way to a perfect spot to buy a coat for me.

They have this outdoor market that Drew and I did see last year. It is huge! We started out at one corner and went through it for two hours and still probably hadn't seen half of it. There were some shops that lined the outdoor market part. We looked through a few of these and found a couple coats, but we found the one I ended up buying in a little tent shop in the middle of the market. It was 300 grynva, which is under $40! I love the coat and have fulfilled my need for shopping.

While we were there we also found some tights for Masha, Anastasia and me. I like the tights here. They have thicker ones for their harsh winters, which will also be good for Salt Lake. We bought some with flowers on them. Masha liked them. They remind me of the tights and nylons that my neighbor wears and I always thought she looked so fashionable! I'm excited.

After we shopped we asked Masha if she had eaten lunch at Babushka's and she said she hadn't and was hungry. We told her that we had already eaten and so we would just find something simple for her before heading back to the apartment. We started walking to the market and she asks if ice cream and water would be a good lunch. Um, no, that would not be a good lunch is my reply...and so we had a little chat about what is healthy and good for us and what is not. Ice cream is yummy, yes. So it is fine to eat but not until after you have something that is healthy, like an apple. She seemed to understand because when we got to the market she went to the oatmeal and asked if that was healthy. I told her yes, very healthy. Then she pointed to the cocoa puffs and asked if those were. I told her no. They are okay, but not the healthiest choice. We have had this talk back home with Anastasia as well. She has come a long way in learning about nutrition and what foods are good choices and what are things that we should only eat occasionally. Masha in the end bought an apple and some yogurt with fruit in it. I thought this was a good choice when she's just being taught for the first time that it is important to pay attention to what you're putting in your body.

I have to go back a little when talking about this. When we picked her up for church last week, she had a bag of chips in her hand. A BIG BAG! She ate the whole thing and that was her breakfast. I didn't feel like then was the time to talk to her about it and so yesterday was our first talk about nutrition. She was very receptive. Next we have to start talking about proportions and the importance of eating when you're hungry and eating what you need to be full and not just to eat because food is sitting there. She has done this a lot also. She eats and eats and eats just because she sees something sitting there. Like last night we had dinner, then she wanted a banana. A banana is healthy and a good choice so I didn't push this proportion lesson yet. But, to myself I'm thinking, "Are you hungry? No. So let's save the banana for a time when you need it."

The simple lessons that our birth children learn from birth have to be taught to these kids as well. Not only do they have to learn English but they have to learn all the small lessons about nutrition and hygiene!!! Which takes me to our evening yesterday.

Masha and I knitted and watched Harry Potter and after the movie was over I had her shower. I told her I wanted to her to wash her hair two times then put conditioner in it. I told her I wanted to smell her when she was out and to be able to "AAhhh, you smell so good." She laughed at me and said okay, okay, okay. She was happy to be getting in the shower. She spent some good time in there and came out saying she had washed her hair three times!! I smelled and it was SOOOOOOOO much better! While she was in the shower I took all of her clothes from Babushka's and put them in the washer. I gave her fresh, clean pajamas to put on and she smelled like us! Thank you! She blow dried her hair and it was nice and clean and fresh for the first time since we have been here. She is ready for church tomorrow. We also bought her a new toothbrush, toothpaste and deodarant and she used all of these as well. Oh, and I told her to shave her armpits which she also did willingly. She had typical "European" armpits prior to this. Like I said, the lessons don't seem to end with these kids at the start! Masha is a really good and cooperative child though and doesn't put up a fuss about our teaching her new things.

That was our day!