It’s New Year’s Day and I told the girls I would take them to the movie as our last big outing. Nina was very willing to try a new adventure but Natasha has to work her way into anything new by contemplating and observing. Let’s just say she was not enthused about getting into the “machine.”

Natasha came to me with the RE/MAX sports bag she had used for swimming and gestured that she wanted to take it back on the plane rather than her backpack… She was trying to work her way through the fact that her trip was coming to an end and so that was a tough moment for us both… I had Nina interpret that we had a bigger bag for her with wheels so that she could take back more of her presents. That made her smile…The organizers of the trip sent us a note this past week that said we could send a suitcase and I was very relieved… She’s an organizer so when I had the nerve to peek in her room I could see she was almost finished and everything was neatly packed. I had to just walk out of the house and take a breather…

Once they arrived at the theatre with bags of buttered popcorn, M&M’s and icee’s all was right with the world again. We saw the latest Chipmunk movie and it was really cute. I think I enjoyed it as much as they did and the cinematography was amazing. The brightest colors I’ve seen on the screen in a long time and I found myself thinking about the old movies I watched of them as a child.

After the movie, they wanted to go see the Russian shopkeeper and so I drove by but unfortunately they were closed. I recommend any family considering adoption in Louisville to check out the store and to use them as a helpful resource when you are struggling with translation. They were terrific and I will never forget them.

I took the girls back over to Jeff and Donna’s and I know Nina was happy to see her Mama and her family, to be back in her own room, with her own kitten and her own DRUM set! She was back in her home and you could tell she had missed everyone.

Natasha wanted to go to the grocery store one last time and “grocery” sounds like (magazine) in Ukrainian. “Mama….. MAG A ZINE…” It’s so funny and sweet to hear her voice…. She wanted a birthday cake, sausages, and kosher dill pickles as her meal along with oranges and two lunchables trays of crackers, ham, cheese and turkey as a nice midnight snack. Her birthday is in October so I’m not sure why she wanted the cake but she had a generous portion that evening and she loved the yellow roses and icing on the cake.

I called Laura in Maryland and asked earlier in the morning if her daughter (who was in the same orphanage as Natasha) could speak to each other. The trip was winding down and I thought it might help her to talk to someone who she remembered and loved from the orphanage. They spoke for almost an hour and I think she knows that Laura’s daughter will be at the airport to see her in Baltimore. That will make the first leg of the trip easier on her. I dread thinking of Natasha on a flight for 23 hours. That’s hard enough on an adult and she hates to fly. I’m guessing it has to do with the headaches she has and perhaps some of her dental issues.

I asked Laura about the orphanage in Balta and she said it was in a very rural setting. I was pleased to hear she was not in the city…She said if you took a black and white picture you would not know what decade it was. Lots of horse drawn wagons, men in their black Russian caps and coats, and women dressed in typical Ukrainian wardrobe. She said the director is a very nice woman and she still keeps in contact with her. The children receive 5 small meals a day. It may not be the food they enjoy the most but it’s nutritious and she does her very best for the kids. Laura mentioned she is artistic and she helps the kids paint murals and make mosaics out of broken glass to add some interest to the walls and gives the children something to do. The orphanage has about 250 children many of which are available for adoption.