Day 6 Trip 2 - Getting to know the kids...

in a tight spot. Jason was up first, so I took him into the kitchen for juice and fruit in hopes of keeping him quiet so everyone else could sleep. This apartment is small. The kitchen doesn't have enough room for a table and chairs. The bathroom is through the kitchen and has everything we need. There is one bedroom with two single beds. The other room has 3 single beds and a double futon, the computer, T.V., and dining room stuff in it. Before I was done with Jason, Monte brought Katya in and we gave her a snack and then everyone was up and our day began. The room with the futon and 3 beds is also the play room, which doesn't give them much room to play. It didn't become long before they were rowdy. We took them to the ophanage park, it had snowed during the night and the kids had a lot of fun playing on their playground equipment, much nice than the one at their other orphanage, and threw snowballs and tried to make a snowman. I don't remember what else we did the rest of the day, but used coloring books and tried to keep them contained and occupied with the few toys we have for them. We made them a lunch of mashed potatoes and boiled sausages. They gobbled it right down. I don't think we bought them enough!! We will have to get used to feeding that many mouths. Then we tried nap time, it was about as successful as bedtime last night. Monte laid down with Jason and I laid down with Jillian. The older two laid down in the bedroom and played computer games with Korey. Jillian was the only one who slept. Bogdan came around and took us on a tour of the orphanage. It is an orphanage that specialized in kids with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. The youngest child is 10 and there are 50 children here now. It used to have a lot more, but Ukraine is swinging towards foster care and they are not getting new kids. He showed us their sleeping areas and he has team leaders in the older kids, which is a great way to give them self esteem and experience leading. We saw the dining room that we can use. After the tour, he took us on a walk to a big park two blocks away and gave us two sleds to use. Bogdan then showed Monte where the pizzeria was and Korey and I stayed and played with the kids on the sliding hill. They loved that!! Then we walked back to the apartment. Monte and Korey walked up later to the pizzeria and brought us back two pepperoni pizzas. Monte pointed at someones pizza on their table and held two fingers up. Again, two pizzas were not enough!! Jason ate only one slice and everyone else ate it until it was gone. More time spent indoors trying to keep them occupied. I think we have used up everything we have to keep them entertained. Then Bogdan came back again and took us to meet the psychologist - must have thought we needed one!!! Actually, it was to meet her and let the kids play in her playroom, which has some really neat stuff in it. We can use it whenever she isn't with clients. (But how to ask for the key....hmmm) We played there until 9 p.m. and the psychologist was surpised how fast the time went. She had showed them a bunch of development toys and spent a lot of time one on one with Robin. Then it was time to take them home to bed. I thought it would go easier with quiet toys and not so rowdy, but the crying started again Monte took Jason into a room by himself and I took Katya in the room with the oldest two and Korey slept on the bed between them. They whispered and tossed and turned. It took about two hours to get everyone to sleep. When they were finally asleep, I wrote on the blog. I didn't sleep much, Katya is in almost constant motion as she sleeps, it was hot in there, and all night long I didn't know what time it was as the kids had taken the travel clock and played with it changing the time, and I was worried about Jason being so pale, that maybe he was sick. I got up and sat in the bathroom to pray. There is nowhere to go read or do anything when you can't sleep except sit on the floor in the kitchen or bathroom.