Ilya fell and hit his head today. He jumps around like crazy on those foam blocks. We try to keep a close eye on him, but he is really something. The block he was on was just about 6 inches high, but he still starting crying. I went over and picked him up. I sat down on the couch with him and he just snuggled up to me, thumb in his mouth. He stopped crying and just sat there for a few minutes. He let me comfort him and kiss him. It was a bonding moment for us and a little lesson on what mamas do for him. I would describe him as independent for the most part... he acts like he doesn't need our help, so it was nice to see the other side of it today. And he was completely fine... back to jumping on the blocks 15 minutes later.
In case you don't know, we're celebrating another birthday tomorrow! The birthday of a certain sweet little redhead. We don't think we'll be able to do much for her birthday (because of the orphanage rules), but we did get her a special toy. A little phone which talks. "Priyet!" ("Hi!"). "Paka!" ("Bye!"). I think it plays some music too. We knew it would be the perfect birthday present after she stole someone else's new phone today.
Here is Lena's special I have a musical phone walk...
Here is a not-very-good-video of Ilya. I did not get any good videos or photos of him today... he is hard to catch!
Some of you have asked me what the orphanage looks like! This is the building...
They also have large grounds with a lot of playground equipment, a bit of which you can see here...
We've had a lot of people ask how we get around here, which I'll tell you about in a post soon. Anything else you want to know about?
Lena is so adorable walking around with that phone :) It´s such a cute wobbly walk. And Ilya so beautiful, his face seems so much like the face of an adult.
ReplyDeleteTell that sweet little girl happy birthday for us tomorrow! I hope you all have a great day!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday sweet little Lena! How old is she now?
ReplyDeleteYou got your first taste of little boys needing their moms. When they are hurt, daddy just won't do, it has to be momma. And with adventurous as little boys are, they need their moms a lot!
Happy birthday to Lena!! Wow...you guys sure have a lot to celebrate lately! So happy for you! :)
ReplyDeleteLena is so cute! Love the phone walk! Happy birthday sweet girl! From now on you will have plenty of years to celebrate your birthdays!
ReplyDeleteLoved the phone walk, too! Give Lena a birthday kiss from us! The orphanage looks like so many buildings in the former Soviet Union. So glad they have good play equipment. What is your flat like in this city? Enjoyed reading about the food you have found there. We will have lots to talk about when you get home! Love, Jenean
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Aaron and Lena!
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you. What are you doing about language? Will you have them only speak English, or will you try to continue Ukrainian (or Russian)? Do they speak Russian as well as Ukrainian?
Also, I was reading about Donetsk after joining this blog, and I understand it's one of the few places in Ukraine which is still heavily Communist. Do you get any sense of the general politics there? (Hey, I studied post-Soviet ethnic conflict in college, that's where my interest in Georgian food came from!)