TGIF, What's The Difference, All The Days Are A Blurr

After a grueling day yesterday it was very nice to have a slow, quiet morning. Then the power was out in our building and we got to walk down 6 flights of stairs. We took Jordan to the playground. He is really getting antsy in the apartment. After lunch we walked back up 6 flights which is good exercise for us (I can feel the burn by the 3rd floor!). Thankfully the power was back on even if the elevator isn't. We met Irina in the lobby to sign some documents. She said that someone would be coming to clean the apartment today which is inlcuded in the price! WOW. We also inquired about the TV. We hadn't bothered to even turn it on for several days, but then one day out of desperation we turned it on and found cartoons (in Russian but we were thrilled for Jordan). The next night we turned it on and stumbled upon the Disney Channel in English. We don't even get this channel at home (by choice), but again desperate times call for desperate measures, so Hannah Montana bring it on! But alas, that was the last day we had ANY working channels. So Ira is working on that too.

Slava-driver picked us up around 3pm to take us to Borpka. We much prefer visiting in the afternoon because then we spend time with Slava in the little room which means he must interact more with us. On the playground he just runs around. Slava-driver left us there to deliver some documents to the Judge, so we had no translater which actually I think is good because it forces us all to communicate. We brought a toy from Jordan's Happy Meal which looks like a robot spider but barks? Slava spent alot of time just listening to this toy. Children in orphanages are on a strict schedule. Just before 6pm Slava began telling us something and acting like he must leave the room. He tries to escape all the time, but this time seemed different and I started wondering if he needed to use the bathroom. I took him by the hand and went out the door with him, but he bolted down the hall. I followed, waiting to get yelled out, but he kept going - down the hall, through the lobby, up the stairs. I ran to keep up. At the top of the stairs he flew down the hall with me hot on his heals. We skidded to a stop at the end of the hall where all the children in his Groupa were sitting on their potties. The staff all smiled at me and didn't yell. I explained via hand montions that he ran all the way. Apparently Slava's little time clock knew exactly what he needed to be doing at that moment! Paca/bye bye. End of visit.

We headed back to our very clean apartment. I heated up our left-over Dominoes pizza and Skyped home. We are very thankful that day 1 of the 10 day wait is done, 9 more to go! We are prayerfully considering having Wayne return home. Work seems very busy and he's needed there too. We are hoping that Melissa (our Russian speaking daughter) and a friend can travel over together to take his place. We will see what happens. Please keep us in your prayers: Jordan is getting lonely for kids to play with so please pray for him, pray that Slava bonds with and attaches to us, and that the process at the end of the 10 days will go very fast. We'd love to be home for Thanksgiving!

We love & miss you all!