Saturday we spent the night with my good friend and her family who live in a house outside of the city. Alyona and I were very close friends when we lived in Kiev and have managed to keep in touch after our move back to the States. We were pregnant together last time and our kids, Polly and Mark, are just three weeks apart. After Polly came and we decided to move, Alyona and Dima took basically our whole existence of stuff packed up in boxes and stored them in their attic.
We ate outside in their beautiful yard, enjoyed wonderful company, ate fresh veggies from the garden, drank fresh cow's milk Alyona buys from a babushka down the street and throughout the day went through box after box of Marchenko stuff. The girls and I were thrilled to find baby books and our wedding album. We found some toys to donate to Evie's orphanage and several more boxes of things to pass on to others. Other things like dishes and kitchen stuff are going to stay in the attic at our friends' house for a while longer. But we cut our belongings in half. Sergei found quite a few books he's missed back in the States. The plan is to take a few rubbermaids back with us on the plane.
Sunday Alyona and her daughter Daniella drove us over to see Evie. She was feeling much better than Friday and had fun walking around with us and playing with the girls.
I still feel like she has her guard up around us which is quite understandable. Our favorite care-givers were there that day and they let us spend some time with the groupa in their playroom. I was allowed to get pictures of where Evie sleeps, her comb, her cupboard space. It's important for me to get pictures of the place Evie called home for over two years.
Today we went to the American Embassy so Sergei could sign forms we need from him before he leaves for the States. We also met up with Sergei's father for a bit at a park today and took the girls around Kiev. Tomorrow we will visit Evie and Wednesday we have court to make Evangeline our legal daughter. Then early Thursday morning, Sergei and Zoya will leave for home. It's going to be a busy week!
(me with Evie and my friend Alyona...she's expecting her third in a few weeks)
(Sergei and the girls with Dedyushka (grandpa) Sasha)
(Lainie and Zoya in front of St. Sophia Church in Kiev)
