September 30, 2006
-
Today was another Woman’s Summer Day and Allison and I went outside during our morning visit to enjoy the nice weather. We encountered lots of people while outside. We met a couple from Germany who were adopting a 2 year-old boy and there were two groups of children outside walking with their caregivers. Allison has only been around the children in her own baby group who are all about her age; therefore, she is fascinated by these older children and thinks they are quite a novelty.
One of her permanent caregivers came down to visit during our afternoon visit and gave me a picture of Allison and Alesha taken in May. The two caregivers working today, Gayla and Luba, gave me a pair of the booties the babies wear that are hand crocheted by one of the caregivers. As I’ve indicated previously, the caregivers are very nice and genuinely care about the children.
In the picture taken in May, Allison and Alesha are about the same size whereas now Alesha is much bigger than Allison. I’m sure some of it has to do with him being a boy and genes, but I also wonder if the extra attention he receives from the caregivers has also contributed to his growth. As I mentioned before, Alesha is a favorite of the caregivers and he is constantly being held and given one-on-one attention. He is a very happy and engaging little boy and it is easy to see why he is a favorite. He also is more vocal and demands more attention than Allison and the other babies. I hope his Mother is able to come and get him soon and she does not leave him in the orphanage much longer.
I discovered yesterday how to get a guaranteed giggle from Allison! She loves to have her belly nuzzled and will smile and giggle every time I nuzzled it. She also likes it when she is lying on her back and I lean over her and give her kisses and we rub noses. I think it is a good sign that she is responsive to this type of Mommy play and it will eventually help her build an attachment to me.
Allison seemed more tired than usual at the end of both our visits today and I put her down for her naps earlier than usual. When she is tired and ready for her nap, she starts rubbing her eyes and her hair. She also doesn’t want to play or be held. She pretty much just wants to lay down in her crib and go to sleep. I’m sure when I am home that I will appreciate this trait, but right now I want to spend every available minute with her. I’ve uploaded a picture of her lying in her crib with her new blankets.
We went to the supermarket Friday afternoon to buy the 2100 diapers and 15 cans of formula, but all they had in stock on the shelves were two jumbo packages of diapers in the correct size and 2 cans of Allison’s formula. We talked to the store clerk and explained I needed 23 more jumbo packages of diapers and 13 more cans of formula. They are going to check with their supplier (warehouse?) and call Ahz when they have the items. If we don’t hear anything by Monday afternoon, we will go back to the store and try talking to the manager. While I would like to purchase and deliver the diapers and formula to the Baby House before I leave, Ahz has agreed that I can leave money with him and he will take care of it after I’ve left. It doesn’t appear that Ust has the equivalent of a Wal-Mart or Target or even our grocery stores where the shelves are fully stocked. The quest for diapers and formula continues!
Ust-Kamenogorsk Wedding Tradition
Fridays and Saturdays are the big wedding days in Ust and it is common to see cars decorated in ribbons, streamers and flowers passing by honking their horns. It seems the tradition is that after the wedding service, the wedding party visits all the monuments around Ust and leaves flowers at each monument before proceeding to the wedding reception. Ahz wasn’t clear why the couples leave flowers at each monument, but thinks it has something to do with honoring past heroes and ancestors. Whatever the intent, it is a nice custom and entertaining to watch the colorfully decorated cars filled with flowers dash about the city.
