Ready to come home, but can't yet

Joe here..
As far as we are concerned it is time to come home. Too bad we have to finish up all the formalities and legalities. As of right now, court is scheduled for 12/6, may be a chance that this is moved up some. If not then it looks like a return just before Christmas.

We are enjoying reading all the comments. Thanks for all the prayers, I think it is great that we can share this experience with our friends and family despite the fact we are 6,000 miles from home.

Here's a fun story. Before we met Ethan, another little boy in his room met his new parents. These parents brought their boy a toy car. Well, when Ethan heard that a Mama and Papa were coming to see him, he asked if his Papa was bringing a 'machina' (ma-shee-na) for him. So, when we arrived at the orphanage for the first time, he just kept saying, "Papa, machina." over and over. Of course we had to buy him a machina! Now he carries it with him everywhere he goes.

We went shopping yesterday and purchased clothes for Ethan. It was funny, we tried to measure him before going shopping, but he didn't want to be measured. He really enjoyed playing with the tape measure but didn't want any part of someone stretching it along his legs and arms. So we guessed. He is either a 2T or 3T? Here it is just "3" or 192--whatever that means. We bought some jeans, shirts, socks, underwear (He is already potty trained!), and a winter coat. We tried the clothes on him last night. He enjoyed showing off in his new duds!

Some things we are glad we packed:
1. Zip lock bags.
2. trail mix. (even though the food is good, once we are back at the apartment its nice to have a snack)
3. Carnation Instant Breakfast. (the food is good but the milk here tastes different--read 'not very good'
4. Books. A lot of downtime. Nice to have some light fiction, but sure glad to have my Bible as well.
5. Computer. Many said 'not needed' I say, can't live without. Laptop takes up almost as much space as a mini DVD player, but has other uses too. We are putting pictures on the computer as soon as we return home each day, also can download video from camera and watch DVD too!
6. Dryer Sheets. Excellent to put with dirty clothes that you will wear again or to hang in the closet. Also, easy to pack.

Some things that were not necessary:
1. Sunglasses. Not sure if the sun ever shines in Doneztk
2. Baseball caps. Want to be sure you look like an American--then wear a Purdue or a Colts baseball cap!
3. So many clothes. We way overpacked. We have available for our use a washing machine. But no dryer, Steph did a load (which was a pair of jeans a t-shirt and some socks and underwear--very small washer!) last night. I draped my jeans in front of the heater and they were nearly dry by morning.

We have started sleeping with the window open. The apartment has no thermostat control. The entire building is heated by a boiler with radiators in each room. You just take the heat as it comes and we have found that it is too hot for sleeping.

We have to hire a driver each day. I pay him about US$6/hour. He gets paid even when he is not driving. So, that is getting kind of expensive. But it is nice, we do not have to wait on or call a taxi. Vladimir is ready to go when we are. He is not a driver by trade, he is just a friend of Natasha. He makes sure we get to the apartment safely each night. I pay him cash daily. Having a personal driver is a convenience that I am happy to pay for, makes me feel safe.


I'll give Steph a chance to write now...

Hi everyone!

Just in case you were wondering, that red mark under Ethan's nose is just a boo boo. They put something red on it for healing...not sure what that could be, maybe beet juice? LOL We've seen lots of kids with this mysterious red stuff on their heads.

We've noticed that Ethan is the best child in the whole orphanage! He has been crying every time we leave. That is exciting for us, yet sad too. We hate to see him upset.

We got to see his bare feet today. They looked much better than we were led to believe. The surgeons who did the work on his feet had to break his legs to create a heel on his foot. They told us today that he didn't walk until after recovering from that surgery, but that he was a very patient child and started walking in his casts. They also ordered new orthopaedic shoes for him 5 months ago, and they just arrived today. So, they are probably too small, but that's ok because we'll take care of that when we get home.

We have been showing the pictures of our family to Ethan several times each day. He will repeat the names of everyone. It is really funny to hear him try to say Ella. He says Tricia, Mamaw, and Babushka (grandma) really well. We're still working on that one.

He loves to be picked up and tossed in the air. He also likes hanging upside down. He has a new game of running down the hall and waiting for us to chase him and pick him up to run back.

We have introduced him to fruit juice boxes. He loves everything we give him, even water!

Each day is more fun than the last. Soon, we won't have to see him cry when we leave, because he'll be going with us!

That's all for now! Thanks again for your prayers and your thoughts.