Despite the abundance of addictive "cookie biscuits" and scrumptious chocolate bars here, we’re losing weight. Twice a day we bundle up and trek to the orphanage. In the snow, it takes twice as long and twice as much work! By the time we get back home from the morning visit and de-thawed, it’s time to turn around and do it again. We’re all grateful for our snow boots.
"Melody" (not her real name) is 20 months old, looks about the size of a very thin six-month-old, and is developmentally about a 4-month-old. She cannot sit up on her own, and her skinny little legs are like jell-o and cannot support any weight. She has the cutest ponytails ever, thanks to her groupa nannies : two brown fountains at the top of her head, secured by neon-colored pony-tailers. She loves to spin around in your arms to gaze at light. The first couple days, she showed no interest in us and was unresponsive to pretty much everything (sounds, movement, faces, coo-ing, singing, touch, etc.). She wasn’t very comfortable being held, and would arch her back and spin and twist the whole time. We started to worry that she cannot hear or see (she’s very cross-eyed) … but it became apparent that she sure has a sixth sense about the whereabouts of toys! If she sees a rattle, she’ll reach over and grab it so fast in her teeny little hands that she will almost flip right off your lap. We no longer worry that she can’t hear either, as she spun around and stared at the door once when the food cart rattled by down the hall. She simply wasn’t seeing or hearing US!
On day three, she looked at my face for the first time and studied it a bit. We got one smile out of her. She has two long bottom teeth and nothing on top except one gargantuan molar in the back, which makes her look a bit like a pumpkin when she smiles, as she opens her mouth wide and smiles with her whole face. It about kills me, it’s so cute. On day four, when we picked her up, she sank right into my arms like “this is home!” and it’s been like that ever since. She’s enjoying being held! The rare occasions that she makes eye contact feel like huge milestones for us, and we’ve even figured out how to make her smile and laugh by kissing her neck under her ear. Today she kept lifting her chin so I’d do it again … and she was playful, making kissing-smack noises, shaking her head, and jabbering. We were able to check out her heart surgery scar which starts at her collarbone and runs down to her upper belly and fans out. With each passing day, with each shared moment, we can sense her ease, and we feel hopeful. If there’s one thing she has going for her, it’s her spunk and the shine in her eyes.
3/10/2013 – Here alone
Peter left last night to catch a train and then two flights home. We both felt that due to our inability to connect with our family (no internet most of the time, no phone – period!, and no Skype), and the fact that our court date is so far away, that one of us needs to get home, despite the cost of the extra plane tickets. As I watched him walking down the alley, tromping through the snow with his duffel bag and suitcase, I panicked. I kept thinking, I’m sitting here in XXX with no phone, internet only if I’m lucky, and I haven’t learned how to say “help” in *ussian, let alone get ahold of police (I’ve never seen police here, which makes me wonder if there are any but may actually be a good sign). I woke up last night every time I heard a sound. Peter will return on March 20 to arrive in time for our court date.
This morning I swallowed all of my fears: Lit the gas stove myself, mastered the coffee French press, took my bath by flashlight, finagled my way out of the apartment (I can never figure out all the bolts and literally got stuck INSIDE the apartment once), and found the orphanage, which is like weaving your way through a maze of a mile of old apartments that all look the same in the snow – by myself! Melody had her best day ever … studied my face for about five minutes and laughed again and again before “spacing off” (completely relaxed and content in my arms, but suddenly more interested again in lights.)
Feeling brave, I discovered a children’s shoe store on the way home and, using a sketch of Melody’s little foot, discovered -- by having an entire conversation in hand signals -- that shoes are not made that small here. Instead, I walked out with two pairs of the plush thick tights that both boys and girls wear here and a bag of cabbage and veggies. Nutella wasn’t quite meeting my nutritional needs after all.
Haven’t talked to the kids since we left, and it eats me up. Once we had a spastic Skype connection which appeared to be counterproductive because the kids saw our faces for one brief second and heard our voices – but then as we cut out and the picture went away, we could hear them erupt into howls. I’ve heard a couple stories, like Pilar’s description of the kids as being almost cute and inquisitive and funny when they’re not being ornery about nothing in particular. We heard that Gillian has pulled a couple “refusing to budge” stints on Pilar, who sent her on the bus one day in her PJs with her shoes in her backpack. We heard that Princess R told Grampa, “I miss my mommy and daddy.” Other than that, I’ve no idea what’s going on at home except that Pilar is one brave and exhausted young lady. And as much as I miss having Peter here (he is always the life of the party), I am so glad he’s headed home.
3/11/2013 - Slush hopping
Snow is melting and the twice-daily walk to the orphanage is all about guessing which slush-puddle might be deeper than the one next door, hopping from miniature iceberg-looking-formation to formation, trying to keep your feet dry. I LOVE MY SNOW BOOTS!! Fun day with Melody: In her own little way, she's learning to be "silly," making sounds so that I laugh. While she puts on a show of being preoccupied with her toy (usually a rattle), if I stop singing or whispering to her, she'll pause ... and then start in on a I'm So Cute, So Pay Attention To Me! repertoire which goes kinda like this:
One raspberry
One ma-ma-ma-ma
One shake-shake-shake-your-head-so-your-ponytails-fly
One kissy-smack sound
Two tugs on your ear
... and then start back over. She likes when I laugh! Today is the first time that she actually looked -- for a few seconds anyway -- at a picture book. Her stamina for stimulation, interest in what goes on around her, and intrigue with me is increasing a bit daily. Love it!
3/11/2013 - Slush hopping
One raspberry
One ma-ma-ma-ma
One shake-shake-shake-your-head-so-your-ponytails-fly
One kissy-smack sound
Two tugs on your ear
... and then start back over. She likes when I laugh! Today is the first time that she actually looked -- for a few seconds anyway -- at a picture book. Her stamina for stimulation, interest in what goes on around her, and intrigue with me is increasing a bit daily. Love it!
No comments:
Post a Comment