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At the Market with Igor - What Do You Think?

Today, we went to the market before heading to the orphanage for a short visit with Maxim (he is still sick). As I mentioned before, the market is huge and everything you can imagine can be found there. The other day Daniel and I had noticed a woman selling fur hats but didn't feel comfortable trying to make a deal without Igor.

So this morning, we went back. Igor was intent on helping us but without anyone at the market knowing we're foreigners. Kind of comical, since every time the hat lady said something to us, Igor would turn and whisper the translation. Then we'd whisper what we wanted to do and he would turn back to her. So on and so on. How long do you think it took her to figure out we are foreigners?

Anyway, first Daniel picked out a hat for himself that looks very nice and will certainly be warm. We can use it in Michigan, but not here most likely, as it is in the 50's today.

Next, the lady turned to me and wanted to cut us a deal if we bought a second hat. Immediately, Igor insisted I try on the pure white one. Let's just say it is the "Large". I did try it on. Hence, the picture. I call it the Marshmallow Look. It is definitely the look here. Not my style. Igor told Daniel that it's basically the work of a man to make his wife and children happy and that this hat would make me happy. Another woman came out of nowhere, grabbed Daniel and seemed to be telling him this hat was right for me. It took us quite awhile to convince Igor that I was not interested in white or blue fur hats. In the end, we found a very nice hat and a fur collar to wear with my coat. Igor is very proud of Daniel and we will be eating much beans and rice for the next many days :). Actually, it was a splurge for us, but we couldn't have considered it at all in the States.

Maxim still has a cough and has to stay in bed for the time being. We were with him for about an hour, just snuggling, singing, and such. A relatively quiet visit.

Every day when we are with him, we use a couple of pages I made up of numbers and letters to get familiar with. Generally, he has been fully cooperative or at least at some point during our visits. Nothing we attempt to teach him as far as this goes is very lengthy. Maybe five minutes tops. But in the last couple of days, he does not want to do it. Interesting to sort out.

We have noticed that Maxim does not like to do the same thing more than a couple of times. He likes variety. And he likes to run the show when he can. So this will be tricky as we seek to expose him to the new things that will help him transition into the family, but realize everything is new to him and we technically have no authority over him yet.

For example, today when he didn't want anything to do with numbers and letters (or us after we suggested them), we were trying to sort out together whether to let it go completely because he's sick today (probably would have been best) or find a way to gently let him know that he will not always get his way. What a fine line right now!

After our visit, we stayed for a while longer at the orphanage for a program of song and dance that was being presented to the kids. Igor says that today is some kind of holiday in Ukraine acknowledging people with disabilities and this program was presented because of that. It was an interesting mix of smaller girls singing songs in very typical little girl outfits and older girls and one boy giving more complicated dance demonstrations. As in the States, dance costumes even for teens here can be a little lacking in fabric. They had obviously worked hard to prepare for the presentation though and the kids of the orphanage seemed to enjoy the show. Quite loud (show, and audience at times).

As we look forward to our court date on Monday, we are praying that SDA papers arrive back from Kiev in time for court. Igor is working hard to let the birth certificate office in Maxim's birth town and the passport office here in Kherson know that we are coming to them soon and to please have everything ready as soon as possible. Technically, those things can't be completed until after the judge's final decree, but Igor is doing what he can, legally, to just give them a heads up. He wants to get back to his family as much as we want to get back to ours.

We have now been in Ukraine for a full month. Hard to believe. May the remaining required days for us here, and family/friends back home, pass smoothly and productively.