Day #18

Here are some questions that have been asked so will answer on here in case anyone else is wondering...

1. What is your apartment like? Hate to answer that one:( Because of all the refugees that have moved here there are no apartments available for rent so we only have this one through connections. The man is security/maintenance at the orphanage and the lady is one of the cooks. The apartment complex is next building to orphanage so is very nice that we don't have to take public transportation every day! This couple moved in with her folks so we could rent this apartment so you can imagine about what it is like to live in someone else 'house' with all of there stuff, and believe me they have 'stuff'! They love stuffed animals, every shelf and nook and cranny has a stuff animal and all the big ones have on a pair of sunglasses! The apartment is not new and cleaning is not her specialty and you can fill in the gaps ;-) I did find some cameo like cleaner and will say after that afternoon in the kitchen the silverware has turned from golden back to silver and there seems to be a lot more shine around:)  You walk in the front and there is a narrow hall across the front. One the one end is a very small bedroom with a hide-a-bed and a computer desk, and of course all the stuffed animals. In the middle is the living room with 2 hide-a-beds, coffee table and chair, and of course all the stuffed animals. On the far left end is the 'bath'room with a small washer, and big porcelain tub and NO stuffed animals. Next in its own room is the toilet, and we can flush the tp!! Biggest plus of this apartment :) No room for any stuffed animals in this room. Then on the same side, in the back is the kitchen. Along the one wall is the very small, one basin sink, gas stove, small counterspace and then the fridge. The back wall is 2 windows. Along the other wall is a very small table with a bench along it. Bill says it is around 800 sq ft. which is hard for me to believe, but I guess it seems smaller because it is a whole bunch of little rooms and no open space. 
2. Do you have a washer and dryer? Yes we have a washer, very small, but it does wash good and since I have found some better detergent the clothes even come out smelling clean now:) Dryer? Yes. Looks a little different than what I'm used to, but it does dry clothes. It is metal and on a stand and has about 8 strands across it to hang clothes over:) We were in a large appliance store looking around and they had rows and rows of washers, but not the first dryer! Not sure they exist in this country and don't know why they don't?
3. What does the orphanage look like? It is a 2 story building and is very hard to explain the inside. It is quite cheery, but very sterile and institutional at the same time! Each room is painted a bright cheery color and they have things sitting/hanging around, but yet you almost feel like you are in a funeral home when you are there. You can here babies crying and children talking on the top floor behind closed doors, but downstairs there are always people coming and going in there white labcoats, with serious looks on there faces and walking with a mission! It's SO soviet there! When we get there we go to the  office and tell the secretary/receptionist? we are there and then she goes and tells one of the nannies and then they go and do I don't know what all to Kody before finally bringing him down.  There are always ladies walking back and forth and upstairs carrying big pots of food. What would be wrong with putting ALL the food on a cart and one lady pushing it to wear it goes and it only taking ONE trip?? One can just imagine all kinds of ways to make life a little easier and involving far fewer people and less time, but guess that's just there way!
4. What kind of food can you get in restaurants? Lots of pasta type food, like vereniki. Pizza and sushi would be equivalent to hamburgers at home. One food we have found that we like is a sausage dog. They take a hotdog bun and grill it in a george foreman type griddle and then open it up and squirt mayo/ketchup inside and stuff a sausage in it. Very good. Love what it does to the bun...crunchy on the outside, soft inside plus leaves those cool grill marks on it:) Try it! Makes it so easy to eat also. The pizza restaurant we have close here is OK, but it just has that 'off' taste and they always load the top with some green herb, looks like clover, never tasted it before, but sure doesn't improve the pizza any! 
5. How is the paperwork coming? We are waiting on a paper from the SDA and it was turned in several days ago. If we can get it next week, which our team feels like it is quite likely then we will have court on Oct. 2nd or 3rd. If we don't we have to apply for a different judge, because the one we were assigned goes on vacation for a month on the 4th so that will delay us 1-11/2 weeks. After court we have a 10 day appeal period. The first business day after that we can get Kody from orphanage! :))) It takes around a week here in region to get birth certificate and another document I can't remember right now and then we go back to Kiev and get visa and passport which takes another week and then Lord willing we will be ready to head for Alabama!!! (Home is looking better and better!) :) That puts us at end of October first of November. Bill is still kicking around coming home over the 10 day appeal period, but think Pey and I will stay if he decides he needs to.
6. Will we get to see Tanya (our host girl) while we are her? We are planning on it! Probably will go out to her orphanage when we are back in Kiev for that week. 
7. What really is wrong with Kody and how serious is his heart condition? His original diagnosis was... hole in the heart, hip displasia, gross motor delay and HIV. His hole has closed on it's own and should require nothing more. We will of course get him checked out when we get home to make sure, but it is quite common for it to close on it's own so we are not doubting it at this point. Hip displasia wasn't mentioned when we had his detailed, updated report translated at orphanage and we had read up on it and when we watched the Dr. give him his exam we couldn't detect any of the signs or symptoms of it so thinking that was a diagnosis they stuck on his chart. Gross motor delay? This was diagnosed at one month old so not exactly sure what you would look for to be able to diagnosis this?! :) We can def tell he has the usual signs of orphanage delay though. His head is very flat in the back and all his hair rubbed off, telling us he has spent way more time laying on his back than I care to even think about. He is very week in his legs, will hardly stand up on his own when we hold his hands, but it is already amazing the diff we have seen just this week! He is the very happiest if you hold him up and let him jump! I've already been looking for a jolly jumper, but haven't found one yet. The first day he could hardly push with his legs and now today he stood for awhile on his own and is getting alot more resistance when he kicks against you. I'm sad to say that I could count on one hand the times he has been held up and able to 'use' his legs! :( You just can't let yet your mind go down those avenues and especially when it's your child! I don't get the feeling that they are mistreated, they just don't have the one on one and extra love and attention that they so badly need!! HIV has been confirmed twice that it is negative. Only positive antibodies just like daddy(Bill) :) Which makes me think of the Ukrainian lady that was wanting to adopt him... Our facilitator said they day she came in to visit him she didn't want to hold him and finally took him and held him way away from her and quick put him in the stroller and Irina was sure it was because she thought he had HIV, because she only had received the original file and not the detailed, updated one at the orphanage. Ukrainians supposedly believe HIV is very contagious and can be caught by contact! Which also reminds me that I never said that we only found out later how much of a miracle and answer to prayer Kody really was! This lady called as soon as the office opened Monday and told them she had decided she wanted to adopt him!! The inspector knew this ladies boss and so she called her and asked her about this lady, because she seemed so strange to everyone and I guess her boss was quite alarmed that she was trying to adopt saying that she was not in a good stage in life to be adopting. The boss said she wanted to talk to her about it. The lady calls back at noon and said she was having second thoughts and needed more time to think about it, and this my dear friends is where our prayers and yours were undoubtedly answered, she called back at three and said she had changed her mind and she didn't want to adopt him after all!!!! We had no idea this was all going on as we worried and prayed and waited that LOOOOONG Monday! 
It seems like there were a few more questions some of you have asked, but can't remember them now. Ask again and I'll answer them:)
P.S. Was hungry for some of those cinnamon raisin biscuits kind of like you can get at Hardees this morning for breakfast, but couldn't seem to find a recipe that looked right. Then tonight made chili and you can't have chili without cinnamon rolls can you?:) Well was a little hard to find a recipe without baking powder or crisco , but finally did and wow were they ever good! Sure didn't taste like any cinnamon roll I've ever had, but... they did taste exactly like the biscuits I was hungry for for breakfast!! :) Blessing in disguise HA
How brave can I be with my cooking? We met up with the Georgia couple down at the market this eve. and then went and hung out at there apartment for awhile so was thinking about inviting them over here for dinner tomorrow, but.... you just never know what might come out of the oven!! :) I wanted to have a good ole Sunday dinner so bought a pork roast today, but will it taste good?, and I still haven't figured this gas oven out, how long shall I bake it and the last 11/2 hours we will be gone so can't check it , and I don't have much to season it with! Have some potatoes I can do something with and some apples for some fried apples and some of that good french bread (and we have some of that GOOD tasting butter to go on it! :) and what could I make for dessert? Any ideas?? We won't get back from our visit till 1 so it needs to be something I can make ahead..  Let me know and I'll pick from the best sounding suggestion in the morning! ;-) Which BTW it IS almost morning here... off to bed I go!