Lazy Weekend in Tver

We visited with the girls this morning. it went really well. Easy with our driver even through we have a language barrier. We were thrilled to be allowed to feed the girls today. They were a little fussy at the end of our visit and I think they were hungry so we brought them back to their room and the caregivers put them at the little tables and put little chairs next to them so we could feed them first. I was so excited. They had a big bowl of what looking like oatmeal with some pieces of pumpernickel bread mashed up and a mug (like a coffee cup) full of something that I think is tea with fruit juice mixed in. It looked gross and it had thinks floating in it. They use soup spoons and Dasha already had hers in her hand and was shoveling food into her mouth. The spoon was way too big and she couldn’t get most of it in her mouth. I helped her but she had a really tight grip on the spoon. Michael fed Masha and lets just say he was way too slow for the caregivers. Masha has a small mouth. Mike was enjoying it and letting her savor every bit. Usually there are 2 caregivers trying to feel 12 crying and starving kids so everyone gets food shoveled into their mouths as quickly as possible. After finishing the porridge the kids take the cup themselves, hold it themselves and drink everything in the cup. I was worried that they will spill it but then realized, they are in an orphanage, they know to get every last drop of that into their mouths because if not, they do not get any more.

This afternoon we walked around the town. We saw most of Tver, at least center city. We walked to the St. Michael’s statue; he is the patron saint of Tver. We also saw Lenin Square with a sculpture of Lenin, and walked along the Volga River. I bet it is so beautiful in the summer. When the weather is warm and the boats are running. But, it was basically frozen. I took lots of pictures of the architecture. Some of these old homes look like they are going to fall down. We visited some shops and a café for lunch. Of course no one speaks English so it is always fun pointing to random things at the café (deli) and biting in to them. Some have meat, some have veggies, and some have jam!! They all look basically the same.

I am on a Tver yahoo group and put out a post asking if any other families were in Tver. We ended up have dinner with a really nice couple who came back for their son after their 10 day wait. It was great to hangout with other Adoptive families and great fun talking about our journeys and comparing notes. Their son is in a baby home 2 hours outside of the city, so they drive 2 hours, visit for not even 2 hours, and drive back to the hotel for another 2 hours. I am so thankful that the girls are only 15 minutes away. It was a great night and helped mike and I relax before court. Otherwise, we’d be in the room stressing.

Looking forward to getting tomorrow over with...
Here are some Photos we took on our walk this afternoon.