Well yesterday went by too fast. Yuda met us at 11:30 and we did some shopping, first fro the director then for the orphanage. We bought the director an amber necklace at a museum/gift store. The salesman followed us around 1) to make a sale 2) to practice and show off his English vocabulary. He did pretty good. We even made jokes about the Terminator - we went to a department store and bought some sleepers and 6 pair of tights. Katya likes squeeky toys and her care bear. On our next trip I want to bring picture books, a purse with stuff she can play with, stacking toys and tissues, she loves these! She knows how to blow or wipe her nose. She also likes buttons on phones, cameras, etc We only got to spend 2 hours with her Friday. I was devastated. She was more interested in our interpreter than us. Mostly because she spoke Russian. Then abruptly at 4:30 our visit was over. At 4:30 they get the children ready for their evening meal. Thursday for lunch we saw her eat Borscht (beet soup) with bread, Black bread, mashed potatoes, and a hot dog (yummy) she ate everything! The director said she is a good eater, eating 4 times a day. She doesn't eat baby food but real "normal" food. She's allergic to buckwheat and oats and any citrus. She doesn't have a sleep schedule at this point ( that will change). I am going to talk to Karen, Nancy, Amy about sleep schedules. We went to a local bar/grill for dinner. Man, did I feel like a total tourist! Thank god the bartender spoke English! I swear I will be nicer to our tourist now that the shoe is on the other foot. We had "steak" a thin breaded beef patty, "fried potatoes" - French fries, and "coca cola" - flat coke. McDonalds is a big hit when we get to New York! So as we are leaving the orphanage Friday we realized Katya (Katie) has scabies (small common mites here). Thank god the pediatrician knew that was going to happen so he set us up with antibiotic cream to bring with us. We put all our "contaminated" clothes in space bags in one suitcase and took a shower. Then we applied the cream treatment from head to toe. This morning we washed it off. Our clothes will be left in the suitcase and the entire suitcase will be put into a garbage bag and sealed for 2 weeks. Joe and I are sad to leave Katya here even one more second but for right now we have no choice. We met with some case worked who oversees all the orphanages. She wanted to be sure of our reasoning for the adoption. I think she liked us. Today we head back to Moscow. Our plane leaves at 11:30AM and lands in Moscow 7 hours later at 3:30PM in Moscow. Yeah the time zones mess me up too. I am already making a list of things to bring for our next trip. Diapers, baby wash cloths, sleepers, shoes, coat, socks, more antibiotic cream for all 3 of us, a doll. None of the small children have dolls! The barbies and play dough we brought over will go to the "hospital" near us. That's where the 4-6 year olds are. I feel like we are abandoning Katya today. Even though I know in my head we aren't, my heart is breaking to leave her here in the orphanage. Joe and I agree this trip has been an eye opening experience. Here literally the rich are rich and the poor are extremely poor. I haven't been sleeping well, the beds are hard and the rooms hot. Karen would be in agony here. The rooms are kept at 74F. When we get to Moscow Joe and I are going to make a list of things to buy and bring. Right now I would love to hear an American accent. I admit it is cold here but not as cold as we expected. I will not need the wooly socks after all. Our driver Oleg gave Joe a badge for his hat. It is a USSR military pin. The one that came with Joe's hat is a basic tourist token. Olge ask he not put the pin on till he got back to the U.S. We bought our translator flowers to show our appreciation. Monday is "Woman's Day" - or Mother's day. On our next trip we are going VIP customs each way. And we want to check out business class for our flights over and back to Moscow. The flights to Khabarovsk is either coach or first class. I think we will price both. First class has 2 seats per row coach has 3 and it is a tight fit. I don't think I will ever get used to the food or the bread. I hope Olga meets us in Moscow. She was so nice, she kind of reminds me of a favorite aunt. It's hard to write down everything I am feeling and thinking. I made contact with Katya by getting down on the floor and doing what she did. Setting up her toys and knocking them down. I hope our next trip is very soon. We know we want to bring a U.S. map and a map of NJ. Yuda likes to look at maps, etc., newspapers, LBI tourist guide, a Beacon, NY times, I love LBI shirt for Yuda. Something Jeep for Oleg. Katya was fascinated by my fingernails. Women here don't have long nails and they aren't polished with anything but clear polish. So my long, pink nails are amazing to her. I don't know how she would like her nails painted. Life will certainly change in the Irvine house. I don't think she can open doors yet, but Katie is a smart girl, it won't be too long to figure it out.