Long But WONDERFUL Day!

Whew! We just got in not too long ago. The day before Derek and I left for St. Petersburg, a dear friend gave us a gift and indicated she wanted us to enjoy something we might not have done. We are so appreciative, especially after such a great night. We went to a nice restaurant and tried Russian caviar! Not the traditional, black caviar, as I could never bring myself to pay so much for 25 oz. of fish eggs. We had red caviar. It came with blini's and garnishes. I have to admit, it was SO good! And what a fun experience.

Okay, but you guys are more interested in photos of the kiddos, aren't you? Here's a brief rundown of the day, as I'm pretty tired. (Four Baby Home visits, playing with the kiddos, touring the city and a nice dinner out takes a lot out of you!)

We saw C once this morning and again this afternoon. Gosh, I love her smiles! They truly brighten up a room. I can't wait for you guys to see them in person. She loves giving "eskimo kisses." When she shakes her head with that huge grin, my heart just melts. She loves playing with a partially blownup beach ball. She had a good game of peek-a-boo with "Papa" thanks to the ball. (We're calling D "Papa," as that is the Russian word for Dad.) She also loves her Gerber biter cookies! Before we left today, we traced her foot so we would have some idea of what shoe size she will need for our third trip.

B was all boy today! He loved throwing the beach ball down the hall and watching Papa run after it. He also knows who Mama and Papa are. This morning, as we were giving him some Gerber puff treats, we would say, "One for _____" (his current first name) "One for Papa" "One for Mama" and he would feed the appropriate person. He especially loves it when we pretend to gobble his hand in the process. This afternoon, however, when I would say "One for Papa" he would look at Derek, reach out to feed him a puff, and as Derek would lean in to eat it, B would pull it away real quick and pop it in his mouth and laugh. He came up with that all on his own! He would also do the same when asked to give one to Papa, but sometimes feed it to Mama real quick instead. It was hilarious! We also finally heard him talking a little. After he would throw the ball into my bag, he would say, "Da!" which is "yes" in Russian. It's so wonderful to hear his adorable voice!

That's it for now. I'm beat!