To stay or not to stay?!?!?!

NOT YET SENT
February 10- Tuesday- DAY 7
We are trying to get back to some sort of schedule. I made ham and eggs this morning. Then left Keith here to get some work done and took Elijah to the orphanage.
In comes R and A2 so I pulled out the balloons I brought. I brought 4 as that was all the heart shaped ones we had. I let Elijah and the two girls each pick one. Elijah’s had a hole in it so I pulled out the last one. Just as I blew it up, tied it and handed it to Elijah, out comes A1. What?!? I thought she was in school. It turns out that K is in school but A1 wasn’t. Still not exactly sure why. Luckily, R wasn’t too interested in her balloon.
After about 45 minutes of playing with balloons, A1 tried to get one of the boys to ask me to go. At least that is what it sounded like . They got the caregiver in on it and she talked Ukrainian and gestured outside. They are asking if I wanted to go outside. Of course I want to go outside. All this time we haven’t been going outside with the other kids, has that been my fault?!?! I don’t think I did or said anything to indicate that I didn’t want to go outside.
Anyway, we got everyone dressed and went outside. It was really fun. We got to go off with just us 5. We had a lot of fun, played on every playground they have around the orphanage (about 7 or 8) and got very muddy.
Oh, when we first went out the little 3 year old, (the other one who, with her 2 year old sister I want to pack in my suitcase and take home with me too) held my hand and wanted to come with us. R didn’t like that and A1 didn’t like that. In mile-a-minute Ukrainian both of them talked the caregiver into taking her away from me. I guess they are getting a sense of “my mom,” which is a good thing for attachment.
While we were making our way through all the playgrounds we met Luba’s mom. She talked to each one of the kids. Asked their names. I think she asked if they like their new brother to which they all said yes. Every time we see Luba’s mom she tries to get Elijah to smile at her. This time was no exception. Only this time, he did, and then hid behind me. Then she talked to the girls a lot. I think she was talking about them going to America and having a new family.
So when we saw the other kids going in I checked the clock: 12:15. Time for us to go. I didn’t want to go in with how muddy Elijah was anyway.
We ate lunch and decided that we should probably go back and get more souvenirs at that place we got the dolls yesterday. We needed to get more internet cards anyway. So we catch a bus downtown.
We got some keychains and another stackable doll and lots of exercise. We went straight to the orphanage as we were kind of late. It was a pretty wild visit, but good. Al and K kept climbing all over Keith. So to get a break he showed them how to play “pull the stick” Joseph Smith style. A1 is one strong girl. K didn’t like being beaten so she quit early on and went back to her puzzle (a VERY hard 1000 piece that she wanted Mama to help with). We showed them a couple other games of skill and strength too. Oh, on Ryan’s suggestion we started teaching them “Head, shoulders, knees and toes,” a week or so ago. They aren’t much into that but sure enjoy watching us do it.
To calm things down a bit I asked A1 and K to teach me colors in Ukrainian. I learned yellow, blue and white. Then promptly forgot them. But I’m working on it.
Keith got Al to ask if we could talk to the director. She wasn’t there but they got the secretary to open her door and get the girls’ passport pictures and numbers for us. So we won’t be waiting on those for passports.
We are trying to decide if we should keep the girls in the orphanage after Monday while waiting for passports. I think that would be the best. We wouldn’t have to move, they could still go to school and keep on a schedule. But with our facilitator talking to the director we can’t decide if she is ok with that or not. We would even pay them something for food and boarding. To go or not to go?
Then passports are supposed to be about a week (apparently anywhere from 4 days to 10 days). Earliest we could get to Kyiv would be the next Monday. But it could be as late at the next Friday. In which case we would have to be in Kyiv the next Monday (after our airline tickets are scheduled). We are doing this fine dance of waiting to buy girls’ tickets until we have a better idea of when we can leave, but not too late that they are 2x the cost. Then do we change ours and pay the $250 change fee? But if we have to change them again that would be a fortune. Arrrrrrrrrrrgh. This is maddening.