I am a mom now. I have no idea what day it is. Here is a post I wrote about Tuesday. I think.

Today we decided that yesterday’s events were just too much for the girls, so we declined the invitation to go to the Mega Mall. This was a really good thing for the girls and for us. We met Tammy, Kalamkas, Mary Lou and Meleea for breakfast. Anelya has decided that she is over rice cereal and so I had to come up with an impromptu solution for getting her fed fast. There is about a 30 second window between, “Mama, I’m hungry” and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I was able to work it out and disaster was avoided. Anelya is such a cool baby. Once she is done eating, I strap her in her stroller and give her a toy and she lets me sit and eat in peace. It’s quite amazing, actually.

The big entertainment on the 6th floor of the Hotel Alma Ata (besides the hooker soliciting us all by phone, of course) has been how much Kalamkas has grown since we were all here on our first bonding trips. Tammy has realized that she really just wants to feed herself and since that discovery, she has been much happier and eating much more. She also wants nothing to do with sippy cups and today she drank her water/juice out of a tea cup, which she held all by herself. She is 18 months and barely anything spilled.

Watching Baby Einstein Neighborhood Animals to get Anelya used to seeing dogs and Tammy a chance to shower.

Very busy

While we were gone, Kalamkas found it much more fun to eat by herself!

After breakfast, we were all going to make our way to the Coffee Delia to use the wi-fi, but Anelya itched a fit when I started to dress her to go outside. I decided it was just best for her to play back at the hotel today, so Dad stuck around and I left with the others so I could post the blog (yesterday’s entry) for all of you. I had a most excellent Café Latte there while working on the blog. Afterwards, I went back and checked on Anelya who went bananas when I came in the door. This is her new thing. I can just go to the bathroom for a minute and when I come back she starts jumping and smiling a screaming “MAMAMAMAMA”. She gets it and my ego LOVES it.
Much to my delight, Hoovie had just changed the poopy diaper of the century! Yay, Hoovie! Of course it was time for Anelya to eat again. I feel like it is always time for her to eat! I gave her a bottle and she fell asleep for a good hour which provided us with the opportunity to get a lot done. It’s really funny, but none of us really has an appetite for meals. I think we are just so busy and over stimulated that we just don’t care. I made salami and cheese sandwiches for Tammy and me, but Dad wasn’t even interested? Who are you and what have you done with my Hoovie?

By this time, Anelya bottle snack was wearing off and she started the war cry for food. We dug up all kinds of stuff form the fridge and, while Anelya ate some, she didn’t eat much. I am guessing she ate less today because she ate enough for two adults yesterday. We played a lot on the floor with Kalamkas and Tammy. Anelya is just dying to do whatever Kalamkas does and she mimics her sounds and actions. It is so fascinating. It is shocking how fast Anelya gets around. She is so strong and very strong willed to say the least!

Dad was cooped up so we decided to go for a walk around the block, hoping Anelya would go down for a good nap. NOPE. NADA. NYET. I want to come back and practice standing up! This went on for about an hour and then the war cry. I made her a 4 oz bottle of formula and she fell asleep in my arms. Once she was really OUT, I placed her in her crib and proceeded directly to my own bed. Dad did too. We napped for a good 1.5 hours and Anelya got in two, which made for a lovely evening.

After a bit of playing, we realized that if we were going to eat then someone had to go to the store right away before baby dinner and bedtime procedures started. I was voted the one to go to the store and that was fine. So, I took off and bought groceries for all of us and when I came back…. WAR CRY! Oh MAN did she mean business. She ate quite a bit and then played a bit more. Anelya is really good at telling me when she wants to eat, drink, sleep, play, etc. Well, she wanted to sleep so I started to make her a bottle – NOT FAST ENOUGH!!! Oy vay.

Well, I gave her the bottle and she almost fell asleep but not quite. For the next 20 minutes she would stare into my eyes and touch different parts of my face with her pointer finger, sometimes putting her palm against my mouth for a kiss. It was so cute… until she decided to rip my nose off. Just saying. So I finally was able to rock her to sleep without the intervention of the Anleya Whisperer, but we will see how tonight goes. I spent the rest of the evening handing over the bath tub hand washing clothes for the there of us. My back hurts. I never really ate dinner. I am exhausted. OH! I tok a shower! That was a highlight.

So, as you can tell, my blogging is less interesting now that I have taken custody, but in my eyes, I am now blogging about what I have been in pursuit of for a very long time. THIS kind of blogging has been the goal all along.

Finally, we will be able to return on Friday after all. Marina was able to work things out and, though it will cost me yet ANOTHER $400, I will go with her tomorrow to sort out the visa extensions for my Dad and me. Great that it worked out, ludicrous that it happened it all. So, for those of you who would like to see Anelya’s homecoming and first few moments as an American Citizen, our plane from Amsterdam arrives on Friday at 4p.m. in Terminal E at Logan. I assume it will take us some time to get through customs, as we will have to go into the Immigration Office and sort out some paperwork before we come through those doors once and for all! Hard to believe that will be in just 3 days.