Jill Loves Books!

I think we will be just fine on the plane as Jill spent at least an hour looking at books today. In fact a good two thirds of the pictures I've taken of her, she's looking at a book. She doesn't let me read them to her yet, but wants both of us to sit on either side of her and flip through them over and over. Sometimes she'll play along if we point to things and she names them in Russian, or makes animal sounds when we point to animals. She also played with her stacking blocks and puzzle cards a little today. She also played a little catch with me, but then went right back to the books motioning for me to sit down by her. The other thing she does A LOT of is SING! Whenever I pick her up, she sings! Today sitting on my lap she sang a few songs, the translator, Alvira, (Vica is with a friend in Volgograd helping her defend her dissertaion (get her PHD))said they were Russian children's songs, the words weren't all exactly clear, but she knew the tunes. I say that she will LOVE our preschool because they sing a lot of songs there!
Wade and I went across the street and bought some cherries from a lady at the open market. It went so smoothly! I had written down how to say "sweet?" (because they sell sweet cherries and sour cherries there and they look very similar) I said it and she said, "da" (yes) and motioned for me to try one. It tasted just like cherries at home do, so I said the word for half and kilo and she scooped some into a bag, weighed them, gave them to us, we paid her 45 rubles (just under $2) and were on our way! We're going to take the American couples there between their morning and afternoon visit tomorrow.
Tonight we went with one of the American couples to the "French Restaurant". This is the restaruant my dad and I went to at least three times on the first trip, that when Wade and I went last week we found they have a new menu and have not yet translated it into English. So, before we went I wrote out the words for the things I remembered we liked there last time so we could order. It worked! We all got this awesome fruit salad in this fancy glass with red sugar around the rim, it's in some kind of 'sauce', but not a heavy syrup, really light and really tasty! Then the other three got a chicken salad sandwich with hard boiled egg, lettuce and cheese, and I got a tuna salad sandwich with hard boiled egg and tomato. All very good! Then the best part-dessert. We just took a look at their dessert display up front and pointed. Wade and I split something I had had before which was a cake like bottom with chocolate mousse on top of that all covered in dark chocolate with coffee beans on top; the mousse had a hint of coffee flavoring too. I looked up how to say "borrow" and "return tomorrow" and held up the menu and asked if I could borrow the menu and bring it back tomorrow and she said yes!!! So now I can try to translate some more of it and try some other things during our stay here as it seems to be our favorite restaurant so far, well it's tied with the cheesy chocolate chicken hips place, we'll surely go back there a few more times too. Well, I'm off to translate! I'll update again tomorrow night-Oh, a BIG thank you to all who have sent comments on the blog! I love reading them and feeling connected to home and to other adoptive families!!! Also thank you to all the friends and family back home who have e-mailed! Keep the e-mails coming; if you know me, you know I like to talk, and while here, the e-mailing is as close to talking as I can get! So...keep in touch! :)