2nd visit

Hi All,

We had a wonderful visit w/ little Alexander yesterday. I think it is about 3:30am here. My sleep schedule is all messed up. When we get in from visiting Alex around 6:30pm, I crash b/c it is exhausting chasing after him for a few hours and then get in the car w/ someone that drives 100mph on snow and ice. If we hit another car, we are dead for sure, so I just sit in the back seat and pray and try not to look at what car we are about to hit. Seriously, I can't get mad at Brad anymore for his driving and tailgating. He looks like a grandma compared to this guy. This trip not only is to get our son, but it is making me realize that driving on 280 is cake walk. Traffic here and in Moscow is sooo much worse and the people are not patient. They will run over you if you don't get out of the way.

On to the meeting with Alex...He LOVES his Papa. You can ask him where his Papa is and he will point to Brad and smile. He seems to like me too, but you can definitely tell that he favors his Papa. As you read Brad's e-mail below, you will see that Alex's b'day is January 26th and that means he is Aquarian, just like his Mama. He shows signs of being an Aquarian. When I was little, I was VERY independent and I didn't want anyone picking me up or touching me. I also didn't want to share my toys. (I still don't like sharing much, but I am better. :)) He hates being picked up and if you try to see what size his tag says on the back of his shirt, he gets mad at you. He LOVES to play (throw the ball, get you to chase him, blocks). He uses the universal language of grunting and pointing to what he wants. I haven't heard him say anything in Russian, but he understands what they are saying when they talk to him in Russian. They told him to wave goodbye to us when he left and he waved. He didn't cry as much this time b/c his main caregiver was there to take him away and he really likes her. The first day he cried and would not let go of Brad. They had to peal his little hands from the back of Brad's shirt.

The people in Russia are quite skinny compared to the US. For some reason, you are never really hungry over here. I am forcing myself to eat b/c I know I need to, not b/c I feel hungry. Also, I feel like I am drinking a lot of water, but when I use the bathroom, nothing much comes out. I have no clue where all the water is going. There is not a gym in this hotel and I am about to die to go for a little jog. You definitely can't go outside. It is about -15 degrees F and when you go outside the air is so crisp that my lungs feel like a smokers lungs. Brad and I both started coughing when we walked to the grocery store yesterday. It is a really strange feeling. I guess b/c there is zero humidity. By the way, your hair does GREAT over here. You can go days and not wash it and it looks just as good as the first day. My hair gets oily and gross if I go a day w/o washing it in the US, but it is so dry that there is not oil and it looks great.

DD