Last Day in the Orphanage

We picked up Cheri Monday afternoon then took a train that night back to Will's town. We arrived Tuesday morning and went to Will's orphanage. He was happy to come with us, but kept asking if he could bring his friends too. We had to get him dressed in our clothes, he was embarrassed and told us all to look away. It was hilarious. His caretakers and the director cried when they hugged him goodbye, but he was all smiles. I was so relieved he wanted to come.

We then had a 2 1/2 hour car ride to Dnipro to pick up their passports. He was such a good sport. He kept telling us in the car that now he had three sisters and kept asking about Alina. We told him we were going to pick her up.

About two hours into the car ride, Zhenya started saying he had to pee. Well, we were far away from a bathroom. We asked if he could hold it, he said no. We told him he would have to go outside, he did not like that. He said it was too cold, it was and snowing. Being his new mom I had to help him. He cried and spoke upset words at me in Ukrainian as I pulled down his pants. Both of us being rookies, we ended up with pee all over us.

We picked up the passports in Dnipro and then drove the 45 minutes to Alina's orphanage.

Zhenya had only met Alina once before, so I was super surprised when he ran and gave her a huge hug. He held onto her legs and wouldn't let go. She was surprised too, but she loved it.

He stayed by her and kept hugging her legs as she introduced everyone to her little brother. It was super cute. He told her he loved her and she was beautiful. What a sweet kid.

On the car ride to Alina's orphanage Zhenya kept asking to go back to his orphanage. We kept telling him he couldn't but didn't know why he wanted to. He started saying it again at Alina's orphanage so we finally asked him why he wanted to go back, he said, "Because they have a toilet."

We laughed so hard but didn't realize he still had to go to the bathroom. He asked an older worker at Alina's orphanage if they had a bathroom and she showed him. I went in to see if he was ok and he had fallen in the toilet because it didn't have a seat. This is me dying lauging with my head out the door so he wouldn't know. He so embarrassed. Rough bathroom day for Zhenya.

Alina bid a very tearful goodbye to her best friend and teachers. They cried and she cried but in the end she came with us. I put my arm around her in the car as she cried all the way back to Dnipro where we caught the night train, back to Kiev. Both kids were super excited to ride the train and even Alina was laughing and smiling by the time we were on our way back to Kiev.

They are both sweethearts and I am officially one lucky mom of two more.