Greetings from Moscow! The Chaffin family arrived this morning from the overnight train from Cheboksary. It is odd to think that coming to Moscow is one step closer to home. We have gotten to know little Mitchell Anton better, and he us. We have had an enriching cultural experience as we eat where Russians eat, shop where Russians shop, go to Internet cafes Russians frequent, etc. After getting the U.S. Embassy immigration work done this week we will be flying home on Sunday the 23rd as planned and take our tour of Red Square tomorrow.After my last update, several of you suggested that in lieu of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Ward and I were experiencing the Twelve Days of Mitchell Anton as we waited out the court's mandatory holding period in a hotel with a two-year-old. So, without further adieu, I give you the Twelve Days of Mitchell Anton:
Day 1 - one little boy in the family. This was a quiet day at the hotel, where we learned about each other and how to play with our new toys.
Day 2 - two new parents and Mitchell Anton is going a little easy on us, seemingly happy just exploring the hotel room and hallway, and eating hotel food without complaint.
Day 3 - three soiled onesies. Yes, we are 3 for 3 in destroying each outfit worn every day. We bundled up and ventured outside but for only a few minutes, as it is very cold.
Day 4 - four fabric blocks. Earlier this week, Ward bought Mitchell Anton some fabric blocks at the nearby Mega Mall. Today we strapped him in the Baby Bjorn and walked to the mall. He was unfazed and we were thrilled to get out of the hotel.
Day 5 - five stacking rings. Today Mitchell Anton found his voice. His babbling is newly incessant and even loud at times. Most of it is in conjunction with horseplay, literally. He got a toy horse in his first McDonald's Happy Meal.
Day 6 - six ounces of milk. Mitchell Anton drank a small glass of milk today, and seemed to like it so we'll try more soon. This was another quiet day as we happily contemplated that we reached the halfway point of our Russian adventure and have less than a week before we return to Moscow.
Day 7 - seven times a day on average that one of us says "Ya Ni Pinimayo Parrusske," meaning "I don't understand Russian." Then we either point, pantomine or smile dumbly.
Day 8 - eight hours in a regular workshift. Ward and I now do everything in shifts. We eat in shifts, we dress in shifts. However, this shift runs 24/7. The good news is that Mitchell Anton is acting like a normal two-year-old. The bad news is that he is acting like a normal two-year-old.
Day 9 - nine times the same waitress has waited on us at the hotel restaurant. It is called Star Magazine and the food is good.
Day 10 - ten degrees Farenheit has been the average temperature excluding wind chill while we've been in Cheboksary, or at least it feels that way. As Lena, our driver, said in a most understated fashion, "It is very cold in Russia."
Day 11 - eleven points awarded for miracle shot. In basketball, a shooter gets 1 point for a free throw, 2 points for making a shot, and 3 points for a made shot beyond a certain distance. Since it is Day 11 Ward and I decided to award Mitchell Anton 11 points for his shot whereby he flung a piece of bread into my beer mug at dinner tonight. It was an amazing shot. We had authentic Russian cuisine at a restaurant NOT in our hotel to celebrate our last night in Chuvashia (Ward says thumbs up on the borscht).
Day 12 - twelve days of waiting at an end. We are thrilled to be traveling to Moscow tonight after the adoption court documents are processed, but it is bittersweet for MA as he is leaving the place of his birth.
We will let you know that we have safely arrived home, still planning on the 23rd in the evening on Delta. Blessings to you all as you prepare for Christmas.
--Lynn, Ward, and Mitchell Anton Chaffin, currently in Russia, soon home to Tennessee
