First, a funny anecdote. We couldn’t figure out why Liliana tries to eat the bubbles in her bath. Only this morning we realized that she’s equating them with the cappuccino foam we give her. Who knew? On Friday, our translator advised us to buy airline tickets to Kiev, leaving Simferopol at 12:50 p.m. today, knowing […]
How Good We Have It
Liliana and I were waiting yesterday in front of the bank while Dan withdrew more hrivnas (Ukrainian bills). I’m sure I looked shocked when a man pointed to the ATM line, indicating, “Are you in line?” I shook my head and pointed to Dan and said no and thank you. I think he’s the second […]
Singing Games
We think maybe we got a boy instead. She fills her pockets with everything. She finds all the puddles–water and mud. She runs pell-mell down the walkways until she lands face first. She loves to soar and fly in Dan’s arms. She wants to climb and scale and jump. But the apple has no stem. […]
The Perfect Birthday Present
Today is my birthday, and I’m counting all the things I love about my life right now. The darling, temperamental girl shown above, certainly–and the fact that a front loader can excite her to no end. Dan, my best friend and husband. Loyal friends you can count on. Health. The beauty of the smallest things, […]
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
We venture out of our Simferopol apartment in the morning. There’s a river parkway a block away, with gardens and ponds and waterfalls and ducks. Liliana explores, sings, babbles, and picks up more trash. We’re not sure which baby we’ll get from second to second. One minute Liliana’s saying “spa-SEE-bah” (“thank you” in Russian) to […]