Miss Zoya Grace--Day one

With warm hearts and open arms, we welcomed Zoya into our family on Wednesday, October 19, 2011.  Both grandmas were able to attend the birth, thanks to Ken's insistence.

Ready to "Shut up and Push it" (thank you Salt-n-Peppa)

Gigi and Mimi were just thrilled to see their newest granddaughter

What bliss

Kisses from Rawly for Mom and Zoya

Our family of four

The family all together

First visitors

Uncle Sam was the first person (aside from us) to hold Rawly when he was a newborn.

Katie

 Wave two of friends

Some of the Kyiv International School babies born at the ISIDA Clinic since Rawly.

Thanks for celebrating her birth with us--we are so blessed by this community!

Ken has affectionately coined her~our little petal.  Rawly is transitioning well from only child to his new role as big brother.  He's quite the helper, finding diapers as soon as she's "stinty", covering her with blinties, showering her with kisses, and even playing the ridiculously annoying music from her swing over and over when he thinks she needs it.  Isn't life grand?

Thanks to all of you of you well-wishers, your care and prayers mean so much to us!

It's grandma-time!

Here's what we did with the grandmas leading's up to Zoya's birth...

40 weeks and ready!

We wasted no time getting the grandmas involved.  On their second night here they watched Rawly so that Dad and Mom could go out on a date, but not even spicy Thai food could convince the little one that she should come and play with us!

Visiting the doctor 40 1/2 weeks

Touring downtown

Piecing together puzzles with Gigi

Visiting with friends at ICA (church)

Walking down Andrivsky's Decent

Looking at the '''bid" horse statue with Mimi

Snuggling with Mom and Bibi (Baby)

Visiting St. Sophia's and the Virgin Mary egg mural which is simply remarkable!

Sunset from the square at St. Sophia's

Bees knees in the back seat

Walking through Nyvki Park

Riding in the car with his new "shjocker" ball

No news is good news, right?

After church a couple weekends a go--almost 39 weeks

The grandmas arrived on Friday, October 7th, jet-lagged, but ready to welcome their soon-to-be granddaughter into the world.  Unfortunately for us, our little bundle of joy is taking her sweet time contrary to all our efforts--spicy food, lunges, at least a set of stairs (ten flights or more.)  As I sit here typing, she's swaying from side to side, kicking a foot here and there, but the movement we're wanting isn't coming...I'm only two days overdue, but I don't feel anything like I felt in the weeks preceding Rawly's birth--granted, he was a good two pounds heavier (though at this rate, she might just catch up with him.)  I'm off to the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see what he has to say.  Both grandmas are starting to get anxious (and probably apartment stir crazy as well.)  They're getting the hang of things around here, picking up a few words and phrases, braving the stores, and even reading the Cyrillic alphabet (well kind of!)  Rawly appears to be ready too, at night he makes sure we pray for "bibi", his baby sister and gives her a goodnight hug or kiss!

*Update, we went to the doctor Friday, everything is still good...just waiting and trying to be patient.  Last night our power went out, so I walked the stairs with a flashlight.  Down ten flights, up fifteen.  As I mounted last step, my flashlight went out, so walking back down to floor ten was a bit interesting, but I made it. 

School's back in session

 

So far so good, we're both enjoying our classes and--as much as we loved spending the summer with friends and family--to be back to our own place.  Thanks to all of you who made our summer so great and refreshing!

First day of school--33 weeks

Is it really true?

It seems like having our second baby wouldn't come as such a shock as the first.  By this time, we should know the game right?  Well, I still feel like everything is a surprise.  I guess I like it that way, so it works for us!

Here's what we've been up to lately...

37 weeks

Having a blast baking with Mom and snitching handfuls with Dad

Reading with Pedro

A lovely day in the plaza with the Runyans--the golf club goes EVERYWHERE with us

Monkeying around in the forest by our apartment

He even finds the time to do the dishes

Jammin' on the gui-tar

Just like Dad

Is the house on fire?

It was difficult pulling off a surprise, but we did it!  I couldn't get Mom to leave without me, so thanks to everyone for helping set up everything!  When we pulled up, Mom was scared that the house was on fire (the last time there were a bunch of cars in the driveway was when the huge black walnut tree had crashed onto the wood shed)!

Jesse, Nikki, Ken, and I had a double date--making cake balls and hawaiian pork the night before the big event.  Sue Wolf brought masses of roadside sweet peas (what my parents had at their wedding.)

Three generations of lovely ladies... the Chasse's family picture was one of our favorites from Mom and Dad's wedding album.

The cousins--Saraya loved playing with Rawly

Flower girl and the bride (Auntie Nikki)

The Thomas', long time neighbors and my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher

Uncle Jim and Aunt Laurel--what a lovely couple!

Dinner by candle light

Romantic, eh?  One of the many charming attractions of Kyiv--just the three of us sitting around our kitchen table sharing a scrumptious meal while gazing into each others' eyes.  That's how I'm choosing to view it at least.  We're all in the process of trying to adjust to the ten hour time change, so in hopes of regulating Rawly's system, we opted to try for a late bedtime tonight.  We were just sitting down around 8:30 to eat dinner when the power went out (luckily we had finished cooking!) about about two hours later and it was back on.  One thing I do not recommend is trying to entertain a tired toddler and stay awake yourselves without the use of the electric light bulb.
Yesterday was the end of our 20 some-odd hour journey across the Atlantic.  Amsterdam handed us two trips through customs and an 1 1/2 hour delay; we arrived at last to our home sweet home.  We were greeted at the gate by one of the friendly bus drivers and then again at the door with the all too familiar cloud of cigarette smoke (oh where are the joys of clean Camp Creek air???)  Traffic jams aided to our final homecoming two hours later.  Our constant fear since last October break--the stench of humid mold filled our lungs as we opened the door. Next the washer overflowed, and then the breaker kept breaking from our new AC unit.  Welcome home:)  We're back for year three--third time's always a charm--so let's see what the future holds!
It was so good to visit with many of you over the summer.  We always hope to spend more time with more people, but the reality is that summer vacation is not so much of a holiday as we generally hope.  We were able to relax and watch Rawly enjoy discovering the world in which we live; what more could we have asked for? 
Dial up internet prevented us from being "connected and we did also have a little snafu with pictures on our digital camera,  so I'll try to update our summer adventures as best I can in the upcoming weeks. 
May the romance continue!
Ta-ta for now, ARK