Day 2

It is killing me not to be able to post pictures! I'm working on it!

We are not likely to get done early because of the holiday. All offices are closed now until Monday. New Year's is HUGE here. People are very excited. I've run into quite a few drunk people in Old Town, too. I'm so glad we are staying in a quiet, family neighborhood this time!

I went shopping this afternoon. Last year I found a woman selling knitted items in an alley off a side street. It took me forever, but I finally found her. Her prices are much lower than the main square, and the quality is good. I bought mittens for Meredith and Connor. :) I still have to find something for the others. It is nice to get out and walk so much. I can't believe how well my back is handling the walking. It is very level in our neighborhood which helps.

Little Man could cause my back some problems, though. He is heavy and quite a handful when he decides he doesn't want to cooperate. So far, those times have been few and understandable. We had to hold him while he got 4 shots, poor guy. He didn't want his fingerprints taken either, but we managed.:) His behavior overall is excellent! He is a terrible tease, though. If we react to something, he will do it over and over with a huge grin. He is so funny and has a great imagination. He also loves to help, and will do almost anything to hear me say, "aitah", which means thank you.

He misses his home, poor little man. Yesterday, he asked to go several times. He kept asking for his caregivers by name. It is hard to see him sad, but I am happy to know he is so attached. He loves to cuddle up on the couch with us. I have even gotten a few kisses.

Here are a few random facts for the Crawford kids at home.
1. Dogs are everywhere. We didn't see them before because we were not in a neighborhood.
2. Babies are pushed in carriages, but toddlers and preschoolers are pulled on sleds.:) It is so cute! Way easier than a carriage in all this snow.
3. Everyone under 30 smokes. Yuck! You smell it everywhere.
4. Even the coolest guys wear hats and mittens or gloves and WARM coats.
5. We can watch tv in English-American or British, French, German, Russian, or Estonian.
6. Most of the day is twilight, especially if it is cloudy. It is weird because it feels like evening all day!
7. Business offices are more high-tech than in the US.
8. People here must love herring. There is an entire refigerator case full of smoked herring, pickled herring, herring in cream sauce, herring-spam-eggs-and-herring.:) You get the idea?
9. We ate blood sausage. It tasted okay, but I still get queasy if I think about it too much. I don't think I will ever do it again.
10. WE MISS YOU SO, SO, SO, SO MUCH!!!!!!