Seven Days in Kyiv: Week 6

Monday, Eric picked Dietrich up from school a bit early and took him to the indoor playground that they discovered over the summer, when Eric would take Dietrich one afternoon a week so that I could relax with my newborn. This time, however, Lev and I met up with them, and we all helped Dietrich try on snow pants. I've yet to find the perfect pair. Growing up in California did not prepare me to clothe children for the snow.

We rushed home in time for dance class. Primary and secondary schools are on fall break this week, so we called to make sure that there still would be class. "Yes, of course," we were told.

I dropped Dietrich off, went home to feed Lev, and returned 40 minutes later to find Dietrich in his classroom. Turns out, no dance class. "But it's OK," the teacher said. "He ate some vareniki."

I am amazed at how quickly Dietrich has adjusted to eating at school. At home, vareniki are greeted with looks of disgust.

"Dietrich sure loves cabbage," his teacher told me one day. Really? News to me!

Monday night, Lev sat unassisted for long enough that I was able to grab the camera and snap this not-very-clear shot. Who told this kid he could get so old?



Tuesday, Eric picked up his passport. He's legal again. Whew.

Wednesday morning, I went to the women's Bible study with Lev for the second time. It was pouring rain on our walk there, and (again) Lev didn't sleep until minutes after we left, though he still managed to charm the whole room in his overalls and yellow-knit cap from Aunt Jit Fong.

Wednesday is momma's helper day, and I thought I could fit in a couple of cooking projects. So on the way home, we stopped at the market to get pears to puree for Lev's future consumption, plus milk and bacteria for making yogurt.

Exhausted from pushing the stroller through the rain, I asked Eric to grab Dietrich from school, and settled in for a cozy afternoon. Right after Eric left, Dietrich's teacher called. Dance class had been rescheduled. For that afternoon.

I don't love these last-minute schedule changes, but they do make me extremely thankful that we're sending Dietrich to a school that we can see from our kitchen window. A few extra five-minute walks, even in the rain, are nothing compared with a few extra bus rides with two kids.

I did still find time to make the yogurt. This was my second attempt; the first was a total failure, because I overcooked it by many hours. This time, I ended up with yogurt, not sour ick. I have six little jars to eat, and so far I’ve experimented with adding honey, pears and strawberry jam.

Wednesday night, I was fortunate to attend Mommy’s Night Out – a group of ex-pat mothers who meet once a month for dinner. Everything about the evening was delightful — and I was thrilled to find a restaurant with tasty food that I felt safe eating. (Because of my buckwheat allergy, we are extremely selective about where we dine.) I had steak medallions wrapped in bacon and topped with herb butter, with potatoes, grilled onions and a grilled tomato on the side. Plus the best cup of rooibus tea I’ve had in Kyiv. I predict this place will show up again and again in these weekly updates.

Thursday, I had leftover bacon-wrapped steak for breakfast. So, clearly, it was a good day.



Thursday also was Lev’s 5-month birthday. Doesn’t he look sweet and content? In reality, he’s been growing crankier and crankier, I think over his inability to move forward. Dear Lev, at 5 months, you already are able to get from one room to another on your own. You rock on your hands and knees. You are SuperBaby. Give yourself a break!

Friday, I finished one project (an invitation to a women’s conference) and started another (a Ukraine-wide newsletter for recruiters in North America). Then, music class got cancelled, so the kids and I had loads of time to play outside in the lovely fall weather.

Saturday, we got crafty. (This is totally out of character for me.) Dietrich and I had been collecting red and yellow leaves on the walk home from preschool for several weeks, and we made a wreath (or picture frame?) out of them. He glued; I art directed (being bossy is totally in character for me).



We spend a lot of time on the kitchen floor. Lev is small enough that I feel wrong about just plopping him down, but if I put him on a blanket, it only gets in his way.

Later, we had friends over for pizza. They brought Dietrich a glow-in-the-dark rubber snake. He named it Satan. If you read a kid the Bible …

Sunday, Dietrich woke up with, "Momma, I had a dream that I had Satan in my mouth!" Later, he asked, "Momma, can you help me find Satan?" And then, "Momma, can I bring Satan to church?"

We went to church Satan-less, and the boys and I made it through more than an hour of the service, even though Lev didn't fall asleep. (I blame the time change; this part of the world fell back Sunday morning, and we’ve all felt a little out of sorts.) Daddy was preaching, which makes me feel less aware of every little peep we emit.

Last Sunday, I had a long list of chores I wanted to complete, and midway through the day, I felt convicted about not taking advantage of one of the two days that I don't share Dietrich with the Ukrainian school system. So, I'm making an effort to scale back on my Sunday responsibilities. Today, we read books and played games, and I handled (most of) the chores while Daddy took Dietrich to the playground to play catch.

The biggest excitement of the day was a 90-minute power outage at dinnertime. We played Uno by candlelight, and ate cold pizza.

And here's a quick shot of the now-totally-insulated apartment across the way. Hope they're comfy-cozy!

Seven Days in Kyiv: Week 5

In Eric's role as our team's theological education coordinator, he hosts occasional meetings for all SEND Ukraine missionaries who teach. Since Mark Saucy was still in town for Week Two of the Talbot session, Eric invited him to speak at Monday night's meeting. I cooked (apple crisp, apple cider and popcorn), and kept Dietrich from running into the meeting naked after bath time (it's happened before). We just can't get enough of those Saucys; we are so happy to see them every time they can return to Kyiv.

This week's Talbot session was taught by Vova, a Belorussian national who is on the Kyiv Extension staff. It was his first-ever class, and he prepared extensively for it. Just look at all those books!


Wednesday morning, Lev and I hit the market, buying up gobs of spinach and pears to freeze. This kid is a charmer, smiling and making eyes at all the ladies standing along the street, selling whatever their farms produced that day. Lev was in such a good mood that I also stopped by a couple of kiosks where people sell a chaotic collection of old stuff -- think teeny-tiny flea market. I found some great deals: A heavy aqua-colored glass dish (50 cents) and a tall 1500 mililiter milk pitcher with mililiter markings inside ($2.50).

Wednesday evening, Talbot hosted an open lecture. Speaker: Mark Saucy. Subject: Teaching to the heart. Attendance: 85! Eric was very pleased; these lectures are running smoothly and growing in popularity (although we acknowledge that Mark himself was certainly a huge draw this time around).


It's very trendy here at the moment to have insulation tacked on to the outside of your apartment; practically every building had a guy hanging off the side, drilling styrofoam sheets into the tile and concrete. We had a great view of the process all week, as two guys worked (even in the rain) to insulate the apartment directly across from ours.


Thursday, I thought I was on top of things, until I went to pick Dietrich up from school and found out that there was a show the next day, and I'd need to provide some decorations. So, we took a special trip to pick out a wee pumpkin and some lovely red berries. The costume list also was posted Thursday (for Friday's show!) -- thankfully, we only had to wear a Ukrainian shirt. Other kids had to come up with vegetable-themed costumes by the next day.

Friday was the big show! The theme: Generous autumn.



Seven months ago, Dietrich sat with me through his first preschool show. Five months ago, he sat with the other kids, but remained on the verge of tears. Friday, he sang. He danced. He was happy and personable. And, unlike his parents, he didn't get the giggles every time he looked at this poor cucumber kid and his very-restrictive costume.



Friday night, we had our mama's helper and her family over for dinner. Dietrich tried to impress the sweet girls with his funny faces.



Saturday I took Dietrich on a date with just momma, to look for snow pants and to eat at the Golden Arches. (Daddy dates include dinosaurs. Mommy dates include trying on clothes. Guess which Dietrich prefers?) Though it's fun to do something special, I treasure the ordinary moments of our days, like brother baths.


Sunday, we did church with both kids again. Daddy was preaching, which took a lot of the pressure off. I figured, even if we weren't totally silent, at least we wouldn't offend the preacher. But Dietrich did a great job, earning his first church Milky Way -- the highest reward for excellent behavior.

And this is the little face that peeked up at me from the Baby Bjorn on our cold and windy walk home.

Seven Days in Kyiv: Week 4

On Monday morning, Eric got home at about 7:30 after spending all night on the train, showered, and headed right back out the door to set up the room for the week's Talbot session. Though he had slept a bit on the train, he was tired. You know that deeply tired feeling, when even a minor task just feels like too much? Well Eric walked into the room, looked at all the desks and chairs, which the preceding class had moved into a horseshoe shape, and thought, "I just can't move all those." So he didn't. And the set-up worked out great, since the week's class was heavy on discussion.

Meanwhile, I ordered a language-arts curriculum for Dietrich. Back when we moved to Ukraine, childless, I knew that someday I would need to do some supplemental home-schooling, but it's hard to believe that day has come. Or rather, will come in December, when our Christmas box arrives.

Tuesday morning, I strapped Lev into the Bjorn, hopped onto a minibus and headed toward our region's Home Depot-type store to buy a gift card for an upcoming wedding. Gift cards are something new here; I only know of two stores that offer them. Lev started crying 10 minutes into the 30-minute ride, so I hopped off the minibus, walked down to the next stop and got on the next minibus after he fell asleep. You can do that when bus fare costs just 25 cents. Grabbed the card and a ball for Lev (the Home Depot-type store has a toy section), and headed home. Ah, the life stage when one morning means only one errand.

One of the students in the Talbot program has a little boy who is just just a bit younger than Dietrich, so he came over to play on Tuesday while his momma was in class.

There is a group of ladies who meet for Bible study here every other Wednesday morning, and I've been wanting to go since September. But, for one reason or another, it hasn't worked out. On Wednesday, I did it! I had a good plan: Feed Lev and put him in the stroller, so that he will fall asleep during the 30-minute walk to the meeting. Enjoy the grown-up time at the meeting while he snoozes. Walk home just in time to feed him, then go get Dietrich.

Well, the best-laid plans, right? Lev was wide awake during the walk, even after I took an extra 10 minutes to stroll up and down the parking lot, hoping to lull him to sleep. He stayed bright-eyed for the whole meeting, happy to be passed around the room. He fell asleep within seconds of our leaving, and I had to wake him up to feed him before we went to get Dietrich. Still, he was so cheerful throughout the meeting that I'm pretty sure we will go back.

Wednesday afternoon, we started something new: A weekly mother's helper. For about two hours, a second-grade missionary kid will drop in solely to focus on Dietrich. She won't have to go change a diaper, or check on dinner, or make a phone call. Plus, she has gone to national school since preschool, so I'm hopeful that she can work with him on how to color and draw in the Ukrainian way. I'm thrilled for him! And, since I managed to send eight e-mails and make dinner in the time she was here, I'm also thrilled for me!

Thursday morning, Bonnie Saucy came over for coffee in the morning! Mark is teaching this week's Talbot class, and Bonnie was given frequent-flier miles to join him. As always, chatting with her was a delight.

Friday, we did the normal rush-around, but Dietrich was really, really tired, which led to us leaving music lesson early. I also observed music class for the first time, and realized that, contrary to my assumption, Dietrich is not learning acceptable (by my standards) classroom etiquette at preschool. So, when Daddy got home that night, we had to ask him lots of questions about how he likes students to behave in his classes. For instance, "Daddy, when one student is standing up to make a presentation, do you like it when the other students tackle him?"

I often feel overwhelmed by the shear amount of learning that Dietrich still has before him.

Eric's passport saga continued all week. Monday, he took his passport with its now-expired registration back to the center of town to resubmit it. Wednesday, he got a note from the Ukrainian who actually carries all our information to the government, saying that the government now needs a copy of our landlord's passport. (Ukrainians carry a passport rather than a driver's license for identification.) Our landlord was willing, so on Saturday morning, Eric headed back downtown to drop off yet another piece of paper. Will he get his registration? We still don't know! If he doesn't, a trip to Poland is in his future. I'm already making a mental shopping list; they sell cheddar cheese in Krakow!

Saturday also was the big wedding! Our first in Ukraine! The registrar at the seminary married a professor who often flew in from the States to teach classes. Well, he won't be flying in anymore; they're renting an apartment just a short walk from ours. The wedding was charming, with lots of memorable moments:

The ceremony was in Ukrainian, but the groom speaks English, so he carried a cellphone with an earpiece, and a translator called him. However, they used a cell-phone provider that only lets you talk for 30 minutes, so the translator had to call him back mid-service, after they got cut off.

A little girl pulled the three-tiered cake down.

The ceremony was supposed to start at 3, but started closer to 4. The wedding party went to take pictures, and the banquet began at about 5:30. The bride and groom had a plane to catch at 9 p.m., and were supposed to leave by 6:30. They left at 7, and were stuck in traffic right next to us. Somehow, they made the flight -- but I'm wondering if they skipped going home to change and just wore their wedding clothes on the plane.

Sunday, we tried church with both kids again, and it worked out great. Dietrich behaved beautifully. Then, I made tortillas and soup for the upcoming week. Plus, we got to see a lot of familiar faces in the evening, when one of our supporting churches set up a Skype call with us. Hooray for Skype!

Seven Days in Kyiv: Week 3

I can't believe I've kept this up for three consecutive weeks! I also can't believe how hard it is for me to remember what I did seven days ago.

Oh, Monday. Day of the Dentist. A couple of weeks ago, one of my teeth started to hurt, so I went to the dentist. He fixed it, but told me I needed another four hours worth of work. Monday night I went in for a two-hour session. I was so focused on getting everything in order so that my absence at bedtime would be manageable for Eric, that I spaced on taking Dietrich to dance class.

The appointment was rather like a vacation, in that I got to lay down, watch "Slumdog Millionaire" and not talk for two hours. Then again, rather unlike a vacation, in that it started with the dentist saying, "This shot is very difficult. You'll need to be patient."

Sadly, I came home to a very hungry and angry Lev, who had refused his bottle (despite happily drinking from one two weeks ago).

Let's skip a very non-eventful Tuesday and head straight to Wednesday, which was Dietrich's happiest day of the week. As a special surprise, Daddy picked him up early from sadik, and took him to see life-size dinosaurs in a park!






This is my favorite non-Dietrich photo of the day. It's going on our living room wall.


Dietrich spent a lot of the afternoon talking about ways he'd discipline this small dinosaur for hurting the big dino.

The cherry on the top of Wednesday was mommy and daddy leaving for small group, taking Lev with them and leaving Benjamin McDonnel (an MK whose dad works at the seminary) to dote on Dietrich.

Thursday, our closest Ukrainian friends arrived for a weekend visit, so I spent the morning cooking in preparation (and then Oksana spent much of her time here cooking for us -- sweet lazy dumplings made from cottage cheese, sugar and flour, borsht, and a custard-ish dessert normally made from eggs, sugar and cow colostrum).


Lev likes to scooch ... but sometimes he gets stuck.

Meanwhile, Eric packed his things for a weekend trip to Ternopil, to speak at a conference organized by two Talbot — Kyiv Extension students. He also hit a paperwork snag: His problematic passport was still sitting in some government office, waiting for registration. We're not really supposed to travel without a passport, so he had to quickly apply for an official document that confirmed that his passport was in government hands.

Friday was the ordinary routine of taking Dietrich to all his various activities, with quick breaks at home for food consumption and diaper changes. Plus, we rushed home from dance class to bid Daddy adieu. Sad! But it was nice to have guests, so that the nights weren't quite so quiet.

Eric's day was chaotic, and included taking a trip downtown to get that aforementioned official document, only to be handed back his passport, without registration! So, he's living outside the law, at the moment, and will have to take the passport back to the center of the city today -- but that's a story for next week.

Saturday, the Ukrainian government showed kindness to us by turning on the heat a whole week early! This is unheard of, but the weather had been bitterly cold, and I remain enormously thankful. Also, Dietrich and I made chocolate chip cookies, which would not be notable, except that the chips were from Ukraine. It's said that chocolate chips are nonexistent here, but Oksana found some in her home town.

Meanwhile, Eric assured us that, despite sleep deprivation (his train left at 6 p.m. and arrived at 2 a.m.), the conference was going well. Also, in the apartment where he stayed, an aquarium made up part of the wall between the living room and the bedroom. Groovy! Though not too private.

By Sunday, poor Lev was entirely off schedule and Dietrich was ready to crash after all that playing with Nikita, who left soon after lunch. So, a movie was watched, a very simple dinner was prepared, and to bed, to bed with our sleepy, sleepy heads. While we slept, poor Daddy was snatching a few z's on the train back to Kyiv. The train pulled it at 6:30 a.m., he got home at about 7:30, showered and immediately headed to the seminary to prepare the class for the Talbot session that starts today. But wait, I've moved into Monday again!

I can't remember which days these statements were made, but some gems from the week included: "Daddy says I can climb on the top bar when I'm amazing big," and, "Momma? Is Mr. McDonnel (Benjamin's dad) fiction?"

Seven Days in Kyiv: Week 2

Eric’s week looked like this: Work, work, work. Eat. Work, work, work. Snag a few hours of sleep. Work, work, work. This is Eric’s busy month (he’s speaking at a conference, helping to run the Talbot session, and working on the Talbot assessment report), so I’m steeling myself for a month of theological-education widowhood.

Monday night, Eric usually has brothers’ meeting (like an elder meeting). These start at 7:30 p.m., and usually last until at least 10:30. But this past Monday was the day after our pastor’s birthday, so he showed up expecting to discuss difficult issues, but instead they ate cake.

Tuesday, I found a worm inching up our kitchen wall as I sliced apples for sauce. I popped him in a jar, and Dietrich spent the whole day carrying the worm from room to room, so that the worm could watch him play. Slimy entertainment! I also started our newsletter. Did you get it?

Wednesday, we took the boys to the doctor. Dietrich needed a TB test so that he can get a TB vaccination. Lev needed his four-month immunizations. I thought I might need Eric’s help on the metro. I was right: On the way there, Dietrich fell into a deep sleep, and Lev lost it. Nothing I tried would soothe him, which meant: hungry Lev.

I clearly wasn’t thinking ahead when got ready that morning, because I was wearing a jacket, a Moby wrap, and several layers under the Moby. No milk access. I made a last-second decision to jump off the metro, abandoning Eric and Dietrich.

On the subway platform, holding the screaming Lev, I made all the necessary adjustments, jumped on the next train, and fed Lev the rest of the way. Once his tummy was full, he was a dream. He didn’t even wince (much less cry) when he got the shot. Also? 19.25 pounds.

And, as expected, no TB for D, so more shots are in his future.

Thursday morning, I got to introduce another missionary to my favorite outdoor market. (We live a 30-minute walk from most of our teammates, and those 30 minutes make a big difference in which market you frequent.) This particular teammate is rather new to Kyiv, but very experienced in missionary life. She’s Martha-esque in her wide range of abilities, except that she’s more practical and not at all off-putting. Today, for instance, she’s helping someone gut and prepare a live goose. (Which probably is off-putting to the goose, but I think it's rad.) I always leave her presence inspired to make some small change that will help me serve my family a bit better.

Thursday at 10:30 p.m., we learned that Friday was Teacher Appreciation Day. I pulled three loaves of pumpkin bread out of the freezer and sent poor Eric out for flowers. We have two 24-hour flower kiosks just outside our building. We used to laugh at them. "What kind of sad sap would need flowers in the middle of the night," we scoffed. Since starting sadik, we’ve been caught off-guard by two holidays, and now we look at the kiosks with deep appreciation.

Friday, our crazy day, was crazy. Eric had to go in to work super early, so I took Dietrich and the Teacher Appreciation presents over to school. Home to do a flier for the upcoming Talbot lecture. Back to sadik with snacks in my pocket to pick up Dietrich and rush him to music class. I walk in, and the teacher comes over, excited, to announce that Dietrich ate his whole lunch!

“That’s odd,” I think. “Lunch usually doesn’t start for another 30 minutes.”

At this point, I should have realized something was up, but instead, I was just happy that we didn’t have to fill Dietrich full of snacks on the bus ride to music class.

Music. Back home for a quick break before dance class.

We walk in the door for dance class, and an extraordinary number of parents are there picking up their kids. Unperturbed by the kids all around us putting on their clothes, I tell Dietrich to change into his dance clothes.

He gets half his clothes off before the teacher’s assistant comes running out, saying, “What are you doing?!?”

Um. Something tells me dance class is a no-go. Teacher's Appreciation Day evidently also means a short day. See, now, that's appreciative!

Saturday, Eric had to work and Dietrich really wanted to have someone over to play. I had a ton of loose ends from the week to tie up, so I asked one of the preteen girls on our team if she’d like to be a mama’s helper for a little while. So for about 90 blissful minutes on Saturday morning, I finished up all the things that were hanging over my head while Dietrich played hide-and-seek with someone who doesn't go crazy when he hides in the same place 10 times in a row. After she left, I was free to play with the kids all day!

Sunday, we took both kids to church for the second time, but it was not a success. The tram that we normally would take was parked on the tracks, not moving. We walked, but my back was sore from toting the 19.25-pounder before we even got there. Lev decided sleep wasn’t for him. Dietrich kept trying to intentionally choke himself on pretzel sticks. After about 40 minutes, I gave up and took the kiddos home. Thankfully, Sunday comes once a week, so we can try again.