Coldest Day Yet.! A Hint of Things to Come...

Brrrr.  Today it never got above freezing, and tomorrow it is not going to get past about 10 degrees (F, not C!).  Yikes.  Gio and I did venture out in the morning to attend our first toddler group.  It took me a few tries with taxi drivers to find one that understood where I wanted to go.  When we arrived I had my first chance to sit down in a room filled with English-speaking people and just chat.  It felt good.  Gio was immediately comfortable and ran off with another boy to cause mischief.  He spent a lot of time searching for toy cars.  Sadly the 3 girls who live in this apartment do not seem to share his obsession so he finally made do with some Legos.  I met quite a few women who were full of advice about how to adjust to life here.  I am already looking forward to next Tuesday morning!

Now Gio and I are spending a long afternoon and evening together at home.  The cold and falling snow made me think again about my plan to venture out with him to change some money and buy a few toy cars for his "garage."  He is just recovering from a cold so I decided to be a "good mummy" and keep him inside instead.  The hours are long, though, without much to do.  Right now I am typing while he looks at truck photos on the iPad.  He alternates between that, jumping in his "bouncy castle", and, when I am really not paying attention, sneaking upstairs to play with the bidet.  Ugh- what are these things for anyway besides water toys for curious toddlers??

Hot chocolate hits the spot on such a bitterly cold day.

Gio is refusing to take his nap these days, so I find him "resting" a lot, esp in the afternoon. 

The garage.

Must study this!  I joined the "International Women's Club of Kiev" today.  This seems to be stuffed with information.

It is hard to explain how challenging it is for me to grocery shop here.  I basically choose stuff that I recognize and guess at everything else.  Here are a few items from my trip to the store today....

Gio is really into cereal right now.  This looked like one he would like.  Oddly he was never one of those babies who liked Cheerios.  We'll see what happens tomorrow.

I picked this from the photo.  I assume it is a can of tomatoes.  Trick now is that I got home to discover I do not have a can opener.  So mystery remains unsolved....

Yep, it's milk.  Just not sure if it is whole/lowfat/etc.  And no hint of any organic stuff around.  Sort of scary since Chernobyl is a quick bus ride from here.  Can't help wondering if the cows are radioactive....

Same question about eggs. I always went for the organic, cage-free ones in US.  I just picked the more expensive kind here hoping that meant something.  And Gio likes the pictures!

This was easy.

It took me a few trips to the store, but I FINALLY found peanut butter....I think. Not sure at all what language this is.

Absolutely no idea.  Something I found in our cupboard.  Leaving it alone.

Strolling & Trotting

Today we started and ended the daylight hours at our local playground in Shevchenka Park.  Gio is fascinated with the 5 horses that are brought there each morning to offer rides to children.  Until today Gio was only interested in watching, but today he took a brave step and asked "Ride baby horsey?" pointing to the tiniest one of them all.  He loved the quick spin around the park, though he did need to hold my hand most of the ride.  We returned to the park in the afternoon and he immediately greeted his old friend, ready for ride number two.  Tomorrow he wants to ride the "bwown one." On the way out we met a pigeon....
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZ1immOs7o


In between horse rides we strolled through the center of the old city, visiting a department stores to buy gloves for Gio (though he refuses to wear them!) and stopping by a favorite coffee spot for hot cocoa.  Basically a quiet day in Kiev.  Tomorrow Paolo departs for a 4 day trip to Moldova so I will have my first experience being on my own, with the reassuring presence of Larissa to help me out each day.  Hope you are enjoying a restful Sunday.  Clara

A mass group exercise in the park.

Gio and Big Tom riding the "baby horsey"

Gio might be at the weight limit for this one!

Soviet-style Metro, Thomas & Frozen Sand

We took a trip on the Kiev Metro.  The cars looked about 100 years old and this escalator, the longest I have ever ridden, goes at least twice as fast as the ones in the US.  Quite a scary/thrilling ride. Perhaps the solution to all of the trouble with the DC Metro escalators is simply to speed them up!

Yes, Thomas the Train even exists here in Ukraine, much to Gio's delight.

The ride became a bit scary, so Gio insisted that I hold his hand as we went around and around and around....

We visited our local playground just before sunset (at 3 pm!).  Here is Gio's favorite spot: a sandbox within a giant sandbox! Our hands get quite cold making "cakes" as the sand is nearly freezing.

Larissa & Pastries

Today we welcomed our nanny/housekeeper/cook/translator Larissa into our lives.  She will come every weekday and help me make sense of this new world.  Today she spent an hour with Giovanni dumping Legos and reading books while Paolo and I began the difficult process of opening a bank account. Later we all bundled up to walk around the neighborhood, hitting the pastry shop (a bit too close to our home for comfort!), the gym (a bit too far!) and the giant grocery store.  Once home Larissa whipped up a delicious meal for us while Gio napped.  I am a day late but I still would like to give thanks for finding this glorious woman.  I think she is going to make a big difference in our lives.
And to add to my list of challenges about our new world (so far: language and crossing the street), another tough one is that it gets dark here at 4 and then bitterly cold.  In such an empty apartment the stretch of time until bedtime is tough.  Today we did a lot of puzzles, and I let Gio stay in the bath until he resembled one of those raisins you discover in the folds of the carseat.  I am sure I am going to succumb to the lure of showing him DVDs soon- just have not yet since we do not have a DVD player. Once our things arrive there will be more options (train table, games, etc), but still, I do miss the wide variety of activities available in the US.  Even a trip to Whole Foods was sometimes all we needed to break up a long afternoon.
I hope many of you found some fantastic deals on Black Friday.  I only indulged in a pair of flip flops as the locker room floor at the gym left a lot to be desired.  Ciao!  Clara

Showing Larissa some favorite books.

Mmmmm.  This place is a bit too close to our house! Trouble for the Belli bellies.

A very cool construction site for Gio- building the new stadium for the European Cup 2012.

Playground in the dark...

Heading up the "big boy" stairs.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving, of course, is a non-issue here.  We are headed to a colleague's house for dinner tonight but he is not American so I suspect I will not see even a hint of turkey or pie.  I am, in fact, the only American in the World Bank office, staff or spouse.  Today we spent most of the daylight hours roaming around the center of the city (where we live).  It was a beautiful day though the air was near freezing.  Snow is expected to fall all weekend.  Here are some glimpses of our surroundings...

Gio passing through the "gween tunnel" between our building and the main street.

Our street.  Big park with sand-filled playground on the right. Pony rides and a crepe stand nearby.

First English I have seen in 4 days.  Not sure, though, what it means.

Outside the Opera House, about 10 minutes from our home.

Not sure if this building is a church or a prison.  Will have to investigate....`

The main square of town.  Gold domes of church are truly stunning during the rare glimpses of sunlight!

Look!  Blue sky! Snow is expected to start tonight and continue for the next week....

 

 

 

 

A Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Tomorrow we meet our nanny/housekeeper Larissa. Goodnight.  Clara

Arrival in Kiev

Ready for flight #1.  Elmo on IPad? Check.  Tiger headphones? Check. Thumb? CHECK!

Breakfast with Elmo in Frankfurt.  Who knew Sugar Smacks were a German delicacy?

A cool wooden jungle gym in the middle of the terminal.  Only in Germany.

 We have now been in Kiev for almost 3 full days.  Gio wakes around 10 or so  (ah, the simple joys of jet lag) then we hang out, eat cereal and play with trucks.  Around 12 we head out to explore a bit, heading in a new direction each time.  The past two days Gio napped on these outings but not today so now I am sitting down here hoping he will sleep in his crib (too small for him so he is really fighting it- he misses his big tented crib and bouncy mattress!).  Today we went to the center of town which is only about 10 minutes from here.  The biggest challenge by far is trying to cross the busy streets as you must go down and under them through a complex series of tunnels that are full of lots of little and big shops.  Very nice and I can imagine a big relief from the cold during the middle of winter but the steps are an enormous challenge for me with the stroller.  I found a few that had ramps so I will just have to learn where I can cross. The Ukrainian people are remarkably kind and helpful.  Today a woman, on her cell phone and in stiletto heels insisted on helping me carry the stroller up a flight of stairs.
It gets fully dark here by 4, which is in another 30 minutes and with Gio's cold being quite strong I think we will end up staying in the rest of the day.  He seems to be quite content with his trucks, puzzles and bouncy castle but I feel a bit stir crazy at times.  I keep busy with laundry, vacuuming and attempting to cook, though it is tough for me as I cannot find the ingredients I want in the stores since I keep buying the wrong things! All of the cyrillic labels and rather vague pictures on labels make buying anything feel a bit like a gamble. Oh well, there is always yogurt, cereal, eggs, proscuitto.... that is what Gio has been eating since we got here!  As soon as our housekeeper/nanny Larissa starts on Friday I think I may turn over a lot of the cooking to her.   The weather is definitely cold and dank with heavy rain all day and night yesterday but so far it does not bother me.  Feels just like Erie/Hanover!
  Gio's cold-altered voice is quite funny- all scratchy and deep when he says "Mommy, hold you" and "No fall down".  His latest phrase he started yesterday was "Change you my diaper." 


And now some photos of our apartment....rather empty, of course, as our shipping container is still somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean....

Our building- our apartment is the one with the lights on the top floor to the right.

View when you enter.  Living/dining room.  Gio's bouncy castle that I brought in luggage is on the right!

Kitchen.  Enclosed porch to right with a dryer (quite rare in Europe!)

TV (with 15 English channels and 30 Italian ones!)...good for long cold days ahead.

Gio and "2 Big Toms" leading the tour upstairs....

Guest room/office

Master Bedroom.  Gio is fascinated with the cross and Jesus on the wall above the bed.  Calls it "Pappa". I have to get used to this European tradition.

My favorite room in the house!  Bigger than our entire house in DC.  Two sinks (my dream), 4-person sauna, shower, huge tub, storage....I could live in here!

Gio's room is enormous! It is semi-divided into a sleeping area and play space.  Just need some things to play with!

Gio's travel crib is not really adequate anymore for his 38-pound self.  We are hoping his jumbo crib arrives very very soon!

More pictures to come soon of our neighborhood.  With so few hours of daylight it is a challenge to get any good shots!  Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

 

Two More Days in DC!

Gio and I depart tomorrow for Kiev where Paolo has been for weeks.  Our last days have been spent saying our goodbyes and visiting some of our favorite spots.  It has been stressful for both of us at times.  Sometimes Gio just needs to lie down on "Big Tom" and have a thumb moment.

One of the tougher goodbyes was to our beloved nanny Hedvig.  Gio asks almost hourly, "Hedvig Kiev?"  If only we could bring her along with us, we would do it in a minute!

A large part of every day is spent with trucks.  This one was Nonno Zurn's when he was a child...which makes it about 65 or so years old!  Not all of the trucks currently parked in Gio's "garage" (an old Amazon box!) will be coming along to Kiev, but I will try to stuff a few in our luggage.  We are going to be arriving to a very empty apartment so I need to bring as many toys as I can.  Our container is still in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and we are unlikely to see any of its contents until after Christmas.  Yikes!

We also will have to say goodbye to my parents' dog Barley.  He has been living with us for about a month.  It is wonderful to have a dog in the house again.  He will take care of the place while we are in Kiev, along with some help from Nonno and Nonna.  I "trained" him to sleep on the bed with me while he was here. I wonder if he will soon be snoring with them, too?

Last night Nonna, Nonno, Gio and I drove to National Harbor to meet Gio's godfathers Tim & Jay.  We saw ICE! which was an enormous display of ice sculptures of scenes from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  It was 9 degrees inside of the arena so they gave us all these super warm coats to wear.  This seemed like good practice for the coming winter in Kiev.  Here we are with Tim, Jay & The Grinch!

That's Gio on the ice slide!