Started our day touring a Birch wood forest. Pretty pathetic that I have so much free time that I asked to look at trees. After that I asked to go back to the hotel while everyone else did some more shopping, etc. I wasn't feeling too great. I rested and and joined the group for our Thanksgiving meal. We went out to a Russian Restaurant. I had a steak ( no it is not like the steak in US) and fries.
Things are really cooling off. This place makes Connecticut seem like a tropical paradise. It snowed today and I am guessing the high was in the teens but I really am not sure. My interepreter told me that the weather we have had has been unseasonably warm and that cold and snow is coming. Let's just hope the snow doesn't hit at the wrong time so that Dad can get in and we can then get out. Snow removal is a struggle here. They have a crew, of people that walk around the streets and shovel and another crew follows behind with homemade- looking brooms made of twigs. I have not seen any salt or sand or snow plows. I'm not saying they don't have it here- they may. But I have not seen it.
Arrived to Rachel's group tonight and was told by one of her caregivers that Rachel made an announcement to her group today, "My name is Rachel", as she pointed to herself. Then she said a little boy in her group said, "Who is Rachel?" and she said, "I am Rachel, it is my new name for my new family". Then he asked her, "What is your new last name" and she said, "I don't know". I haven't talked about it a lot on the website, but she had not really responded to her name at all. I finally had pretty much given it up and have been calling her by her Russian name. But tonight, for the first time, I said "Rachel" and she turned around and smiled at me. All if the other parents were asking her, "Who is Rachel?". She was smiling and pointing at herself. So, I think this is a step forward and that perhaps she needed to have some time and most importanly some control.
At the beginning of the visit she insisted on feeding Todd again. Of course he thinks she's really cool. After that I had my interpreter ask her what she wants from Santa Clauss. They have a character very similar to Santa here and he comes on New Years Eve. I told her that at her new house that Santa will come. I told her that I need to write him a letter and tell him what she wants. She looked very serious, almost scared. I am not sure if the discussion about home was scary or she really was concentrating that hard. She was silent for at least three minutes. I kept telling her, "anything that you want". Finally she quietly said, "clothes".
