Stitches

We are winding down our time in Moscow and are beginning to check off our list some of the things that we love to do or have always wanted to do and never done. Monday night we took Katie to see her first ballet, the Nutcracker. She was transfixed and declared that she would like to dance like the Sugar Plum Fairy with her Daddy. Yesterday we went to the Tretyakov Gallery, one of my favorite places on earth, and drank in my fill of Russian Art all afternoon. For dinner we went to our favorite restaurant, U Pirosmani. It is a fabulous Georgian restaurant that overlooks the pond in front of the Novy Devichy monastery. Bill Clinton seems to have enjoyed his visit there based on the photograph posted in the entryway along with those of all the other dignitaries and stars that have stopped by in the past several years. And tonight we are off the the circus.

One of the things we had never done in Moscow (until this week) is a mad drive to the medical clinic on a late night with a bleeding child in the car. On Saturday, after a busy day of baseball and birthday parties, the boys were soaking in the tub when Andrew decided to climb on the sides of the tub to crawl over Christopher to get to the other side. Bad idea. He slipped, fell on the edge of the tub and put an inch wide, very deep gash where his left eyebrow should be. Fortunately Todd arrived on the scene first and was able to get a towel over the wound before I saw all the blood. He's the Eagle Scout and is way better at that sort of thing. He handed Andrew over to me and I held him to try and get him calmed down while Todd called around for help. While we waited, Christopher and the cat hovered over Andrew, both crying. Christopher, sobbing, was begging me to tell him a way he could help. Mueshka kept sniffing the back of Andrew's head and gave him a couple of licks to try and comfort him. It was terribly sweet! FORTUNATELY this all happened when we have a few extra adults in the house who were able to watch Katie and Christopher while we ran Andrew across town to the International clinic. FORTUNATELY, it was a Saturday night and there was virtually no traffic on the roads and so we got there very quickly. The fact that this happened the night before Todd was preaching and we were hosting a big good-bye party/sale, was not quite as fortunate, but you can't have everything.

So, 4 stitches from a very kind doctor at the International SOS Clinic and Andrew was feeling much better. He was an absolute hero and bore the pain of all those shots of novocaine and the needles like a brave little soldier. We were hoping the experience would slow him down some, but he is still every bit the monkey and climbs and swings from anything in his path.

Today I am packing up our clothes for the big trip as we move over to our friends' house tomorrow. They will be gone at a conference for over 2 weeks and have graciously allowed us to housesit so we can stay in a furnished, comfortable apartment for the last few days in Russia. (THANK YOU BEYARS!!!!) This morning I took the kids over so they could play together and I could pick up the keys and instructions. After hanging out for awhile, it was time to say good-bye. This is something that I have dreaded for almost a year, since we first began to think about leaving here. I thought I was going to be OK and that with all the logistical details and chaos I would be able to distract myself. As we left, though, Katie and Nadya clung to each other with Nadya crying. Katie sniffled and explained "Nadya is my BEST friend." Emma stood by with a sad face and soon I was crying, too. Now, I should be packing, but I am here writing and wiping away tears and wondering.... where's the novocaine and is there anyone that can put stitches in my heart?

Dear Beyars! Thank you for being a part of our lives here and for sharing so much with us. We love you all so much and earnestly pray that our lives will intersect not once, but many, many times in the years to come.