Sometimes we sit and smile at the lovely charming little girl and sometimes we wonder if they changed her out for her evil twin!!    The first 24 hours have been a roller coaster ride for all three of us.  Most of yesterday, with her testing her boundaries- touching, picking up and inspecting everything she can find.  That's fine in MOST cases- but for the fragile china the landlord has as decorations.  We told her NO...and NO...and took it away.  She actually went after where we had hid it and tried to get it out.  When she got her hand smacked, you would have thought the banshees had invaded our apartment.

Then of course came bedtime last night.  We appreciated that she was going to be scared- so we took her to bed together- but she went into absolute hysterics.  After 30 minutes of rocking and singing, she laid down completely entangled with Pam.  But she wanted to play.  Both of us ignored her and pretended to sleep, but she head butted Pam.  Pam said "no- sleep"- she then smacked Pam across the face.  So the sleeping arrangements CHANGED!  Paul left the room- and Pam sat on the other side of the bed and waited for her to sleep.  This resulted in MASSIVE tears eventually progressing to laughing and jumping in the bed.  With a sea of "NO" and "SLEEP", she would lie still for about 10 seconds then start doing something else.  Finally Pam told her to lay still or she would leave the room, which resulted in a stuffed pig connecting with Pam's face and Pam leaving the bed and standing in the doorway.  OMG- nothing can describe the noise which exited that small body.  Even with Pam standing where Katya could see her, she got herself into such hysterics that she threw up everywhere.  We think by throwing up- she actually exhausted herself- because after changing the linens and putting her back to bed- she fell fast asleep until 6am this morning.

Today was a lighter tune.  She still is being a bit "naughty"- all children at 5 are!  But nothing like yesterday.  Today her fascination is with the static build up in the apartment from the couch to the TV and shocking things.  We were told to be ready by 10- and again we were..............(should I continue or can you guess?)  We waited and waited and waited and waited....  periodically going out of the apartment, walking around, buying some milk and back again- waiting for the elusive phone call.  Which never came- at 2:30, Pam called Natasha to ask what was going on.  Natasha said that the passport would be available sometime between 4 and 6.  Finally at 4:45, Natasha called and asked for only one of us to come to the passport office to collect it (eg she didn't want Katya there!)... so off Paul has gone- with Natasha and Svetlana returning with him to give us a better idea of the final stretch...