Kaluga - Day 2 - Thank You Konstantin!

We met Svetlana for breakfast at 9 a.m. where we dined on blinis with wild forest strawberry preserves, hard boiled eggs, sliced meat, cheese, fresh bread and hot tea. It was yummy and having a hearty breakfast on the Russian meal schedule seemed wise.

We spoke with Dr. Bledsoe (Dr. Davies' partner) regarding the photos and updated medical information. She assured us that he has a beautiful face and no signs of FAS. YEA! She was also sure that, based on his growth, that congenital CMV was out. A double YEA! Then, she told us that not only did she not see any red flags, she didn't see any yellow ones either. WAHOO!

Alexander was meant to be our child. He was going to be our son! Incredible.

We phoned the grandparents to let them know that they finally had a grandson on the way. Toni G. had depleted two toner cartridges printing out the first day's photos so, in her heart, she already knew this was meant to be.

We spent the rest of the morning visiting the Cosmonautique Museum. Wow ... I guess as Americans we may allow the 'first man on Moon' to overshadow the amazing contributions that Russia has had to space exploration. We had a marvelous English-speaking guide named Olga take us through the museum. The museum was largely focused on the amazing work of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky who lived, did most of his space work and died in Kaluga.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
At the age of 10, he got scarlet feaver and lost his hearing. Tsiolkovsky later remembered that his hearing loss greatly influenced his life: during all his life he tried to prove to himself and to others that he was better and more clever than others, despite his disability.

He was never formally taught but eventually went to Moscow where he first dreamed of space travel at the age of 17. He was self taught and spent much time in the Moscow libraries where he met and was mentored by the eccentric philosopher, Nikolai Fedorovitch Fedorov. He was inspired by Jules Vern but was not focusedon getting to space but on how one would build a space vehicle that would allow humans to live in space. He became a math teacher and moved to the Kaluga province. He married, had seven children and became a great scientist in Kaluga.

Tsiolkovsky lived to see a younger generation of Russian engineers and scientists begin to make his visionary concepts reality. These include Sergey Korolev who designed the Russian space program and the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin. If you're ever in Kaluga, please make time to see the museum. It takes just a couple of hours and I think you'll be inspired by this great man who we owe our so much of our space success to.

The Rest of the Day
We found a souvenir shop and started our quest to purchase one gift for each 'Gotcha Day' until Alexander turns 18. Now, you may be thinking that this doesn't sound that hard but it's really quite challenging to know what he'll think is cool when he's 10 or 16. However, we found five items that we thought he might like at some point. Russia is known for their very clever, carved wooden toys. They are simply delightful. We found a couple different kinds for his upcoming gotcha days.

We then proceeded to a jewelry shop that specializes in Russian silver. We found some special pieces for the grandmothers for Mother's Day. I think it will be special as it comes from Kaluga where their grandson is from. Svetlana bought me a beautiful ring to remember Kaluga by. She is such a sweet lady. We feel so glad that we have a chance to know her.

We were off to the Baby Home for an afternoon play date with Sasha. We brought a Fisher-Price musical block that has various shapes that fit into the sides or into the top. Sasha really seemed to like this toy. He was especially good at rotating the shapes to fit into the correct slots - a skill we didn't expect him to have.

We also brought a box of animal crackers which he loved (and after seeing his normal food choices, we understood why!). It makes us wonder how much he's going to enjoy M&Ms when he gets home!

Alexander was definitely warming to us and I think the food bribe was only part of it. He seemed to be enjoying the extra attention. He really seems to pick up cause and effect well. He seems very curious and focused.

After the Baby Home, we went to lunch at about 4 p.m. (yes, Nathan was ready to pass out. We're just not used to this kind of meal schedule. Slim Jims saved our lives in Kaluga!). We dined at the cutest place that features Russian fairy tales. It looks like a little storybook cottage on the inside and features various fairy tale scenes around the restaurant. Nathan had mushroom soup (for those of you who know Nathan, I'm sure you're not surprised), Svetlana and I had a delicious sorrel soup. It had potatoes and various yummy bits. Very tasty. We all ate puffy chops which were pork chops stuffed with savory bits. Delicious.

We stopped by our hotel to allow me a few minutes to download our photos and choose a couple to send out. We went to the Internet Cafe to send photos to the Grandparents and stopped by the large store across the street. We purchased our favorite European staples - pepsi light, water, bread, three types of cheeses and two sparkling wines from various places that we didn't know made champagne (you know, continuing our education).

We met Svetlana later for champagne, a snack and a review of the medical information that we obtained from the chief doctor on Friday that we had on video tape. It was so helpful to have all this on video tape to review. I can't thank our parents enough for letting us borrow their video camera.