Warning--random thoughts not laid out very clearly due to illness

We are in Russia (I am typing on a cool Russian computer with lots of cyrillic everywhere) and have good news--Pavel became our son on March 1! We were able to get the 10 day waiting period waived in part due to a consult and surgery appointment for our son at Calais Regional Hospital that was scheduled rather early in the month of March. Pavel is doing great, full of energy and very social. He reminds me a lot of Inga when we adopted her--he is making faces, repeating many of the English words he hears, and is very stubborn! He will be a handful, but then again if he were not then he would not exactly fit in with the rest of the kids, eh?
When we went to pick Pavel up at the orphanage they all remembered Inga, and were looking at her picture in his photo album. It was so nice to see she was remembered and loved. I got the feeling that Pavel is that way, too--a favorite. This explains a little of his behavior:) He fits right in with our extended family, too, come to think of it.
I have caught Pavel's cold. It's miserable (fill in with imagination here). I was hoping to go to a concert this evening, but it looks like that is now out of the question. The temperature here is a rosy -29 (they don't even bother to say the "-" part), and the snow is packed from 6-12" deep on the walkways (and much higher everywhere else). The ice sculptures are elaborate and beautiful! Mandy, do they have those in Antigonish?
We went to Red Square in Moscow and they had set up an ice skating rink off to the side, next to the huge department store (oh, you guys would love it--I think it is supposed to be the biggest mall in the world). For the most part this trip has been full of court and Pavel and a lot of amazing Russian food. We are staying with our host family in Novosibirsk, and Natasha is a fantastic cook. I'll share recipes upon return home.
OK, Pasha (short for Pavel) is having a breakdown and must sit on my lap and you can imagine how that is going. So I will sign off and post a picture when we get home. Please everyone give Dad my love and tell him that Pavel looks just like Uncle Rick. During his cute phase.