Shopping for Cosi :)

Well, since we thought our daughter was going to be younger, all of the clothing we brought over for her is too small! And - the orphanage officials let us know that we aren't allowed to take any of their clothing, which is fine because Kiev has a wide range of used clothing stores. I love used clothing stores, especially for growing kids :)

I searched through 5 different stores and ending up buying almost all the clothing I could find for a 3 year old. Thankfully it was the end of the month, so most of the stores offered a 50% off discount. This made the selection less, but I was still able to find quite a variety of items. Most are feminine, but some are a little more masculine (if you think dinosaurs and sports are masculine, that is).

I paid the equivalent of $85 (US Dollars) for:

-20 tops (might seem excessive, but many will be layered up and she's a messy eater, not unlike her mother)

-8 pairs of pants (we probably need more b/c she's not totally potty trained)

-1 dress & 1 skirt (not practical in the weather so we'll save them for later, but they're so cute)

-1 coat (pink, of course)

-1 pair of gloves (we probably need another pair b/c she likes to toss gloves into mud puddles)

-2 hats (an extra one, in case the first gets tossed into the aforementioned puddle)

-1 scarf

I tried to lay out some possible outfit combinations for Rob. He might be taking care of our little girl for 10 days in Ukraine by himself, so I wanted to help him out a bit (and exert control from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean).

My favorite items include the hot pink H&M vest and the very European, tangerine sweater. Rob likes the flannel shirt, which is no surprise if you know Rob.


And - here are the clothes that will likely be handed down to her little brother!

*interesting cultural note: Most Ukrainians buy their clothes at 2nd hand stores, because new clothes are imported from Western Europe (= too expensive).
*2nd interesting note: From unsubstantiated gossip, I learned that the current Ukrainian president was making moves to shut down the used clothing shops. He wanted to force Ukrainians to buy new clothes & somehow improve the economy. The public freaked out and started protesting, so he backed down.
*3rd interesting note: Rob and I wonder where all of the used clothing comes from. If hardly any people buy new clothing, then where does all of this good quality used clothing continue to come from? church donations from wealthier countries? who knows?

One more thing - Did you think we forgot baby #2? No. He got a new used shirt, too. It's for a one year old and considering his enormous size, we think he'll fit into it by the fall.