Make that 200! [Now with photos!]

[This is Andrea hi-jacking Matt's post from a different continent. The internet is so weird. Here I am on the other side of the world editing/modifying something my husband wrote back in MN! Anyway, you can look below for the photos that I've taken off the camera.]

Since Andrea is on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic currently, I thought I would give a brief update on a couple of things.

First, Andrea did update the footie pajama count on the sidebar to 201, but did not have time to actually write anything about it after writing that we had 100. We are very excited about all of the PJ's that came in. Thank you to everyone who donated. Andrea and Leah and Scott all have their bags full of PJ's as well as a few other things, but they are maxing out their 2 checked bags for each person plus a carry-on.

What does 201 pajamas look like?? Here's Leah helping Andrea to unpack - because we had so many, we divided them up with our other things packed in between, and somehow made it without going over the 50 pound weight limit on any bag!)

There - are you impressed??? Well, don't be TOO impressed, because this photo doesn't include all of the ones still sitting on the bed! (See the photo below this one.)

There's still a pretty big pile on the bed, too!

Leah is sitting on the couch surrounded by pajamas - she's there to give you a reference point for where the seat of the couch actually is! That thing is piled HIGH with pajamas!!! Incredible!! I know Matt already said a thank you, but Leah and I, and Toni are sending one, too!! There are actually so many that Toni has asked if it would be okay to split them up and share them with another orphanage director she works with that also has a great need for something like this. The children at Pleven are more than amply supplied with what you were all able to help us bring, and I told her we would be glad to spread the coziness around to another group of children, too. She reiterated how pajamas like that are nearly impossible to get here, and how wonderful they are for the kids. (I know! Most nights in the winter there are five or more children in our own house wearing their fleecy footies!!)

Second, the insulators did make it yesterday morning and were pulling out of our driveway when Scott and Carolyn arrived shortly after 1pm. At 1:30, the inspector came and passed us on our insulation inspection. By 2:15 Scott and I were already working on hanging drywall and then Chad showed up at 3 to help as well and by supper time we had all of the ceilings up and probably 25% of the walls. We took a break for the evening, as Andrea and I had a client meeting and then there was packing to be done.

This morning before we took our travelers to the airport and then again this afternoon after we got back from dropping them off, Owen and I were working on drywall and the closet is totally done and the main bedroom has 1 piece left to put up and then we just have the bed cubby to do. I anticipate all the drywall will be up tomorrow and I will be getting started on putting up corner bead and maybe starting to tape and mud.

No pictures with this post as the camera is with Andrea and I have not figured out my phone well enough to take photos and then get them to my computer...maybe I will get there...I know it can't be that hard, it just has not been an important thing for me to figure out thus far. [So here's Andrea to the rescue!! Though, sorry Matt, I won't be able to do this any more this week!]

The ceilings are done and there is sheetrock on the south/window wall! (Still need to do a bit of trimming around the window opening.) Matt is measuring for the next piece on that first wall.

There's Dad and Chad (just his shoulder visible by the end of the purple wall) ready to measure and set up the next piece.

The next day (Friday before the travelers left), Owen and Dad got the interior of Owen's closet all done up.

Matt cuts, and holds while Owen gets the first few screws, and then he can finish while Matt cuts the next one!

Now the wall to the left of the window wall is done (except for the well pump/bookshelf cubbie).

And the wall on the right of the window wall? Matt's measuring...cutting...

...and there it's up! Instant room!

And there's that elusive bed cubbie of Owen's that wasn't done when Andrea left, and apparently still isn't done. But it will be before too long!

Thirdly, yesterday morning we had our last Skype call with Bogomila. Out of that call, one of the really neat things was hearing her talk about how she was excited to start PT in the States. She made it very clear that she wants to learn how to walk! Andrea and I were overjoyed to hear this. We have been confident that with PT, Bogomila could learn to walk [probably with some form of assistance from equipment) and be more independent, but we were not sure if she would be motivated to do so. Hearing her say that she wants to was wonderful.