Mama's Home

1. Whee!
2. Going in the playhouse. "See you later!"
3. Two starlets, B and Ana, outside Crook's Corner
4. Ana with the rake Baxter bought for her
5. Ana and Lola wait for Papa to get dressed

[Robin]

It's been a while since I have been able to sit down at the computer. Last week was extremely busy. I went to D.C. for a meeting on Tuesday and to Orlando for a meeting all weekend/Monday. At the moment Phil and Ana are playing with Lola, so I have a second or two...

Our homecoming was wonderful and Ukraine already feels like a distant memory. Ana has really been adjusting well and we haven't seen any signs of her missing her orphanage and playmates. We, on the other hand, are having some difficulty adjusting to her early waking times (5:45, 6:10, 6:45, etc. This morning she woke me up at 7:45 a.m. and I felt like I hit the jackpot) and her boundless energy. We are so happy that she is so interested in everything...but this also means that we have to be "on" all the time to keep up with what she is looking at, poking or hiding. She and Lola are now getting along like a house on fire...they were caught licking each other's tongues the other day. She also "helps" by putting Lola's dog food in her bowl. She has also adjusted to the idea of sitting in a car seat and this has made riding in the car a pleasant activity.

She met my parents today (they just returned from the Yucatan) and we had a good time at their house. She played on the Fearrington swing set and playground equipment. She showed off her coordination by being able to climb up a rope ladder after having been shown how to do it once. We also went to visit the belted goats--a mix of kids and bigger ones with horns. We fed them acorns by gathering the ones on the ground and pitching them toward them. She thought this was terrific fun. She watched Mom cook in the kitchen while Dad and I caught up on the details of their trip and looked at all their pictures. Then we had lunch together and it felt like we had always being doing this... it seems so natural to be around her.

Every day she is trying something new. Today we got her to watch the Russian Winnie the Pooh and she actually sat and watched the whole show. She also went for a walk in the woods for the first time. She loved watching Lola chase after sticks that we had thrown, and squealed with delight when Lola came racing back up the trail towards her.

It was really nice to have the day off. It was a beautiful Fall day--62 degrees and sunny. I managed to do a little cleaning around the house and this also made me feel better. Our living room and dining room are still covered with unopened mail, toys, empty boxes from presents, etc. But I did organize the kitchen and we now have a clear path from the door to the stove. Tonight, if I get really lucky and have some energy, I might unpack my suitcase. Hope runs eternal.

Phil has been a complete CHAMP in the Dad department. He has become Ana's best playmate and they just giggle and tease each other. They have a telephone (fake) answering ritual and they hand the phone back and forth after talking on it. He has really been able to talk to her in Russian and reason with her about things that are dangerous or when she has to go to bed and this has proved to be invaluable. He has also introduced her to many new things--piggy banks (she loves to put coins in and then shake it), computer programs, and saying "Hi."

My office threw the nicest party(ies) for me last Wednesday. My staff brought in lunch --burritos!-- and then asked questions about my trip. They had decorated my office with a string of hand-decorated little dresses and pants --each had a message on the back. Mary Alice had bought out a neighbor's hand-me-down kid's stuff and Ana really scored with lots of needed stuff--table & chairs, bags, easel, crayon/drawing sets, leapfrog, baby in a stroller, etc. Then the whole office got together and had a welcome home event for me and gave me a gift certificate. It was super sweet. Phil and Carol brought Ana to the office and everyone got a "viewing", though she was fairly shy and didn't really want to be handed around. She warmed up once she was in Mary Alice's office with her "loot".

[Phil]
Okay, so I have about 2 minutes to write while Robin watches Ana. Tonight we're going to take her to Tyler's restaurant in Carrboro, another old favorite that we hope she'll warm up to.

I just wanted to quickly mention that our friend (and former apartment-mate) Colleen got some great news today: She was granted custody of both of the girls she was trying to adopt, one in Kramatorsk and one in Kyiv. However, the judge refused to waive the 10-day waiting period, even though the girl from Kyiv has CP and needs medical attention ASAP. Still, we have all learned to be thankful for small victories, and this was actually a huge one. I'm sure Colleen would agree that this good outcome would not have been possible without the efforts of her (and our) In-Country Facilitator, Konstantin Yakubenko. If anyone wants to adopt from Ukraine, this is the man to see. I remember being totally depressed after some unfortunate circumstances in Kramatorsk and Konstantin phoned me and said, "Phil, you've trusted me this far. Please trust me the rest of the way." And he was totally right. We'll always be grateful to him.
-Phil