The three of us went to visit Victoria’s school this week, where she will start in September. During the visit, she met the Principal and the school Nurse…shaking each of their hands. She was so excited to be at the school and wanted to play with the kids outside (since it was recess). So, she likes to spot and a few of the people so far. When September comes, we’ll see how much she likes actual school.
We had a visit with Victoria’s Pediatrician this week, who recommended a new medicine for her ear infection. She is doing much better with this medicine…it’s strawberry flavored. She still needs something to follow it up (like an ice pop), but she is handling it like a big girl. This week, we’ll get to see the ENT again to assess how her ear infection is doing. Here’s hoping that the medicine is doing the job.
Victoria is using her English a lot more this week. We used to listen for Russian and react to the English that she was speaking. Now, it makes more sense to listen for English and react to the Russian that she uses. To be fair, she is nowhere near fluency yet, but she is really making strides and actively pays attention when she is taught English and its correct pronunciations. She has also become very proficient at typing and writing her name in English, which is a nice step considering the differences between the English and Russian alphabets. Some cute phrases that she has added this week include “good job” (which she even uses to describe a number of her own actions…hahaha) and “OK” (which she sometimes pronounces like “Ahhhkaaahh”, which sounds very cute).
Victoria went with Mommy and Daddy when they donated blood this week. For a little girl that hates needles for herself, Victoria was really great as she intently watched the whole time. Of course, the nice folks where we were donating gave her some cookies, a sticker, a balloon and some surgical wrap to play with. She used the wrap to continually wrap Daddy’s fingers (over and over) while he was giving blood.
To finish off the week, we spent a few days in Cape May this past weekend (a spot that Mommy and Daddy like a lot). Victoria was excited all week in anticipation and kept asking on the 2.5 hour drive “where is the beach?” Our hotel was right on the beach. So, when we arrived at our room, she giggled with excitement while looking at the beach through the window. Unfortunately, we were met with rain for the first day, but Victoria handled it well and waited until she was able to finally get on the beach for the first time in her life. We spent the rainy day visiting some of the kid-oriented museums around the Cape. She even enjoyed hanging out on the deck to look for dolphins with Mommy and Daddy. The rainy, windy weather made them tough to spot on day 1, but her persistence paid off when she saw a family of 3 dolphins the next day.
We visited the Cape May Zoo (a great spot for an animal lover like Victoria). She saw a number of animals for the first time (ones that we were not able to see in the Moscow Zoo). Some of her favorites of the day were the giraffes, the lion and the zebras. She even enjoyed the rooster, which she says makes a “kookalee-koo” sound (which is a little different from our “cock-a-doodle-doo”...hahaha). After the Zoo, Victoria’s aunt, uncle and cousin came down to meet us for lunch and she had a great time with them. After our meal, she enjoyed some time in the arcade. Winning tickets was a hit and she was all giggles when they would come out of the machines. There was also a basketball game there and it turns out that she is pretty good. If she’s got a good handle, we may have a future point guard on our hands!
One funny random story….the medicine that Victoria is on makes her a little “spacey” at times. After having a great time on the rainy day, we thought we’d try a nice restaurant for dinner. While we waited to be seated, Victoria started to act a little weird…making jumping dolphin motions with her hands (in a manner similar to dancing the Robot). It was funny, but we thought it better to tell the person at the counter that our daughter was not feeling well and head to a more family-friendly restaurant. We tried, but that’s OK…we had a great dinner at another restaurant. She reenacted the dance a little later (making fun of it) and the 3 of us had a big laugh about it.
When the sun finally showed itself, Victoria was amped up and read to make a run for the beach. She enjoyed walking on the beach and running in the sand. As we walked in the surf, she noticed that the water was pretty cold…too cold, even for her, to swim. Of course, it was not too cold to play in the sand…something that she was been waiting to do since we bought her a bucket, shovel, etc. When our time had ended and it was time to go, she said that she had a great time then said good bye to the dolphins and the beach. When we got home, she could barely contain her excitement…saying “I love home”! Very nice ending to a very nice week…
Here are some pictures from the week…
Working on Daddy’s birthday present:
Sporting her party hat with Daddy on his birthday:
The picture frame that she made with Mommy…and her photo suggestion:
She nearly hyperventilated blowing the party favors:
Ready to look for dolphins:
With Mommy in a museum on a rainy day in Cape May:
Showing off her turtle book with Daddy:
She REALLY loved the beach:
Making tracks in the sand then (very emphatically) telling a few surfers that it was too cold for them to swim:Posing with Daddy and the bear at the zoo:
Riding the dolphin on the carousel at the zoo:
Finally getting to play on the beach!!!
The last morning on the beach…a must photo when you visit Cape May:
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