A Low-Key Week that Finished with Some Real Fireworks…

Hello everyone! After the seemingly non-stop excitement of last week, we wanted to keep this week a little more on the calm side. We completed one of the final milestones in Victoria’s US citizenship this week, when we received her US Passport. The picture is completely adorable!! We need only register her adoption with the state and file for her state birth certificate. Of course, we still have our 4 post-placement reports that we will need to complete. As a result, our last official order of business related to this process will be due on March 18th, 2012 (3 years from our date in Russian court).

For a change, this week was short on doctors visits (only two this week, which was nice). The highlight of these visits was her last (of three) visits to the dentist to fix cavities from 6 ½ years of, likely, subpar dental care. She seems to really enjoy brushing her teeth now, so here’s hoping that she is now on the path to healthy teeth (so, she can keep flashing that beautiful smile!).

The three of us enjoyed a nice visit with Victoria’s “Auntie and Uncle” (one of Mommy’s best friends) this week. This was the first time that we have been able to see them since they welcomed home their newborn baby boy. Victoria was very interested in their little baby, their cat (of which, she is clearly still a little afraid) and the trains that she could see from their apartment window. During this visit, Victoria also got to spend a lot of time coloring in some awesome drawings made by her uncle (one of which was a portrait of her). With respect to the cat, she was still a little hesitant, but was confident enough to give it a snack (at arm’s length) by the time she left.

Our town had its 4th of July fireworks this weekend, so we finished this week off with an awesome fireworks show on Saturday night. In order to get over to the show, our town sets up school bus shuttles from the area schools. Victoria has been saying for weeks that she wanted us to ride the bus with her when she goes to school. Of course, we won’t be able to ride with her then, so it was great that we got this chance to ride with her. She loved the bus and was waving to the multiple thousands of people that were on their way to the show. Once the show started, Little Miss absolutely loved the fireworks…she was laughing and giggling the whole time. She also had a blast with her glow sticks necklaces and playing on the assorted slides/games that they had set for all of the kids. Needless to say, Victoria was wiped out by the time that we got home, but continued to talk about how much she loved the fireworks throughout the next day.

Here are some pictures from this week…

Making Mommy lunch in the play kitchen:
Helping Mommy feed baby at her Auntie and Uncle’s house:
Victoria coloring the portrait that her Uncle drew of her…She made sure to get all of the colors right:
Riding the school bus with Mommy and Daddy:
Ready to tackle the big slides before the fireworks show:­On her way down the slide…she had no fear, she literally jumped from the top:
Seriously, do you think that she was having fun?
Shooting some hoops in the “Dunk Pit”:
Waiting with Daddy for the fireworks to start:
Sitting with Mommy as the show was about to start:
Taking her position to watch the fireworks:
It was a spectacular show!

Oh, What a Week it Was!!

Happy Father’s Day everyone! This week, we celebrated three months since we officially became a family, and what an action-packed week it was. Truly, no one blog post could really do it justice. That being said, here is a summary of a fantastic week….

With no disrespect to the other four days this week, there were three amazing days this week. The first was a trip to a humungous indoor water park at the Great Wolf resort in the Poconos. If you have been following the posts, you must know by know that Victoria is completely enamored with the water and this was such an amazing place. Victoria’s grandparents were able to get us some tickets to the park and we enjoyed an awesome time with them (as well as Victoria’s cousins). What a blast…little Miss could not stop talking about the day.

The second day of note this week was a wonderful family visit at our house. It was so evident that Victoria is now incredibly comfortable with her surroundings and she really enjoyed playing with her cousins here at the house. She is really coming along in this respect. She now plays “with” her cousins when she sees them, rather than simply playing “in their presence” like she had been (if that makes sense).

Of course, the third day of note this week was Father’s Day! Daddy received an adorable, hand-made lion magnet clip and a mug that has a collage of pictures of Victoria and Daddy. We also had plans to go to Victoria’s first baseball game. This is something that Mommy and Daddy really enjoy, and Victoria has really showed an interest when she sees it on TV. It was raining when we woke up, so the weather looked like it was going to spoil our plans. Fortunately, it looks like we have friends in the right places, because the rain cleared and the game was on! They had a number of Father’s Day activities set for the before and after the game. Fathers in attendance received team logo golf balls (a perfect addition to Daddy’s collection case!). Before the game, we were able to go down on the field and get autographs from all of the players (and the mascots). This, of course, is important because Victoria got to meet and get an autograph from Sparkee (the team’s mascot) and Daddy got to meet and get an autograph from Sparky (that is, Sparky Lyle of Yankees fame, who is the manager of the team). After the game, Dad’s and their children were able to go down on the field again and run the bases. The race was close, but Victoria flew around the bases and just edged Daddy out at the plate (oh well, maybe next year Daddy! Hahaha…).

One final thought…Victoria signed her own name (“Vika”) on all Father’s Day cards. This is a big step forward for her as she learns English. Sorry to all of the mothers…had she signed her name for Mother’s Day, you would have seen her name in Cyrillic (which would look a little more like “BHKA”). So, she’s come a long way! She even visited what will be her Elementary school (starting in September) this week. She saw a play and went to a pizza party, then one of the teachers loaned her a computer for summer which is loaded with a few software applications that will help her learn more English!

Wow, there is really so much more from this week, but we’ll try to let the following pictures tell a bit more of the story…

Playing silly with one of her toys:
The indoor water park was huge! (this is about ¼ of the place):
She was still all smiles, even though it was time to head home from the water park:
Hanging out with her cousin:
“Take me out to the ball game…”­Daddy and Victoria with Sparky Lyle:Waiting for the game to start with Mommy…we had great seats!
Being just plain silly with her hat!
Rounding third and heading for home!
Daddy loves his mug!

The Week After a Vacation is Usually a Bummer….

Greetings everyone! After a great vacation in Cape May last weekend, it stood to reason that we that we planned for a more laid back week. We all had such a good time on vacation that we needed to avoid the post-vacation blues. This was pretty easy because there were many things to celebrate this week.

On Monday, Victoria helped Mommy bake cupcakes and joined us in celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. She even enjoyed watching our wedding video with us. We were all dressed up and there were so many familiar faces (she called out each one that she knew). She was completely entranced by it all and even enjoyed all of the music (from the ceremony and the reception). At the start of the video there are a number of pictures which show the progression of Mommy and Daddy growing up…Victoria was all giggles and smiles. Her only real point of confusion was that she did not understand the Chicken Dance. Hahaha…

Later in the week, Victoria met two more of her cousins, as well as an aunt and uncle. It’s obvious that Victoria is starting to feel more comfortable with her surroundings because she is beginning to interact more with folks. Over the weekend, Victoria was off to her 2nd birthday party (her cousin’s) since we have been home. She was exited all week about going. You may remember that, while she had a great time at her first birthday party a few weeks back, she took out the birthday boy on his new swing set. So, we were hoping that this occasion would be without event…hahaha! Well, she had a great time and did not take out the birthday boy this time. When we arrived at the party, Victoria handed the birthday boy a balloon and said “Happy Birthday!” She still remembered the English words that Mommy taught her for Daddy’s birthday. She even remembered the words to the song before she jumped in to a famous chocolate cake made by her great-aunt. During the party, Victoria took part in breaking up a piñata for the first time. She was a little unsure at first, but once it came open she ran straight for the goodies! All-in-all it was a great party and Victoria really enjoyed playing with her cousins.

Of course, this week was not without its requisite 3-4 doctor’s visits. Little Miss had her first filling this week and handled it like a champ. One funny story for the week…Each night before dinner, we pray and say something that we are thankful for. This week Victoria started taking part and added some things that she is thankful for. It turns out that she is thankful for the “jumpy” (in reference to a fun, bouncy ball-pit that she plays in at the indoor park) and “zoobies” (in reference to her trip to the dentist this week). It’s really rather cute and it’s nice to see her start to take part.

Here are some pictures from the week…

Enjoying some rock climbing at the indoor park

Building a Lego scene with Mommy
Some of the finished Lego scene
Helping the bake yummy chocolate cupcakes
Hanging out at home with her cousins­Eyeing up her great-aunt’s famous chocolate cake…of course, she did finally get to dig in to a piece
Taking a crack at the piñata
Elated with her take from the piñata goodies
Victoria and the birthday boy playing with a whistle
Still having fun playing with the balloons from Daddy’s birthday

Ahhh, What a Week….

Hello again everyone! This was a very busy week which turned out to be very eventful. Daddy celebrated his birthday this week and Victoria was a super excited about the fanfare. She and Mommy had a nice surprise planned, but Victoria’s excitement would not allow her to hold it in that well. She continually kept making hat signs above her head when talking to Daddy (she had picked out party hats for us all to wear when we had birthday cake). Mommy spent a few days teaching her how to sing “Happy Birthday.” When she and Mommy called Daddy at work, she performed incredibly and sang very well with Mommy. She liked the song so much that she continued to sing it all day…right on into bed.

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:

Here Comes June!!!

Hello everyone! This week started with Memorial Day, which was a beautiful weather day. We took full advantage and found a number of things to do outside the house. The pool in our complex opened that day, so we took Victoria (with her new swim vest…which helps keep her afloat) down for a swim. Of course, this early in the year, the water is frigid….but, she did not seem to mind that she was shivering (the kid really loves the water!). We stayed in as long as we could, then went down to the park. Victoria had been asking to fly a kite for some time...unfortunately, there was only a faint wind. Much to our delight, the kite was super light, so it caught a little air and she really enjoyed it.

After Monday, we seemed to spend a lot of time this week at the doctors. Little one is proving to be very healthy, but we are not short on appointments. Along with her other weekly appointments, Victoria headed to the Pediatric Dentist and Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor. She handled both exceptionally well. The ENT even commented (while using a vacuum to clean out her ear) that she handled it better than most adults that he has seen!! Turns out that Victoria has an ear infection, so she needs to use ear drops and take an antibiotic for 10 days. While she handled the doctor’s appointments like a charm and she loves her ear drops (she calls them “tickle drops” for her “ooskies (ears)”), the same cannot be said about taking the antibiotic (it’s the one that tastes like bubble gum, so we were surprised). Luckily, we found a plan that seems to work (involving a medicine dropper and ice pops). Just 8 more days to go with it, so here’s hoping the plan continues to work! Hahaha….

Since she handled everything so well, Mommy took Victoria to a cool indoor park here in our town. She had a blast and is starting to interact with other kids a bit more (her English is making huge strides!). On Friday, she even had pizza for the first time! Her favorites, so far, appear to be white and pepperoni. Mommy and Daddy love pizza…and we actually have a children’s TV show to thank for Victoria even trying pizza (she has turned a cold shoulder to it in the past). We told her she would like it if she would just give it a try!

While out looking at the moon through our telescope on Memorial Day, we happened to catch a small fireworks show. Victoria got really excited. She said that she loves “salute” (fireworks) because they are “beautiful” and that she saw them when she was at the orphanage. So, we’ll be sure to get her out for a big show on the 4th of July.

Some random thoughts from this week…Victoria chose an American flag star for the first decoration on her new Croc shoes. On the front of a Somerset Patriots (a local minor league baseball team) schedule, one of the players is holding his hands in the air with his fingers pointing #1 (they won the title last year). When Victoria saw this, she thought they were the Yankees. So, when she sees the Yankees on TV, she makes the same pose and says “Yaaay, Yankees!” It is really quite cute.

Here are some pictures from the week…

Sporting her new swim vest

Getting ready for a swim
Flying a kite with Daddy
She loves her Mickey kite
Holding a tea party with Mommy, Daddy and Barney
We were all “stuffed” after the tea party…those strawberry treats were delicious!
Riding the coaster at the indoor park
Enjoying a ball pit at the indoor park