6th Grade Rocks!!

Katya had a WONDERFUL first day of school! She was so excited this morning that she could barely eat her breakfast. When I picked her up this afternoon I asked her if school was good. Her response was, "Yes Mama, YES!" Fred and I went to 'Back to School Night' at her school tonight and met her teachers. I really like her ESOL teacher and I can tell Katya does too. Katya was eager to review her letters and sounds tonight which made me happy. She started to lose interest recently but school has jump-started her willingness to learn. When I picked her up today at school three girls were standing with her and they all said, "Bye, Katya!" One of the girls is in her Sunday School class so Katya already had friends at school. Being around children and having a routine is just what she needed. I am so happy that she is so happy!

P. S. Katya's chest x-ray was negative, no TB!

Making Progress

Today we registered Katya in school! She was hoping to start tomorrow but her TB skin test is positive so back to the doctor we go. We will get a chest x-ray taken and hopefully it will be clear so she can start school on Thursday morning! She is so anxious to start school and make new friends. The doctor in Russia warned me that her TB test may be positive because she was given the BCG vaccine for TB. It used in many countries (not the United States) with a high prevalence of TB to prevent childhood tuberculous meningitis. The vaccine commonly causes a false positive with tuberculin skin test reactivity.

I hired a tutor for Katya who starts tomorrow. Olga is a wonderful young woman from Belarus who has 9 years of experience teaching ESL. Katya is excited and so am I! We are making progress!

NO MORE DOCTORS!

Today Katya had a traumatic trip to the doctor. She had her first doctor visit last week that went pretty well. There were no shots and blood draws! Today was a different story. After examining her immunization record from Russia, the doctor determined Katya needed four immunizations plus a TB test. Katya fussed a little at the doctor but managed to get through the four injections without too many tears. The blood draw was the really hard part. She kept saying, "No Mama, No Mama," and I considered just taking her home but I knew I would never get her back into the laboratory if I didn't get it over with right then and there! She was really starting to get worked up so the four lab assistants (yes, it took four) quickly got to work and managed to take six vials of blood in record time. By the time they were finished Katya was hysterical and I was a nervous wreck! There was no room for me by Katya so I hovered in the corner praying it would be over quickly. Katya was screaming so loud the security guards came into the lab to see what was going on! She hyperventilated and had to "recover" in the lab for 30 minutes after it was over. The lab technician suggested we give her “relaxation medicine” before we come back and I said I would need some as well! The ride home from the doctor was interesting because Katya yelled at me in Russian the whole way but luckily I had no idea what she was saying! (Well, I got the gist of her feelings, and let's just say I'm glad I don't know more Russian than I do!) Next time I think I’ll have Fred take her to the doctor!!

My wonderful Friends

I have the best friends in the world. Jean, Vicki and Darcy hosted a beautiful shower today for Katya. She was showered with love, affection and loads of gifts! THANK YOU EVERYONE! The food was incredible and lovingly prepared by Jean Tobey! WOW! Look out Martha Stewart! The flowers were beautiful, the table elegant and the guests were beyond generous. I appreciate you all attending and showing Katya how many people love her! I am overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation. Katya will enjoy all of her goodies immensely and thanks you too.

Your love and support throughout the entire adoption process helped Fred and me so much, and your support now is invaluable and so appreciated! Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart.

Our Village saved the day!

In Monday's blog I explained that because Katya loves the Disney movie High School Musical so much, I was going to rush out on Tuesday to buy High School Musical 2. I soon discovered that High School Musical 2 wouldn’t be released on DVD for another few months! Oh NO!! Of course I told Katya on Monday we would buy High School Musical 2 on Tuesday and she was super excited! How I wondered, with my very limited Russian vocabulary, was I going to explain to her that Mommy is very uninformed and that HSM2 hasn't even been released on DVD yet!

After posting this problem on the blog, I received a phone call from a friend explaining that her husband is in the television recording business and could help me out of this little jam! My friend's daughter is a huge HSM fan so "John Doe" recorded HSM2 at work when it debuted on the Disney Channel and could make Katya a copy!! (My friend shall remain anonymous in case this was highly illegal!!)

We are now proud owners of High School Musical 2 and Katya could not be happier! The village saved me once again!!

Holy Sacrament of Baptism

Katerina Grace Buoni will receive the Holy Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, September 30th at 11:15 AM at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Annandale. All are invited and encouraged to attend.

I am so excited that my sister and her husband John will be here from California for the baptism as well as Steven and his girlfriend Sabrina. Katya's friends from past visits to Podolsk Orphanage will also be here for this special occasion. Caroline and Adam are coming home from James Madison University for the weekend and will be in attendance and we hope to see Wes and Ken too!! Katya was going through our church pictorial directory yesterday and when she spotted photos of people who have visited Podolsk Orphanage she would point and say droog, which is friend in Russian! It was so cute.

Katya's school enrollment continues on Tuesday, September 25th. She will be tested in Russian to determine her grade level. Because she is 12 she could start 7th grade but I am determined to put her in 6th grade. I strongly feel she needs a year of elementary school before the trauma of middle school! Mama knows best!

What a great day!

I have been dreading this day for a week but it was a great day! Katya's school physical was this morning and I thought it would be a fight from start to finish but she was wonderful. She wouldn't open her mouth or cooperate with the doctor in Russia so I figured we would have a repeat performance here but she was delightful. She was especially proud when she could tell the nurse all the letters on the eye chart! After the appointment I took her to see Katie at work (she always loves to see Katie) and then horseback riding at a friend's house. Katya loves horses! She rode Velvet with the confidence of a seasoned equestrian! Thank you Julia and Christina for your patience and guidance with Katya. You are angels! I am so blessed with the greatest friends. Julia and Christina are now part of the village raising Katya! The village keeps growing and growing.

Tomorrow we begin the school registration process. The school will schedule testing in the next two weeks, and after the testing is completed she can start school. She is very anxious to go to school, but she's made it crystal clear she doesn't want to ride the bus! Once she sees all the neighborhood kids riding the bus she'll probably change her mind.

P.S. I made a discovery today....High School Musical 2 isn't out on DVD yet....no one told me! It won't be released for a few months. I can't believe we have to listen to High School Musical (the original) every day until HSM2 is released....Oh Lordy....

High School Musical!

My sister Anne suggested buying Katya the Disney movie, High School Musical. GREAT IDEA! The lyrics of the songs are displayed on the screen when they are sung by the actors so Katya is learning English while watching the movie. She loves the movie and especially the charater Gabriella! I will be purchasing High School Musical 2 tomorrow! Katya also recieved a CD of Russian music so she is on Cloud Nine!

Tomorrow is Katya's school physical so say a prayer! Katya has had 5 operations and does not like doctors, hospitals or anything medical! Once we have her medical exam we can enroll her in school. The county wants to test her in her native language so we are still looking at starting school in a few weeks. She is anxious to meet new friends.

It takes a village to raise a child!

So many people have pitched in and helped my family since returning home with Katya. I cannot thank them enough. I have wonderful neighbors and friends who stop by when walking their dogs and invite Katya to come along. Katya adores animals and loves to walk dogs. Our dog Christy is 15 years old and cannot walk far so Katya loves walking a dog that is lively and energetic like her! Today she is being picked up by two high school girls from church, one of whom speaks Russian. They are taking Katya out for ice cream. Our friend Randy has become Katya's droog (friend) and asks everyday if she can ride on his motorcycle! Katie has been the best big sister ever, and Katya wants to spend every waking moment with her. Katya has moments when she misses her friends and teachers in Russia but her homesickness will fade as she makes new friends and learns to speak English. I appreciate the support and help we've received and I thank everyone for their kindness.

Katya the Biker Chick!

Our wonderful friend Randy, and I do mean wonderful, came by today to give Katya a ride on his gorgeous Harley! Randy is our friend I mentioned in an earlier blog who is responsible for me going to Russia for the first time in 2001. We had a very difficult day on September 10th so we took Katya over to speak to him that evening and he was wonderful. Katya was experiencing some homesickness for her friends and teachers at the orphanage so Randy helped her through it with his perfect Russian. She just needed to talk for awhile and vent her feelings to someone who understands, literally! Katya has been fine since that bad day, I think something must have triggered her sadness. Her new and improved mood might have something to do with the cat we brought home from the animal shelter yesterday! NEVER SAY NEVER! I always said I would never own an animal that does its business indoors, but that's exactly what we have now! Katya LOVES Princessa (Russian for Princess) and she is a good-natured cat that tolerates being carried around all day!

Tonight Katya is spending the night with Katie! Katya adores her big sister! When Katie asked Katya what she wanted for dinner she said French Fries so Katie found a place that has unlimited French Fries with dinner. She did manage to eat a hamburger too! The last time I spoke with Katie they were making cupcakes so they are having a wonderful time together. Thank heaven for big sisters!

Getting settled in

IT IS SO GOOD TO BE HOME!! Katya and I have been getting unpacked and settled in. She is extremely happy and is discovering the joy of family. She loves her new room and all the girlie stuff my sister and I picked out for her. She is very inquisitive and never meets a stranger. We spent two hours in the Social Security office on Friday and she was carefully checking everyone out, or more to the point, staring! For those of you who haven't been in a Social Security office in the last few years, it a truly a melting pot! I think I was the only English as a first language person in the whole place! She lacks some essential social graces, meaning when she saw a very fat person she pointed and said loudly, Oh Mama, BOLSHOI! Bolshoi in Russian is BIG! I wanted to instantly disappear! She saw a black policeman in the Atlanta airport and went up to him and rubbed her fingers on his face, then looked at her fingers. I thought I was going to faint. I told the policemen that she loved policemen and always wanted to touch them! I got out of that one! Most of the orphans have never seen people of color. She now knows never to point at people, now I have to get her to stop commenting out loud. At least her comments are in Russian so I am relatively safe for the time being.

Katie came over today and she and Katya made jewelry and just hung out together. Katya loves Katie's nails so Katie took her for a manicure today. She felt so special and grown up! Katya adores Katie, and she told me after she left that she wanted Katie to move into her room with her!

Tonight my girlfriend and her husband took Katya to McDonald's and to miniature golf, which meant Fred and I could go on a date! Darcy has known Katya for three years so Katya was thrilled to be going out with her. It was nice to have a little break but we found ourselves missing her a lot!

Tomorrow is church, which will be a first for her. I'll let you know how that goes!!

We're Home!!

Katya and I made it home last night at about 8:45 PM! We were tired from the long journey but thrilled to see all the smiling faces waiting for us at the airport! Thanks to all of you who came to welcome us home!

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to be home with our new daughter! I missed my family immensely, which made the wait in Russia even more difficult. All the steps to make Katya ours were overwhelming, including multiple visits to the Ministry of Education, courthouse, consulate, passport office and US Embassy. Katya became an American citizen yesterday, but I don't think she quite understands it yet!

The first thing she wanted to do is get her ears pierced! She said that no orphan girls can have their ears pierced so this was very significant to her. She also said orphan girls cannot have long hair so she wants to have very long hair. It has never been professionally cut and it’s about 100 different lengths but I'm not going to even try to talk her into a trim yet. I have to pick my battles very carefully!

Thanks for all your well wishes and support these last nine months. It's been like a pregnancy, the last month being the hardest! I'll keep blogging to fill you in on her new life in America. There's nothing like spending a month in Russia to make you appreciate how wonderful our country is and how fortunate we are to be Americans.

Guest Blogger Fred - One last night

Sheila left me a message today saying they had finished all the visa paperwork and would be on the plane tomorrow. They wake up at about 11PM tonight our time to start the journey home. See you all at the airport tomorrow night!

The countdown continues

Sunday night....Moscow

Only two more days....and we are outta here!

Tuesday - US Embassy and Russian Consolute

Wednesday...."leavin on a jet plane...don't know when we'll be back again!"

Almost to the finish line!

Hello from Moscow!

We are on schedule to fly home on Wednesday, September 5th! Thank God!! I have my interview at the US Embassy Tuesday at 2 PM, and if I answer all the questions correctly they will give me Katya's visa and we are out of here! I am MORE THAN READY to get home. This waiting period is rediculous, and such a waste of time.
Katya is doing well, and is anxious to come home too!

I'll see you all at the airport!

Dosvidonya