Moving Right Along!

Well - Oct., Nov. and Dec. - yes I win the award for the worlds worst post-adoption blogger! The fall has brought many things with the changing of the season. Ira is moving rapidly through her first year of homeschooling - probably finishing 1 year by Jan. She is making fast and wonderful progress! She is loving her ballet and hip hop classes and is doing very well in both. She has completed her swimming classes and is a very strong wonderful swimmer. Now she has added art class to her schedule and is loving that! She only has 2 other girls in her class and they are both 12 and are both homeschooled so it has been a wonderful class and connection socially for her. She and the other two girls have become fast friends and we're now getting together outside of art class so it's great all the way around.

Thanksgiving was fantastic! Ira was a huge help in the kitchen - she loves to cook and to help. When we finally sat down to eat she said she thought we should cook like this every day :-) It was difficult to "give thanks" this year without crying as the emotions were just so overwhelming as to how much we have to be thankful for. It's hard to believe it's been 7 months - it feels now like it's never been anything but this way.

Christmas is quickly approaching and Ira is beyond excited! She has been furiously knitting scarves for everyone in the family and is constantly planning what will happen and who should be here when! We woke this morning to snow falling and an already snow covered ground which just set the stage for the days plans of decorating. It was amazing to decorate the tree and here her version of last years Christmas. As everyone remembers last year we were just hosting her and there was no English - so now she can relay all that she was thinking and feeling. She actually remembered many of our ornaments and where they were placed on the tree - more than I remember :-) It was so special to be able to share with her the meaning of our ornaments - where they came from - who gave them to us etc. She marveled in that taking special care with each and every one to see that they all had a special place on the tree.

She truly is a speical child with a heart that is just tremendous. She has a moral compass that surpasses most that I've ever known. She truly believes "right is right" and that's just what you do and how you live - right! She's happy, excited, loving, compassionate, generous and yes - 14 yr old high energy :-) She is a gift and blessing and we are grateful every day for her presence in our lives.

Can you say "Sassy & Confident" ?

Well yesterday we had the much anticipated first ballet class! Ira had been counting down the days. We had met the teacher/owner, Wendy, on two occasions. She has taught a few Russian older girls before so she was wonderful w/ understanding the whole situation! So all day Ira kept asking what time do we leave. I told her she needed to be dressed and ready to leave by 3:30 so about 1pm she took a shower and then we put her hair up in a bun! She looked adorable!

As we drove towards the studio I knew she was getting very nervous and anxious. This was her first time being left in a real classroom type situation with children that she had not met yet. All the way there she would whisper to herself - "I don't know" - few minutes later - "I don't know"!!! I swear I think I was more worried than she was by the time we got there! Anyway we got there and went in - it was chaotic since it was the first day. Ira stayed very close to me but finally Miss Wendy clapped her hands and ordered all the girls to go into the studio and sit for instruction. So Ira went on in and I left to run errands with my cell phone charged and ready just in case! When I returned 1 hour and 15 minutes later Ira was beaming!!! She LOVED the class and Miss Wendy and made 2 new friends!!! I was able to talk to Miss Wendy and she said Ira did great - smiled the whole time - followed direction and instruction well and worked really hard. She is in a class of 11 to 13yr olds that is beginner to intermediate and that is perfect for her!!! So when we came out of the studio I snapped these two pics of "Sassy & Confident"!!!!

I'm so grateful that it went so well. It could have gone either way and I was just so hoping that she would have a wonderful first experience! She is now really ready for next week! We have hip hop on Mondays and ballet on Tuesdays!! Will be a fun year!

Four months out!

Well where to begin other than I am the world's worst "post adoption blogger"! It's starting to sound like a broken recond but here I go again! Ira is FANTASTIC!!! We have no porblems with her - she is amazing. She is funny, smart, delightful, a joy to be around and we love being with her every day!!! She soaks up life to a level we all could learn from.

She has finished her summer tutoring and we have now begun home schooling. Her English has exploded big time these last 3 weeks or so. She has been "bugging" me to death to hurry up and start schooling - which I didn't want to do for another week or so but I finally started today. We are working thru www.k12.com academy and I'm thrilled with this totally accredited program. Home schooling has come so far that most of you wouldn't believe it. So much is virtual and the hard core work is done for the parents so you're more of a coach with less pressure of being a "teacher". So today was day one and when we finished in a little less than 3 hrs. Ira said - "finish - that's all - noooo - come on mama let's go"!!! That's the way she tackles life - with so much energy, enthusiasm and gusto - it's amazing!!! This child will probably knock down about 3 yrs of school in 1 yr w/ home schooling!

She has started private swimming lessons as well and apparently is a "natural" and the teachers want her on the local swim team. She is interested in that as she loves swimming BUT she really wants to take dance and the schedules conflict. So we are starting dance on Sept 7 two days a week - ballet and hip hop - and she's crazy excited. Her first preference was dance so I figured let's start that first - if it works - great - if it's not her thing afterall - she can join the swim team anytime but dance pretty much has to start the first of the year. So off we go on the 30th for ballet shoes and dance clothes!

We also did Hooked on Phonics this summer here at the house in additon to her tutoring - she's reading like crazy. Some comprehension is lost because of a lesser vocabulary - but she's reading!!! She reads everything!!! Menus, items in the grocery store, signs on trucks, road signs, names of cars - and her favorite car by the way is "Herbie" - so guess what that is - and believe it or not there are a TON of "Herbies" in Boone!!!

Will try to do a little better with the blog and get some pics up soon. But to all of you still checking - thanks!!! Your interest and concerns mean alot.

We are truly blessed and grateful that Ira is here with us and she is doing incredibly well. We are LOVING life!!!!

OK - 2 Months Home!!!

Ok - thanks to my good friend Nancy - I'm guilted back into posting an update!! So here's for you Nancy!!!

First - the pictures above!!!
#1 - Papa hoping that Ira and Nastya will find some really good Gems to off set the cost of mining and ring settings!!!

#2 - Charlie realizing how good it is to be King when two teen girls ADORE you!!!
#3 - Ira loving Nastya to pieces while presenting her with her "Welcome" cake!
#4 - 2 Best Friends for Life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#5 - Mama - never so happy as to be kissed by her beautiful daugher and being with her best friend who is just and sweet and wonderful as Ira!!!! What 2 special girls!!

Honestly we've been so busy I've been negligent w/ the blog but folks - we've been so busy having fun I just haven't taken the time I should have.

We have been home about 8 to 9 weeks and life is FANTASTIC!!!! Ira is beyond amazing. We are not having any problems at all. We have all 3 melded, bonded, begun serious attachment and are just having a blast with each other. Ira is delightful, she is funny beyond belief. I've never known such a happy child. Every day she wakes happy and the day stays that way. She makes us laugh constantly. She is so smart and so fast it amazes us. She loves everything - from fun and silly to school work. She is tutoring 3 days a week for 2 hrs. each session w/ a teacher that is from Russia. Her English has exploded in 2 months!!! She is quite conversational in English - and has just now in the last couple of weeks really become very confident in using English in public with strangers. She and I are also working hard with reading and Hooked on Phonics - she is reading amazingly well. She reads basics in menus now, street signs, items in grocery stores, as well as elementary level books, etc. I'm blown away by her quick grasps of this as well as her excitment to learn. She constantly tells me "Mama - Ira LOVES books"!!!! Could it get any better than that???? We will be homeschooling this fall for the first year. Ira knows that and is happy that is the path we're taking. She is working so hard to catch up but she understands that she is not up to speed w/ English enough to be grade level in US and she doesn't want to be in school w/ 5th graders. So she's happy to stay home and keep working hard - and folks - this girl works hard. She has a goal all her own and she's busting it out to achieve it!!

Last week we had her very best friend, Nastya, from UA, who was adopted 18 months ago and lives in MD. She came to the house and stayed with us for a week. It was more fun that I can begin to described having two loving, sweet, amazing, beautiful teen girls here with us!! They laughed, played, gigled, did hair, painted nails, and talked into the night. We went to our local "little" amusement park - Tweetsie - did gem mining (both girls found some gems and got rings made as keepsakes); went on picnics at waterfalls and many other adventures. The week passed entirely too quickly but fun was had by all and at times Tom and I were overwhelmed at the reunion of these two girls and watching them build a bridge together from the past, that only they understand. to the present of today and indeed the future. We're planning on another get together in the fall - probably Ira going to Nastya's house for a week. The girls are both counting the days!!!

Having the language barrier break down has been wonderful - learning more and more about Ira - her loves, her likes, her dislikes - has been wonderful. Her daily attitude and disposition is incredible. She is without a doubt the happiest child we have ever known. We are blessed many times over to have her here in our lives. We are so in love with her and we are just having the best time ever. Tom and I both can no long begin to imgine life without Ira!!! We never planned this path but thank God he did plan it and we still don't know what we did to deserve this amazing young girl who has so enriched our lives!!!!!

One Month Home!

Part of me can't believe it's been 4 weeks since we arrived in NC and part of me feels like it was months ago! To sum it up - this has been one AMAZING month! I know about "honeymoon" periods and waiting for some problems - but I can honestly say life has never been better! Ira is one amazing girl! She is the happiest child I think I have ever known and Tom and I are constantly blown away by her! She wakes each day w/ smiles, hugs and laughter! She is happy and pleasant throughout the day. I have learned that she is the happiest when knowing her schedule and what to expect so every day we go to the calendar and talk about the next couple of days and what to expect and that seems to give her a great sense of peace.

She is doing wonderfully with her English tutoring and truly loves her teacher (so do I)! She is growing leaps and bounds with the language and is now working hard on math as well. She thrives on positive reinforcement like no child I have ever known! The more positive the praise the harder she works. She is very very smart and grabs on to of everything you teach her and just runs with it.

Tom and I are just overwhelmed by her and her wonderful personality and disposition. She is so affectionate and loving - she is gentle and compassionate. This beautiful girl is truly a blessing and a gift and we are beyond blessed to have her here with us in our lives. Neither one of us can bear being without her these days and don't know how we got so lucky as to not only know her but have the honor of having her with us and parenting her. Our only prayer is that we can be good enough to deserve such a blessing.

We are enoying the language transition and know that while we are looking forward to her being fluent we will miss some of the "faux pas" that exist during the transition. For example - the other night I was tucking her into bed. We had been working on "pleasantries" such as good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night. As we hugged and kissed goodnight and said "love yous to each other" and "sweet dreams" - I then left the room only to have Ira call me back. She called out "mamishka" and I said - yes honey" - She said "mama - I love you - good afternoon"!!!! Does it get any sweeter than that?????? The sweetness, the trust, the love and the innocent "faux pas" of the language!!! That's what I mean when I say we will miss some things for sure once she is English proficient. So we are taking things slowly and just enjoying the moment of where we are each day as each moment is precious beyond belief!

We truly can't imagine life any other way! Ira is a blessing we never counted on!

Ira's 14th B-Day w/ Charlie

Charlie showing the art of gift opening!!!

Ira's 14th Birthday in US - one week late!

Charlie breaking the ice by asking for cake and especially gifts!!!!