Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You

You mean I have brothers and sisters now?


And cousins too?


I realized that in these photos she looks like she is sitting up, but she is far from it. She is propped up with pillows. Sitting will be the first thing we work on when we get home. Sitting, and spoon feeding.


All bundled up, ready to go to the market for groceries. We have a nice kitchen in our apartment (of course we can't figure out how to use the Ukrainian oven or Ukrianian washing machine-everything is written in russian!). By the way, my coat has just enough room for the both of us. I can zip it up right to her neck, and then button the top right in front of her chin so she is nice and warm.



Daddy has high hopes of teaching her to program in Java!

Well, this little girl is really going to be a blessing in our family. Talk about a content little thing! She eats great, sleeps great, is happy being held, happy laying alone, happy outside in the cold, happy being bundled up in layers, loves taking a bath. She does not like having her teeth brushed however, or getting her ears cleaned out. She doesn't really cry, she just swats your hand away and grins. So we've learned she really does have some motor strength, she just chooses not to use it until necessary. :)

Someone asked regarding my last post, how did I finally get her to sleep? Well she has her own unique Urban preference. She likes to be wrapped up and just held because "rocking" or "bouncing" is too ticklish! :) She goes right to sleep. On the one hand, I know I am probably starting a really bad habit, after all children need to learn to go to sleep by themselves, right? But she has been going to sleep all by herself for almost 4 years and has had nobody to snuggle with. So for now I will cuddle her. We have been letting her sleep between us. She sleeps so quietly we have to keep checking to make sure she is still breathing!

Today we hope to finish the rest of the adoption process: a medical exam required by the U.S. Embassy (they want to make sure we realize she has Down Syndrome I guess!), and her visa to travel. Then we will be ready to come home, hopefully Tuesday. We got to talk to the kids last night, they went on and on about the train ride that Opa took them on to Ft. Worth Texas. My dad says they all want to wear western wear now! (See their photos by clicking on the right column, "What the rest of the family is doing"). When we arrive at the airport I can't wait to hug and hold them, but I have a feeling they'll be going for Ava first!