One year ago this month I started this blog to document and journal our adoption adventure with Kyle. Little did I (or Ken) know that one year later we would have three kids! It is amazing the path that life takes when you really least expect it. It has been a busy year, being with Kyle and working on the adoption paperwork for Jessica and Erika that we really haven't had a chance to sit down and take it all in! But here we are with three great kids. Sure we have our moments, where everyone (including Kyle) will get frustrated, but we work through it trying to find that balance of living as an instant family of five.
The girls have been doing great, especially for only being here for such a short time. I kept the girls home with me for a little over a week and then they started school! Our two weeks so far have been full of Doctor's visits; Dentist, eye doc, family doctor, scans/imaging, Orthopaedic doc (Erika's arm), etc. Everything with Jessica has checked out fine, however Erika has some work to do (but nothing that can't be fixed)!
Erika has a couple things which we will be working over the next year. After a spinal scan, we found out that she has Scoliosis (11 degrees) which will be monitored closely over the next year. Hopeful cure; lots of exercise!! We plan on starting her in gymnastics, and probably lots of yoga with mom! She also has extensive dental work which we will work on over the next couple months, but after we are finished with everything her teeth will be healthy and beautiful! The best news of all (in Erika's eyes) is that she was able to have her cast removed! Her bones healed up beautifully...go Ukrainian doctors!! Next up for Erika: Root canal/extraction specialist, Throat specialist (tonsillitis), and orthodontist! She is being such a trooper.
School for the girls has been great! I was really debating on whether we made the right decision to start the girls in school so soon, but there is no regret now! First day was hard for all of us. I can only imagine how they must have felt going to a new school in a new country. This was really their only fear of coming to America. Day one was not so good; lots of crying and emotions. Day two: the girls decided they loved it! My Mother-in-law, Loni, is helping out a lot, and she has really made them feel comfortable with school. She has introduced Jessica and Erika to every kid their age in the neighborhood, and now they have best friends! Erika enjoys riding her bike to and from school with her new friends (there are about 3 or 4 other girls in the group). Jessica has become friends with a boy at school that is from Russia. He has been here for a year and so he is really helping Jessica by showing her around at school. Yikes, already having to worry about boys!
Behaviors and Home; Well we are doing as well as can be expected. Nothing major, just a few little things that we are working out. Mainly just routine stuff; getting homework done, getting chores done, and SPEAKING ENGLISH more!! I finally bought the Rosetta Stone software so that I can learn my Russian...Jessica saw me opening the box, and asked why I had it. When I told her I was learning Russian, her eyes got big, and she just smiled. Love it! Both Erika and Jessica are actually helping me learn to speak as well as write in Russian, which I am having a blast learning. They have made it part of our homework routine...I have to sit down and do my "Russian" homework while they are doing theirs!
The kids all get along for the most part. They do bicker a little here and there, but that is normal for siblings right? Erika has a vocabulary! She likes to call people names (usually animals) that translate into not-so-nice things in English! While it is a little funny :), we try to make sure that she knows it is not appropriate. Jessica is a very strong girl and loves to play-fight, so anytime she hits, it hurts! No joke, bruises and cuts every time. So we are working on her being a little softer towards everyone. :) Kyle is probably having the hardest time out of all of us! He is now having to share everything, including his mommy and daddy so there is more whining from him. He has also reverted back to a couple bad behaviors towards the kids in his school/daycare as well as at home, so we are working on it. All three require lots of attention and love, and we are happy to give it to them! We (both Ken and myself) are just taking it one day at a time, and having fun getting to know our new fam!
The girls have been doing great, especially for only being here for such a short time. I kept the girls home with me for a little over a week and then they started school! Our two weeks so far have been full of Doctor's visits; Dentist, eye doc, family doctor, scans/imaging, Orthopaedic doc (Erika's arm), etc. Everything with Jessica has checked out fine, however Erika has some work to do (but nothing that can't be fixed)!
Erika has a couple things which we will be working over the next year. After a spinal scan, we found out that she has Scoliosis (11 degrees) which will be monitored closely over the next year. Hopeful cure; lots of exercise!! We plan on starting her in gymnastics, and probably lots of yoga with mom! She also has extensive dental work which we will work on over the next couple months, but after we are finished with everything her teeth will be healthy and beautiful! The best news of all (in Erika's eyes) is that she was able to have her cast removed! Her bones healed up beautifully...go Ukrainian doctors!! Next up for Erika: Root canal/extraction specialist, Throat specialist (tonsillitis), and orthodontist! She is being such a trooper.
School for the girls has been great! I was really debating on whether we made the right decision to start the girls in school so soon, but there is no regret now! First day was hard for all of us. I can only imagine how they must have felt going to a new school in a new country. This was really their only fear of coming to America. Day one was not so good; lots of crying and emotions. Day two: the girls decided they loved it! My Mother-in-law, Loni, is helping out a lot, and she has really made them feel comfortable with school. She has introduced Jessica and Erika to every kid their age in the neighborhood, and now they have best friends! Erika enjoys riding her bike to and from school with her new friends (there are about 3 or 4 other girls in the group). Jessica has become friends with a boy at school that is from Russia. He has been here for a year and so he is really helping Jessica by showing her around at school. Yikes, already having to worry about boys!
Behaviors and Home; Well we are doing as well as can be expected. Nothing major, just a few little things that we are working out. Mainly just routine stuff; getting homework done, getting chores done, and SPEAKING ENGLISH more!! I finally bought the Rosetta Stone software so that I can learn my Russian...Jessica saw me opening the box, and asked why I had it. When I told her I was learning Russian, her eyes got big, and she just smiled. Love it! Both Erika and Jessica are actually helping me learn to speak as well as write in Russian, which I am having a blast learning. They have made it part of our homework routine...I have to sit down and do my "Russian" homework while they are doing theirs!
The kids all get along for the most part. They do bicker a little here and there, but that is normal for siblings right? Erika has a vocabulary! She likes to call people names (usually animals) that translate into not-so-nice things in English! While it is a little funny :), we try to make sure that she knows it is not appropriate. Jessica is a very strong girl and loves to play-fight, so anytime she hits, it hurts! No joke, bruises and cuts every time. So we are working on her being a little softer towards everyone. :) Kyle is probably having the hardest time out of all of us! He is now having to share everything, including his mommy and daddy so there is more whining from him. He has also reverted back to a couple bad behaviors towards the kids in his school/daycare as well as at home, so we are working on it. All three require lots of attention and love, and we are happy to give it to them! We (both Ken and myself) are just taking it one day at a time, and having fun getting to know our new fam!
5 comments:
Oh, what a fun update! I'm sure your going through the hardest part now and it'll just get better and better as you all learn to adjust. I'm so glad to hear all of it. Hang in there.
Oh Sis, I admire and love you so much. These children are the luckiest ever to have you as their mom and Ken as their dad. Things will get better as time goes on. Wish I could learn Russian too!!
I think you're doing amazingly well. Like you started out saying, look how your life as changed in the past year!!! All for the better, certainly, but it's a lot to adjust to, especially as you're dealing with three new personalities.
I'm happy to hear how school has gone for the girls. That's wonderful.
Keep doing what you're doing!
Congratulations on surviving this year. We are united three brother as well, but it took us two years to find them. we adopted Matthew in 11/2005 he was two, then we started searching for his older siblings, we found them last September and had our SDA appointment this Aug 28, I am still here waiting for the passports while my husband and Matthew went home. Keep the blogging up, I love to read how it is going. Cara
www.norbycjukraineangel.blogspot.com
Thats great that u r learning russian. no we can do it together lol anyway. good luck it is preety hard i think so. lol.
-Jonelle
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