Language and a 4 year old

When you are adopting you read ANY and ALL books you can get your hands on. Especially when you are adoption an older toddler. Not that Dennis and I were "new" at this parenting thing (we do have the 2 boys), but hey - why not be as prepared as we possibly could. We read books on transitions, incorporation of customs, sleep routines, discipline, and language. Out of all of the issues that we expected to be hard - we thought language would be the worst. I started listening and learning Russian as soon as I could. I would speak Russian to her, and Dennis would speak English to her, and maybe the transition for her would not be so difficult. Well - difficult is not the world I would use for her language skills. Cassidy is speaking FLUENT English and has had no issues with the transitions of such. The 1st week or so was difficult. Learning her Russian slang vs. my broken Russian. However, by the time we got home we could understand almost every one of her needs. By 3 months home, he vocabulary had increased by almost 200%, and now at 6 months she has the speech recognition of a 45 month old (according to CHOP) HOW AMAZING!!!!!! Her voice inflections are correct when she uses sarcasm (yes, already she is adapting to the ways of our house) and when he is adamant about something (usually making her brothers do something she wants) he tones gets very stern. It is AMAZING to see the changes. Every day she learns something new and teaches us something else.

I thank God every day that we were blessed enough to have the resources to bring her to our family. We joke that we can't remember what life was like without her. Maybe because she was always meant to be ours!!!

Easter 2009

What a great time we had this Easter. Cassidy had lots of fun "finding" the eggs - we are not sure that she understood it, but she had a good time. The boys have been very very good with her. I could not be more proud of them!!!!

We hope you all had a very Happy Easter!

Mommy Monkey's

The 3 of them are MONKEYS!!! They are all over the place - It is great. Cassidy has been home for over 3 months now and everything is going along smoothly. We have scheduled our homestudy follow up, and we are working with Cassidy everyday on her letters, numbers and phonics. It is amazing how much she already knows!!!

Enjoy some new pictures!!!!!!

It's been so long.....

I know it has been so long, but we are trying to spend as much time with the kids as we can. A few weeks ago we celebrated Cassidy's 4th Birthday. We are not sure that she ever celebrated her birthday before, so we wanted to keep it as quite as possible. Even with the simplest "Cake & Coffee" party, it still was quite taxing on her. (But she has fun).

Everything is getting MUCH MUCH better. The boys & Cassidy are getting along very well, and with the ensuing nice weather, we have been able to spend more and more fun outside. Cassidy is slowly acclimating to our BIG family. It is hard for her in large crowds because she doesn't understand the concept of meeting, greeting, and then leaving. It is the leaving part that is so difficult. It has been on of the few "orphanage" hurdles we have not yet been able to surpass. But, we are working on it.

Otherwise, we are getting ready for our 1st Post Adoption follow up. I am sure we will all pass with flying colors - It is amazing how much Cassidy has integrated us into her life. She has made this a happier, funnier family. It is amazing that she has only been with us for 3 months and already I forget what life was life before her.

I want to wish everyone still in the process GOOD LUCK!!! I know that things have been changing dramatically, but it is ALL WORTH IT in the end.

SNOW!!!!!!!

We enjoyed the snow outside. Max, Ethan & Cassidy had a blast making snow angels and throwing snow balls at each other. The best part - HOT COCCO afterwards!!!!

Enjoy!!!!

The Little Things....

Each day that goes by you follow your routine. You get up, shower, dress, get kids up, dressed, breakfast... and so the day goes. But every once and while you have to step back and smile at the little things. This was one of those moments.

For those who have adopted from International countries, you know that sleep is one of the more difficult things to manage. In our case it is no different. Cassidy still has a tough time sleeping - so when she was yawning over lunch, and I asked her if she was tired and she said yes - I didn't believe her (BAD MOMMY). Obviously I should have!!!!!

Welcome 2009

Welcome 2009. We have so much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to. Now, as a family of 5, there are changes, experiences, and lessons that need to be learned. I can honestly look back and now and say WOW!! I was not certain that we were going to get through 2008, but now we have something to look forward to - 2009.

Max, Ethan and Cassidy have enjoyed their time together. They have started to really bond and it makes Dennis and I smile how easily Cassidy is adjusting in with the family. They enjoy movie night, riding bikes, and just building with the blocks.

We hope that 2009 is as fun and enjoyable as 2008 has been!!! We wish all of our friends and family the BEST IN 2009!!!!

Merry Christmas from the Smith's

We hope that this Chistmas was spent with family and loved ones!!!

Is it over already????

Today's topic of conversation is ADJUSTMENT.

How are the boys adjusting, Cassidy adjusting, parents, etc.... Well, let's just say the honeymoon is over. And in all honesty I am surprised it has lasted this long. For the first week or so, Max & Ethan have been very conscience of Cassidy, playing with her, helping her - NOW IT IS SIBLING TIME!!!! Yes, that is the time in which we stop playing nice and treat each other as siblings. You know that time right? The time when "NO, that is mine", or "NO, you can't play with that", or "Why do I have to sit and color?". Yes ladies & gentlemen - It is SIBLING TIME in the Smith house. And yes, Cassidy is holding her own. However, that does not mean we don't have fun, because we do. Below are some pictures of tree decorating!!!!

More Pictures.....

The Trip Home

I think we were ALL ready for the trip home!!! Cassidy was SOOOO good on the plane. I am not sure how she did it. She was awake for the 1st 3 hours of the trip, then she slept for 5 hours, then she was awake for the last 2 hours.

Moscow Pics

Our trip to Moscow was very nice. We visited the histocial Red Square & The Kremlin. We even stumbled across a memorial dedication. The Russian Army band was very Impressive!!!

Enjoy!

What a day.....

What a day this has been. It started off a cold and dreary day, but it was better to be outside then trapped in a hotel room with a bored 3 year old. So we borrowed an umbrella and took a walk to Red Square. Cassidy walked most of the way, so we tired her out early!!! Then we met up with Kathy & Anya and were off to the US Embassy for our interviews. On the way over, you could see how tired Cassidy was.

Once we were at the US Embassy she and Anya played and walked around while directions and information were handed out to the parents. Cassidy has become very attached to Anya, and when we had to bring her with us to the interview she had a meltdown to be taken away from Anya. (Plus she was tired & had no nap today). Then after the interview she threw a fit because Anya was not there. I feel so bad - she is so tired, cranky, and doesn't really understand what is going on.

Needless to say, all our plans for the evening went KABOSH after the US Embassy. We were suppose to meet up with Dan, April & Ava for dinner, but because of Cassidy's meltdowns we thought it best to go straight back to the hotel (DAN, APRIL & AVA - Sorry!!!!). Thankfully, we did go back to the hotel, because once we got out of the van and said goodbye to Kathy & Anya, Cassidy had a FULL FLEDGED meltdown. She refused to eat dinner, she refused to get her PJ's on, and she is currently refusing to go to bed. (WHAT A NIGHT).

Anyway, I believe we are all set to return home tomorrow. We can't wait. We miss the boys and our family!

Please say a prayer that all goes well -
Stephanie

A Day in Moscow

Yesterday we spent the day visiting around Moscow. We met Kathy & Anya Roberts (who we went to the medicals with). Anya is 12 years old and a true joy!!! She was wonderful with Cassidy. They had a lot of fun in the car. Hopefully they will be able to come to dinner with us after the embassy this afternoon. Cassidy has been talking about Anya all morning.

This evening was just as eventful. We had dinner with Dan, April & Ava Isreal. They introduced us to this great little American Diner called the Starlight Diner. The food was very good. and it was close to the hotel. The walk there was pretty, we got to see all the sites along the way.

And Ava - What a CUTIE Ava is. She laughed, smiled and looks just like her papa. She is very attached to April. You can certainly see the bond already forming between mommy & daughter.

Today we have our interview at the US Embassy at 2pm. Afterwards we hope to go to dinner with Kathy, Anya, April, Dan & Ava. It should be a fun night!!!

I will post more pictures later.

ENJOY!

Stephanie, Dennis & Cassidy

PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES.....

I apologize for taking so long to update the site. We have been very busy keeping Cassidy WORN OUT!!!! We have gone for long walks, playgrounds, running around the apartment. Below are some pictures from our trip to the Planyetta Mall. They have one of the nicest kids playgrounds that I have seen in a mall. ENJOY!!!!!