Dancing with the Stars

I was feeling really cruddy today -- laryngitis getting worse (woke up not being able to utter a sound!) but a phone call from our Agency's Director perked me up. He said there was a family in Russia last week for Court and they wanted to talk to me. I couldn't hang up on him soon enough!

Deborah and I talked (ok, so I squeaked whatever audible sounds I could make). She and her husband had been visiting their daughter, G, at the temporary Orphanage #5 in the City. The one thing that is strikingly different about #5 is that at Orphanage #6 in the country (K's original "home"), we could never see where the kids eat, sleep, or even see the other kids in the Grupa. But at Orphanage #5, K & G's Grupa was "quarantined" to a small little room area so they wouldn't mix with the original Orphanage #5 kids (can't comingle Country bugs with the City bugs!). Everyday when Deborah and her husband, Shawn, would go to play with G, they would be in the same room with all the other kids, with a 1/2 wall divider between them. The kids would peer over the wall and call out "mama, papa" to Deborah and Shawn. It got hard to see them and not want to just scoop them up and take them all.

One little girl caught Deborah's eye. This little girl laughed, made faces, and smiled at them. She did anything to get and sustain their attention! Deborah said that when they arrived to the orphanage on the last day of visiting, this same little girl saw them and immediately pointed to G and said "Mama, Papa" very clearly. This little girl knew who they were here to see.

Deborah asked their coordinator, Lydia, how she was able to come to the orphanage and see all these children as it was really hitting Deborah hard. Lydia said knowing that most of them will be adopted makes it possible because the children are all so young. Deborah asked about the little blonde girl and Lydia told her that she was being adopted by another couple using their same Agency.

Deborah asked if she could take pictures of the little girl to send to the family knowing how much it would mean to them. The caregivers whisked the little girl away and put on her "Sunday Best". Deborah then took some pictures -- one of them was the little girl dancing!

Presenting here, with much thanks to Deborah and Shawn, a future contestant on Dancing With The Stars, our precious little K!!!!

Any ideas what Stacey and Clinton from TLC's "What Not to Wear" would say?" Who cares....she's still a cutey-patutey!!