We're burning up here in So. CA!

It's been over 100 degrees F for the last week here in the Valley. And we're certainly lucky -- as we are not in any danger of the current Station Fire located about 25 minutes away which has burned over 105, 000 acres and is only 5% contained. But today, when leaving the house at 10am, we opened the door to haze and the smell similar to that of a campsite. Air quality is extremely poor --- looks like I won't be able to get out my jogging shoes and run anytime soon! (ha, ha -- like I run....)

The fires create incredible glowing sunsets.

In addition to the fires, our little girl has also been burning up this weekend. When I came home from work on Saturday afternoon, she was sound asleep -- and it was 5:00! When she woke up, she was HOT. Her temp was 103 and her little body was on fire. Her picky appetite turned to nil and we soon could hear a gurgle in her chest and a barking cough to soon follow. We heard that two girls at school have been sick (with croup) so we figured the inevitable has happened ~ she's brought home more than just her first artwork this past week!

Kristina's first of two things brought home from school: her slice of pizza and.....

....and a bad case of something, with a high temp, barking cough and no appetite. Poor Baby.

All day Sunday was spent cooling her with cold cloths (as her temp stayed at 104), trying to get her to take Children's Ibuprofen and lying next to her in bed while she watched her new favorite video, Kipper the Dog. (NOTE: Kristina has never watched TV nor videos since coming home 3 months ago. Just no interest on her part. Last week, a doctor at my work gave her a gift of "Kipper" DVDs and a book and she is now in love with "Baka" [Sebaka is dog in Russian]). Kipper was some of the best medicine this past weekend!

Kristina thanks Leela for Kipper's book and DVDs. Kipper is now my new "hero"!!

A very rare moment in our household...Kristina sits still to watch "Kipper the Dog" for the first time.

By Monday morning, the fires still raged here in So. California but our little one's fever broke. She started eating alittle but she's sooooo whiney. And oh....being sick was great for bonding. Once again, all she wants is Mama. For the last few weeks, JD has been home with Kristina as he's on Family Leave for 7 weeks with 3 weeks remaining. It's been great seeing Kristina calling out for Papa, wanting to sit on his lap, and overall, realizing that Papa is a fun guy to hang out with whether Mama's around or not! :)

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Hi Grandpa!

Mama and Papa told me it was your birthday! I'm still not sure about this birthday thing but from what I can tell, it sounds like fun. Cake and ice cream and boxes with lots of tape that I can pick at and open????

When I see you this weekend, I'll give you all the hugs I have stored up for you!

Love, your granddaughter,

Kristina

One of our first pictures together -- a few hours after I arrived home here in the USA!

I love to play with the fake rat!!!

Our first "Date"!

It was almost 27 years ago when JD and I went out on our "first date." Yep -- met in high school and have been together ever since.....

Last night, we had the opportunity of going on our "first date" since becoming parents. We dropped Kristina off at Grandma and Grandpa D's house in the afternoon (no crying...and I think it took her awhile before she noticed we were gone...) and headed down to Laguna Beach for the Pageant of the Masters show. We've been attending the Pageant every year since 1983 and I think we've only missed one or two shows...

Packed and ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house...

...of course, with "baby" in tow!

We had a great dinner at The Cottage Restaurant (our usual stop) before taking a leisurely stroll to the Pageant. We talked about our trip to Laguna last year knowing that our life was about to change dramatically. Well, it has but it was so nice spending some quality time with the love of my life.

We only called once to see how she was doing...not too bad, eh?

We got back to Grandma and Grandpa's shortly after midnight and guess who was still UP??? Looks like we still have to work on falling asleep somewhere else besides her own bed...in time.

Stay tuned. We took lots of pictures the last two weeks. I just have to try and find time to upload them between work, playing with Kristina, chasing after her, and cleaning up the messes that Hurricane Kristina leaves behind!

The 3-Month Mark

If time continues to fly like this, I'll be at Tar*get purchasing items to decorate Kristina's dorm room before we know it!

Three months ago today, we came home as a family. And it has been a blessing to be able to be home every single day for the last three months with Kristina. I am forever grateful for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and my job for allowing me the time off. I cannot imagine what the bonding process would have been like had we not had this time. I enjoyed every second and didn't take a moment for granted.

Work

As for my job, I'm returning to work on Tuesday but with shortened hours. I'll continue with my Tuesday-Saturday schedule but work 6 hours per day (9am-3pm) Tuesday-Friday and a full 8 hours on Saturday. I used to start work at 7am but since I can't drop Kristina off at school until 7am, I'm giving myself some padding for the notorious Los Angeles traffic. I thank my Supervisor and Manager for making this change possible. :)

Big Brother Knows....

When we were in Court, we had to testify to the judge that we would Register Kristina with the Russian Consulate within 3 months of her arrival in the United States. Up until Kristina is 18 years old, we will have to contact the Russian Consulate each time her address changes. Not exactly sure of the reasoning but since Kristina holds dual citizenship in both the United States and Russia, the Russian authorities probably want to know where their citizens are residing outside of their country. Last week, we received the official paperwork that Kristina is indeed Registered and her Russian Passport was returned to us. When I look at her passport picture, I can't believe that it is the same little girl! I'll have to see if I can scan the picture and post it on the blog.

To commemorate our 3 months as family, we went out to dinner with friends to our favorite BBQ restaurant, The Bear Pit. We had our wedding rehearsal dinner there 15 1/2 years ago, celebrated Jon's surprise 40th birthday party there, and had many "what are we going to do next" discussions at this restaurant. It's a joy to finally share our favorite place with our daughter. :)

Survivor: Daycare Island

It was a busy week -- my last week before returning to work. I'm enjoying every moment with Kristina as I know next week, our time will suddenly be cut short due to the need to work. Kristina is talking so much more and greets me in the morning with a big smile, big bed-head and a vibrant "Hi!" She loves to go on walks and tells us so by pumping her right arm repeatedly (as if jabbing someone in the ribs) and says "walk". I will miss these things so much but will treasure the weekends more than ever.

I remember when we were in Russia and feeling like we were on "Survivor: Ekat Island" only because we were unfamiliar with the surroundings, the language, the people, etc. But JD and I had each other. This post, "Survivor: Daycare Island" is about our daughter who is now being thrown onto an island with people who care about her well-being, only she doesn't know it. All she knows is that "Mama" is not with her -- and possibly wonders when Mama will be back, if Mama will be back...

School

The biggest "event" this week was starting "school." I elect to call it "school" since it's a daycare setting but in a teaching environment. Plus, Kristina can say "skoooool" ~ not "daycare!"

As you may have read, Day 1 was devastating to me -- emotionally. OK, maybe not "devastating" but I haven't cried that much in a long time. We have waited 13 years for our child. The last 3 months have been us -- day in, day out, pretty much 24/7. Yeah -- I'd say we've bonded!

Day 2: I watched the teacher lead Kristina away but the crying started in no time ~ this time, only on Kristina's part. I snapped some photos of her classroom. Then, as I was walking out, I snapped a pic towards the playground. Guess who came around the corner as soon as I took the picture? "Mama, Mama...." The teacher tells us later that Kristina took out her family photo album and showed all the kids our family pictures. Awwwww...

Yes, that's our little blonde angel on the far left coming around the corner.

Day 3: Kristina grips my hand very tight as we walk through the gates of the school. The teacher had to carry Kristina away from me, kicking and screaming, and called out for Gaby (Kristina's first friend, who is the daughter of one of my friends) to come and play with Kristina.

Day 4: Jon and I both go to drop Kristina off at school. The moment we pull into the driveway, she starts to whine "mama, mama!" She knows. I put on a smile and tell her how much fun she'll have. Kristina tightly wraps her arms around me as I carry her into school -- she's already crying. Nice way to greet your teacher, our little angel! We find out later from Gaby's mom that the teacher's are baffled why Kristina gets very anxious and starts to cry for "Mama" when she comes into the classroom for lunch and then sees the mats on the floor (in prep for naptime which immediately follows lunch). Kristina then refuses to eat lunch because she's so upset and the teachers are thinking that they might have to offer Kristina lunch outside prior to coming in.

Looks like I'll have to have a discussion with the teachers on Tuesday morning when dropping Kristina off. I'm sure Kristina is upset because I'm not there to put her down for her nap. I've been here for her for 3 months, every day, putting her down for her nap. Now I'm not. For this reason, too, Kristina cries when she awakens from her nap at school because I'm not there. I haven't had conversations with the teacher only because when we're picking Kristina up, she's crying and we're trying not to wake up the other children. Next week, it will be JD picking her up since I'll be at work so that will be interesting!

I know the Grandparents in FL are interested in seeing where their only Granddaughter is going to school so here's a few pictures I shot when all the kids were on the playground.

After lunch, all the kids take a nap on the floor on their mats. Incredible how I have trouble getting one kid to sleep and they can get 12-15 kids to sleep with virtually no problems!

Never thought a toilet as "cute" but the mini ones like these are perfect for continuing with the Potty Training!

Sleeping

This has been one of the most challenging hurdles in bringing Kristina home ~ getting her to bed at night. I am thrilled to report that in the last month, it has gotten easier -- especially in the last 1 1/2 weeks. Getting up early for school will really make it easier, too, as I'm sure she'll be more tired. But it's been hard because I can't leave her alone in her room. This has been the case since night one in Moscow. She doesn't just cry -- she cries hysterically, as if being abandoned, to the point that she can't catch her breath. If I sit next to her bed or just lie on the floor next to her -- she's fine. She occasionally looks over to see if I'm there but usually within 30 minutes, she's sucking her thumb and sound asleep. It is a wonderful sight.

In fact....I think I'm due to check in on her. It's after midnight and there's nothing better than a child sleeping peacefully (except her running into our arms after a long day at "school"!!).

School Blues...for Whom?

It was a beautiful day in sunny California. I woke up early around 7:45am and let Kristina sleep in while I started to pack her bag for school (pull-ups, juice, extra change of clothes, blanket and crib sheet cover for the naptime mat). At 8:15, she stumbled out of bed after noticing I wasn't beside her (she sneaks into our bed in the middle of the night). She grabbed a yogurt out of the fridge, opened it and then asked for "loshka" (spoon, in Russian -- one of the few words she consistently still uses). It was like any other morning except today, I told her how excited I was that she was going to "school" for the first time. (Was I excited? not so much....I was dreading it more than the 14-hour flight back from Moscow to Los Angeles --- which turned out great.)

Kristina was all smiles and actually quite efficient for a 2-year old. We brushed our teeth, did our hair and got dressed all in 15 minutes. When it came to shoes, though -- Kristina was determined to wear a pair of oversized black tap shoes she received from Mama's friend, Martie (thank you, Nico!). They have become Kristina's favorite shoes and it took almost 10 minutes to get her into some tennis shoes that would fair better on the school's playground.

At 9am, we were out the door and arriving at the school in 5 minutes. Her classroom was empty as all the children were on the playground. I found one of her teacher's who welcomed Kristina and called over Kristina's friend, Gaby. Gaby came over and gave a hug to Kristina. Thank you, Gaby! Whew --- so far, so good.

A dramatic toddler and her overly-attached Mama leaving for "school" for the first time.

The teacher proceeded to take me to the classroom so I could drop off Kristina's belongings and put it in her cubby hole. I told Kristina "go play, honey" and as I walked away, the "Mama, Mama..." started. Another teacher began to re-direct Kristina so I'm not sure how long the "Mama's" lasted...

I spoke to the teacher about my special request regarding Kristina's care. Kristina is 2 1/2 years old but we are only 3 months old as a family. I explained to her about our current process of attachment and the role of caregivers/teachers vs. Mama so as not to confuse Kristina. I kindly asked that if Kristina needs comforting, just to get down to her level and to comfort her with words and touch and reassurance that Mama would be back soon vs. picking her up, holding her tight, caressing her --- things that I ("da mama") would do. I even told the teacher than in her bag I had a small family picture album that could be shown to Kristina for comfort. She simply said "Don't worry -- she'll be fine -- it's usually harder on the parents than the children." Hmm, not sure she got it...

I was still fine at this point and then began to leave. I glanced into the playground area from the exit gate and there was Kristina, standing alone with her white blonde hair blowing in the wind, looking towards one of the teachers as lots of other kids ran by ---- and she was rocking from left foot to right foot to left foot to right foot. OK -- that's when I lost it. I turned away and opened the gate at which time I heard it again......"Mama".

I drove home in tears and JD was still there getting ready to leave for a dental appt. I was a blubbering mess! We've been together over 26 years yet I was so embarrassed to be crying over leaving Kristina for 90 minutes. Geez, get a grip, Mama --- what will I do when she goes to college? Gets married? God-willing, I'll be crying again...

When I went to pick her up at 10:30, I looked into the classroom window and she was playing. There were about 8 other little girls in the classroom playing together. As soon as Kristina saw me, she started bawling her eyes out and crying "Mama, Mama, Mama...". Boy -- did I get the biggest welcome hug to date. All the other little girls crowded around us with one reaching out to me to take her home, too, and it wasn't Gaby. Whoa --- this was reminiscent of orphanage visit days!!!

So, today was successful. The teacher said Kristina did just fine until I got there. Tomorrow, Kristina will be there for about 4 1/2 hours instead of today's "practice run" of only 90 minutes. I have a list of things to get done (work out -- ha, ha -- , shower [alone!], clean the house, mop the floor, etc.) but at the very top of the list is give and receive lots of hugs and kisses from my little school girl.

On the ride home from school. "Yeah - I'm a cool school girl....despite how good my thumb may be!"

Vegas, Baby! (babystyle...)

Las Vegas has always been a great getaway for JD and me. Within a 4-hour drive, we used to stay in nice, romantic hotels, indulge in 1 (or 2...) delicious buffets, spend hours mindlessly at the slots or stand at the craps table overanalyzing the strategies of folks who have had too much to drink or have too much money that they don't know what to do with it. Sometimes we'd find ourselves out until 4:30am thinking it was only approaching midnight!

The game we played most in Las Vegas this trip....

Hide and Seek!!!

Well --- those days are over, way over. This last week, we had a blast in Vegas but it didn't even resemble our previous stays in the least. We stayed in a really nice condo on the strip but about 4 miles south of the chaos of traffic and overstimulating lights. In fact, the light-blocking draperies let this Deary Clan sleep in until 10:30am on two mornings!! Yes, our wee Kristina was certainly meant to be in our family and is a terrific sleeper (once she actually falls asleep).

Kristina with her usual "bed-head" after waking up in the morning...

Monday was JD's birthday and we spent it relaxing around the pool. The resort had 3 swimming pools and we ended up swimming 4 of the 6 days there. Even in the 100+ heat, the sunscreen paid off and our towhead blonde didn't burn. Whew... But everyone knew her at the resort as "Fearless". Kristina refuses to wear floaties but insists on standing on the edge of the pool, bending her elbows and pumping her arms a few times before throwing herself into the water -- bellyflop style! She'd come up from under the water laughing saying "more, more". She gave JD and me a workout....as well as some heart palpitations.

Papa's best birthday gift....ever!

Jumping off the side of the pool! Now you see her....

...now you don't!!

On Wednesday, we had fun meeting some friends for dinner. Joselle and Drew live in Vegas with their 3-year old triplets. As Aspen, Dominic and Ryan sat there so quietly like angels, our Kristina was a wiggle-worm with the occassional high-pitched "AAAHHHH" which recently she learned from other kids. She still doesn't understand the concept of "inside voices".

Joselle with her three kids Dominic, Aspen and Ryan.

On Thursday, we went to Child's Play and met another friend, Missey, and her 3-year old daughter, Alyse. Drew showed up with the three kids in tow and all the kids had a blast. It's like a huge backyard playground yet indoors with slides, rockwalls, mini-basketball court, etc. It served its purpose: gave Kristina an outlet for all her energy (which made for a good nap later on!) and gave us adults time to talk.

Burning off some toddler energy! Missey and her daughter, Alyse, and Kristina holding Alyse's friend, Madie's, hand.

Later that night, we went downtown to see the "Fremont Street Experience" which is a music and light show covering 4 street blocks and projected onto a canopy over the street. At first, we were wondering if this might be too over-stimulating for Kristina. When the show started, the lights suddenly went out and then a huge clap of thunder sounded. My heart sank "uh, oh -- maybe this wasn't such a hot idea" but then the music started (Queen's "We Will Rock You") and before you knew it, Kristina was bopping her head, pumping her arms and dancing to the music. I held her close, danced with her and she loved it.

On Friday, my friend and co-worker, Karina, stopped by to say "hi" before going to dinner with friends. Karina speaks Russian so Kristina got her fill of some Russian and used the time to show off her cuteness.

Karina stopped by for some wine, cheese, crackers and to see a little girl show off!

We ventured home Saturday and then capped off the week by traveling to Oceanside (just north of San Diego) Sunday to visit a friend (and former co-worker at Cedars). Our Vegas chauffer (JD) stayed home to rest while Kristina and I hung out with Sauchuen, Dawn, Andrea, and Jim. For a 2 y.o., Kristina did quite well. Andrea's house is still in one piece so mission "visit friends" was successful. Great day with lots of laughs, good food, and wonderful company.

Spending the day with Dawn, Sauchuen and Andrea in Oceanside.

Las Vegas will probably be our last vacation for awhile but for a little girl who never ventured off the orphanage property prior to May, she sure has racked up some mileage between going to Florida, the Caribbean on a cruise, and now Las Vegas. Normally, I would really be worried that so much travel would hinder our attachment by not providing the continuity of being "home" and in the "secure environment." But, in fact, I think Kristina is attaching really, really well.

Tomorrow is her first day at "school." She officially starts Tuesday for a 1/2 day but Monday I will drop her off for 1 1/2 hours just to get used to the environment. Right now, Kristina will cry "mama" over and over again if I'm in the shower or another room so this should be real interesting. I'm sure I'll be posting tomorrow night how her first day went. If she doesn't cry, I'll be surprised. What I do know for certain is: I will cry. Once I turn my back on her and walk away, it will be the first time leaving her with non-family since we left her back in Orphanage #6. Aw, geez --- I'm already starting to tear up......

School-Bound Already?

It's official: as of Friday, 7/31, Kristina is now enrolled in "s-coooool," as Kristina says it. I return to work in a few weeks so we decided to sign Kristina up to start the week prior...so she can get used to me being gone during the day but learn that yes -- indeed -- I will be returning to bring her home!

I checked out some daycare/learning centers and really like the one we chose. It's close to home (about 5 minutes away), very clean, they serve breakfast and lunch plus snacks (all included in tuition!), and it's a very structured curriculum (something Kristina is very used to from the orphanage). She'll be in the 2 y.o. "Potty Training" class since she's not 100% independent with such tasks. And the added bonus: Kristina already has a friend in the class, Gaby! When Kristina and I visited the classroom last week, Gaby came up to Kristina right away and the girls hugged. Very sweet!

Kristina and Gaby playing in a jumper...where they burn off lots of energy for a good night's sleep!

Our usual daily conversation in preparation to leaving Kristina...

me: "Mama has to go to work just like Papa"

KD: "Tee-Tee werk?"

me: "No, honey, Tee-Tee will go to school"

KD: "Tee-Tee S-coooooool"

me: "Yes, honey, Tee-Tee will go to school"

Does she get it? I'm sure not. The other night I left Kristina with Jon to have a night out on the town with Laura (yep ~ local hotspot: Wal*Mart with a McDonald's McCafe!). I wasn't there 5 minutes when Jon called with Kristina crying "mama" over and over into the phone. We shopped and had a Latte only to learn later that she cried for 90 minutes until I walked into through the door. Daycare should be fun. I only hope that all the other kids and Gaby will distract her enough that she won't be too upset that I'm not there.

Speaking of "werk", I finally made it down into Los Angeles to visit everyone at my job. It was so great seeing everyone -- all the therapists, doctors, nurses, management, and even one of our Russian Interpreters (hey, Art!) --- almost everyone! Kristina was her usual social self making herself welcome to other people's food, leading people by the hand, and overall enjoying the hugs and attention.

The Cedar's Crew!

On Sunday, Jon, Kristina and I will be heading out for a last-minute getaway: Las Vegas! I'm sure this trip will not resemble our previous Vegas jaunts but we have a week to use as part of our timeshare that we have in Mexico and we decided to go someplace local (where we can drive to) and just hang out. So we decided to "chill-out" in Vegas where it's 110 degrees F. Lots of sun, sunscreen, rest and relaxation ~ atleast that's what we're hoping for! I'm sure I'll be signing on to let the world know...