Home 7 months Today!!

It has been so long since I've posted, I don't know if anyone is still reading. LOL

Blogging has just taken a backseat. I don't know if everything I want to do doesn't get done because I'm a slow Southern Belle or I am just not a good time manager. Whatever the reason, I'm always wanting to blog and share whats going on, but as you see I haven't. I did realize yesterday, through Holy Spirit conviction that many people reading have cared about, prayed for, and donated funds, so Anastasia(aka Annie Belle)could call us Mama and Papa. Therefore, in thankfulness for everyone who helped change the course of her life, I want to share about this blessed journey.

She is such an amazing child! In the 7 months she has been home, she has never once seemed sad or afraid. She is very independent and catches on to new things very fast. After her first cleft palate surgery in Nov, she was such a trooper. She was the best little patient and so cooperative. The time I had with her in the hospital and her recovery period at home, served to be a great bonding opportunity. When we first visited her in the orphanage, she jumped when I touched her shoulder. When I tried to sing to her, she just looked at me like "what are you doing." As time has gone on, she has slowly been allowing mama to be her comfort. You can almost see a sigh of relief on her face as I hold her and touch her face. As I have experienced the blessing of her attachment, I have wept. She is trusting me and enjoying being loved on. . When she grabs my hand and puts it on her face, I thank my Heavenly Father. Sometimes it's a long time before she will give me my hand back. LOL. She is thriving with the power of human touch! Now that she has it, she doesn't want to let it go. My heart is overwhelmed. On one hand, I grieve for what she did not have and on the other hand, I'm in awe that God has allowed me to be a part of this miracle. I am one blessed Mama!

Irina is doing fantastic! Adopting Anastasia definitely helped her blossom. She was beginning to loose her Russian. It seemed like too much for her to learn English and keep her language at the same time. But once Anastasia got home, it sparked something and the Russian started flowing! She continues to speak only Russian to Anastasia, and she is like a little mama to her. I am so proud of her!! We have friends adopting a little boy right now in Ukraine. Irina will be able to communicate with him and help them if he is ever scared or they don't understand him. The power of love and the security of a family has totally impacted Irina as well. She is not the child I brought home 1yr and 6 months ago.

Seth keeps us laughing daily. I want to use this blog to record and remember all the funny things he says. He calls Anastasia "The baby" when in reality,he's the baby. He's the only one in the family that pronounces her name in Russian "Annastaseeya"

Amy,Samuel, and Seth are all learning and communicating Russian with Anastasia. It so cute to hear the boys saying the few Russian words they now know. Since Annie's surgery, she has been in speech therapy and she is understanding so much.She is learning to articulate sounds and is learning English all at the same time I am certain that if we stopped communicating with her in Russian, she would have no problem understanding us.When she first came home all she could do was point, grunt,and play charades. It was her only way to communicate for so long,but we are encouraging her to say the word she is acting out. When she is able to speak clearly, I wonder what all she will say. I bet she won't stop talking. However, I will miss playing charades with her. LOL.

Praise and Glory to Our Lord and Savior for this journey. Thanks be to God for everyone who helped us "place the lonely in families." Psalm 68:6