Finish what I started

Gosh, people, sorry. Having the kids out of school and my hubby gone, I just totally let this ball drop. Where has the time gone.
Well, great news first,hubby got home 2 weeks before expected. He worked really hard to be able to do that. We were able to go to Ohio to a big family reunion type party. We have also had valuable time together as famiily. He leaves for SOS school tomorrow, but should be able to come home on the weekends!!
Anastasia finished the school year and passed to 2nd grade! She only had to take the math part of the standardized testing, and she passed! Her problems learning seem to be self created, meaning she will do something perfectly one day, then the next claim to have no idea. It can be very hard to know when she is faking, and has made teaching her stressful. I'm just being honest people. But she really is smart. I also must point out that these episodes get farther and farther away. I thought she would just realized that faking or being lazy only makes it take longer and causes me to not know what she knows, which results in more work. I let her learn the hard way when it came to swim lessons this year, I told her before we went in, that she had to show them that she could swim or they would put her in the baby class.The girl can swim, she can float, etc... She got in the water with the instructor got her signature smirk on her face (this is how we know something is about to go downhill) and she didn't do a single thing for the instructor. So she was put in the baby class. I told her next year I will not pay for her to do swim lessons if she is not going to try.
On a brighter note. She did a play they put on at the base here. The Missoula Children't Theater comes every year to most bases and puts on a play with the kids. Try outs are Monday and the show is Friday. She had to go by herself while Mom and Dad sat on the side. The whole family went to support her, and she really tried. She was trying to get over her shyness because she really wanted to do the play. They let all the kids who try out be in the play. She had to go to practice by herself, and the day of the play they had dress rehearsal all day. She was a seagull, in Treasure Island. She did awesome! I was so proud of her. They had to walk along the stage and sing and flap their wings. I think it really helped her self confidence. We took her out for icecream after to celebrate.
She learned to pedal a 3 wheel bike. She's been begging for one, so we went ahead. At first she was excited, then just like with the other bike I bought her she decided it was too hard and did not want to try at all. I stood out in the 97 degree heat, telling her over and over again, You will not give up, you are not getting off this bike, you can do this, God gave you legs use them,you can do this and you will do this etc... She was not happy with me, there were tears, there was whining, etc... But by golly she learned how to pedal that bike. And let me tell you, the look on her face when she took those first 2 or 3 pedals was priceless!!! The neighbors may have been watching me through the windows, but I don't care. That is the kind of mothering my daughter needs, she will give up on herself before she even begins, and I won't allow it, she is better than that. To celebrate I put her on my lap on the bike and took her for a ride, the bike is the 360 by Razor, if you turn the handles sharp is swirls around, the back 2 wheels are castors. We were a couple pounds over the recommended weight and I almost threw up after we whirled arouns so many times, but man did we have fun!
Lastly, I know everone always wants to know how her legs are doing, is she walking normal, etc... Her walking is not normal, but it could be close to it. Does that make sense? She is 8, she is child, she does not care right now, she does not like the PT and the stretching. It is harder for her to accept than children who have these therapies from the time they are born. She progressed a lot at the begining of the summer, then regressed, and that is where we are at now. But we plug along. We will not let her give up, and we are trying to teach her the importance of it all. As she is able to do more and more, I think she is starting to realize. I really thingk it will come with time. I think her improvement is more exciting to us than it is to her, but maybe that is normal at this age.
She is one fun loving girl, as anyone who has met her knows. And I think she has really enjoyed her summer. She has a friend from down the street that she plays with often. She can even walk down to the girls house without crossing the street, so she has been allowed to do that. She does not want to go back to Russia. And she tells me about 50 times a day that she loves me.
IF anyone ever reads this blog and wants more information on adopting from Russia, hosting, CP, adjustment of an older adopted parent, etc... Just email me privately. This is the last post I will like this. I feel like it's a picking apart, like I'm evaluating my own child. I think this will help prospective parents know what they might expect, but I think we have reached a stopping point for these types of posts.
I will post some summer pics soon.
And sometime this week, I will have our newest blog started, www.1moremakes6.com
That's right, Anastasia is getting a sister, she is over the moon excited. And so are we. She is 2. We cannot disclose her country. She was born premature, and they think she may have mild CP like Anastasia. Can't believe I have forgot the labor pains of paperwork already. The rewards are def work the work. Adopting Anastasia was a privelage from God and we feel blessed to have another child entrusted to us.