Christina...a different girl!

Good morning or Doobra ootra in Ukrainian. We realized that we are getting a mixture of Ukrainian words and Russian words. Doobra ootra is much easier than Zdasvoitsha?!? Which is hello in Russian. However Doobra ootra is only good in the morning. I can never remember Doobra evening!! So endth my language lesson☺

Christina: From our past experience she was very reserved. Did not like sports or games. She was interested in crafts. So we thought that she would be harder to get to know. She would be more girley, liking dolls, etc. She would have to be drawn into family playtime. WE WERE WRONG.

From the first minute we saw Christina in the director’s office she has been affectionate! She loves being in a lap especially Papa’s lap. By the way, Dan has become Papa! Our kids have always called him Dad or Daddy. So at first Kolya and Christina called him Papa and we thought when Jake and Erin arrived calling Dan Dad then Christina and Kolya would change. WRONG! Jake and Erin love calling Dan, Papa! So for now Dan is Papa!!

Back to Christina, she loves the attention, being held, having us be with her. She loves games, card games and loves playing the games with the family.

Both of the kids love Hide and Seek. They love that it is a whole family time and trying to hide is hilarious. It turns out that the fun was the discovery not the length of time to find you. So you could hide behind a curtain…the curtains here are sheer…and it did not matter. You are hiding and that is the point! Then Hide and Seek ends and chase begins with Christina and Kolya on the shoulders of either Dan, Erin or Jake. Notice that Mom very wisely knows when to watch and when to enter into the game!

Christina received a nice doll and clothes for Christmas. She wrinkled up her nose…and went on to the next gift. She has a very expressive nose which shows her dislike. Eventually she has played with everything she received except the doll and clothes. Dan and Erin have played with it and changes it’s clothes and brushed it’s hair and even played ride-a-little-horsey with it. But to no avail, Christina is not a doll person. She is a people person.

She loved the photo album and disposable camera that Marie Garner sent her. She has taken all her photos and we developed them. She spent a lot of time arranging them. She and Kolya both had taken pictures of the director, whom they love, the doctor and assistants at the orphanage. We developed 2 of those so Kolya might have them also. Kolya has not finished his camera. They have had so much fun with the digital camera that we had to explain several times that these were not digital and that there were only so many pictures available. They understood. We kept reading the number of pictures left and then when Christina had finished she still pretended to take pictures because the camera would still flash. She was excited that she had taken the pics and then had the photos in her own album…thank you, Marie, for your thoughtfulness!

She loves a bath. Christina will spend an hour in the tub if I let her. I think she loves the ability to be completely covered with water, almost swimming. She also loves that Mama is checking on her, helping her dry, change clothes, then drying her hair. Then she prances off to show Papa who quickly oohs and aahs and takes her into his lap.

Christina’s body is one whole muscle! She can do a bridge, a gymnastic term for a back bend from a stand up position. She lifts 2 large jugs of water in each hand with no problem at all! Gymnastics here we come!!

She also loves jewelry. She will wear my ring and then bring it back to me. She looks at Erin’s jewelry. I think her New Year’s gift will be a ring. She received a cross necklace in her stocking and wears it all the time.

We pray that as she grows in language skills, she might come to know her Saviour who guided us to adopt her. She will then be adopted twice! The first time just a picture of the true and right adoption into the family of God.

In Him Alone,

Leslie