the king of the oprhanage

We got the king of the orphanage.  I've expressed it before but I'm not sure people realize how lucky we are.  Kasen was described to us by his caretakers as the "best", "nothing wrong with him", "perfectly normal" and "healthy".  He has blue eyes, blonde hair and all the features that are classic Russian.  I've read that kids with these features are sometimes treated a little better.  They are favored.  Wether it is true or not, my son was loved.  His caretakers were right.  He is healthy, he has no real delays.  He is intelligent and he is on par with most kids his age and in some areas even advanced.  He has had very little attachment issues so far and it is obvious that he trusts.  When we left with him his caretakers cried and his social worker told us he was her most special baby.  We still email her and she checks in on him which is almost unheard of in other russian adoptions.  She had been with him since he was brought there at 2 months old.
As all kids eligible for international adoption he was "advertised" for adoption in Russia.  His face and description was on a national registry website as are most orphans in Russia with a link to find out more information.  At the Ministry of Education they told us we were fortunate to get him as a referral as he should have been adopted by a Russian family.  This picture was run in the newspaper...

He was available to any Russian family for his entire 3 yrs.  If anyone had shown interest in him his mother's parental rights would have been challenged.  When we went to our court hearing to be named his parents a representative of Moscow testified he had been available to the public of Russia.  That "no one wanted him" that because of his "medical condition" and his "situation" the people of Russia were not interested.  His medical condition?  He was healthy and had been his whole life.

With this new ban on adoption of Russian children by Americans I am appalled and left scratching my head.  Russia is embarassed that other countries are stepping up to take care of their 700,000 orphans.  Other countries overlook medical descriptions and rocky starts to give a kid a chance.  Mr. Putin wants Russians to adopt their children and keep them in their country. They don't want the US coming in and even giving aid anymore to the orphanages of Russia.  There is talk that they will extend this ban to other European countries as well...
Orphanages rely heavily on foreign adoptions and charitable organizations (largely foreign organizations) to help keep them stocked with essentials, food, diapers, medicines....what little the Russian government provides just doesn't cut it.  Westerners and western humanitarian organizations have opportunities to get in at times to see these orphanages and later report about them.  With all this closed off I am frightened about what the state of Russian orphanages will become.  This is the image it conjurs up...













That is what I have emblazened in my mind of unchecked orphanages... It is the main reason we chose adoption from a post soviet country.  The thought that a child could be trapped in a system that could turn into that is un fathomable...
So I say all that to say this...

Mr. Putin,
I have the best of your orphans.  He is the perfect image of the Russian race.  He is smart, articulate, incredibly charming.  He was your best...Your people didn't want him.  You threw him away.  Placed him in some corner of Moscow never to be heard of again. Not one of your own raised an eyebrow at him, wanted to give him a chance or love him.  How sir do you believe you will be able to find homes within you country for the hundreds of thousands of children who are struggling with their plights...struggling with the meager health care they have received...lagging behind because their home country has turned their backs to them thus far?  I thank you for the opportunity to raise Dima...he is strong and destined for greatness.  I pray that one day he finds pride in his Russian heritage and can give back to the Federation of Russia and help right the wrongs of his country...help the unloved orphans...the neglected.  He will be magnificent and till that time I will love him, teach him compassion and love and raise him proud to be an American and proud to be a Russian.  It was faith and good will that brought me to your country and it is faith and good will that will bring him back one day. 
Please reconsider the children...the best interest of the 700,000 in your care.   Surely there are some that are destined for greatness...please don't let those children slip away.  Don't let them sit in lonely beds staring at walls waiting for parents who will only consider "the best" and even then walk away.  They are Russians too...

And for everyone else...please pray with us.  Pray that Russia and the USA can come to some agreement and that the waters can be smoothed.  Children are at stake.  Let the people of this world everywhere become concerned with the plight of the parentless everywhere...not just Russia.  And, for those children in Russia who have been promised parents and felt their embrace...who are waiting and for those parents who have their children but can't get to them...please pray for them.  If you are reading this and have been touched by Dima and our journey then please say a prayer....three months time and he could have been one of the unlucky ones....

It's not always rainbows and butterflies

I've been meaning to write a realistic post about some of the struggles we have as newly adoptive parents...I had hoped to do a couple of posts describing the issues as we have them but i'm finding it difficult to get time to sit down uninterrupted with my computer.  Sadly this all came to a head a couple of days after Christmas and I felt like i needed to get some things off my chest.  I find this blogging to be therapeutic...Forgive me if it's wordy but it's a good description of where we are really...
There is so much good about his situation that I have a hard time knowing where to begin. The typical things like English acquisition and eating and sleeping skills are all doing quite well. He astounds us with new English words everyday. Things I didn't know he knew that he uses appropriately. He still speaks some Russian and we still speak a little but the majority is English out of both his and our mouths.  He narrates all day everything he's doing.  It's pretty funny actually..."mom i'm pooping"..."mom I'm eating"..."mom i'm playing"  He is using his english every chance he gets and we are loving it!
His sleeping has been much better. His waking at night terrified for unbenounced reasons are few and far between. He doesn't fight us for bed anymore either which signals to me that he either realizes he has lost that battle or he welcomes sleep a little more.
His eating has gotten better. He eats most things we put in front of him. We do have the occasional battle at dinnertime as do all three year olds but his are a little different than my other kiddos. We struggle teaching him the appropriate amount of food to put in his mouth. It isn't so much that he puts too much as it is that he takes FOREVER to chew and swallow. He is always the last to finish and often he overfills his mouth and chews on and on and eventually just spits it all out....which is infuriating! When he decides he doesn't like something and he knows he has to eat it he will do so but chews on it forever and even end up making himself throw it up later. Again a practice that drives us nutty! He's getting better and he is learning but it's at a slow pace in the food area...can't win them all...
His relationships with his siblings is great. He fights with Derek but all brothers do. Those two crack me up as they will be down right evil towards each other in one moment then giggling at each other just making silly faces across the room. His sisters, he adores...they are little mommas to him which sometimes is an issue but I feel like it is because of them that he is so secure at home.  We can go out on dates because Maddy and Savannah are there to help put him to bed.  Same with Derek...he is okay with going to mother's day out because big brother is next door and every now and then he will go to see him as a reminder.
He behaves himself in public and is usually easy to correct if need be. He's calmer in social settings too. No more running around like crazy constantly trying to be a clown.
He makes us laugh and participates as the other family members do. He doesn't seem like an outsider looking in anymore but a real part of the family. He includes himself and likes to say grace at a meal or add his story when the kids are going on and on...even if we don't understand it completely.
Our struggles with him have been minor and we feel so very blessed!
As with any family though it isn't all rainbows and butterflies...
As a mom you generally know what your kids are feeling often before they say it. You can tell if your kid lies, if he's truly sorry, if he's really hurt. You often know how best to discipline and how to get an appropriate response out of him. Often personalities come out with your kids that you recognize.  You end up saying things like "you're just like your dad" or "you act like my sister".  With Kasen it's a crap shoot. I can tell some times in his eyes if there is remorse but sometimes it is hard to distinguish if it's a real apology or if he just wants his thing back or his being able to play again. It's hard as a parent to hear "I'm sorry" or even "I love you" when you think it is a trained or learned response. It makes you raise an eyebrow at all those other times he says "I love you"...like do you really or do you just want something from me. With my bio kids it is assumed and comes natural. With Kasen it is super special when you know it's for real but it's irritating when you realize you are being manipulated with very special words like I love you.
If you would have asked me a couple of weeks ago how he is attaching I'd say no problems whatsoever. In recent weeks though I feel like he is testing us. He will say things like "I don't want momma" or "I want momma to go away" Same goes for Willem. He does this every now and then for both of us and it stings. He will sometimes point at complete strangers and say "that's my papa" which is also painful to hear. Hearing these kind of things then having to turn around and clean up his food he just spit out of his mouth because he didn't listen and crammed too much in or wipe his behind or make him a cup of juice for the 30th time that day makes for a rough day. It can turn even the most patient inside out. I am so thankful for my husband. Doing this alone would be maddening. I also appreciate my other kids as they see it on occasion and will come and just patiently hug me and remind me "you're a good momma, mom"
I try to ignore these episodes and gently remind him that I love you..I'm your momma and I will never leave you no matter what you say to me but on occasion I do have to walk away and allow Willem to step in and vice versa.
This holiday was bitter sweet. I busted my hump to give him the Christmas any child would love. To give him one he'll never forget. I was successful in many ways...he loved Christmas. His eyes lit up...he fell asleep appreciative of the day and so tuckered out from the excitement of it all. With all the hustle and bustle of it though he did unravel a bit. More fits than usual, more indiscriminate affection towards others, more moments where he was distant with us.  Something was brewing in him and the morning after Christmas I awoke to an angry confused little boy who decided to take it out on momma. I won't go into details but he was ugly and defiant and I had had enough, it was the straw that broke the camel's back and it broke my heart. For honestly the first time since we have gotten him I was furious with his mother. ANGRY that he was forced to live a life with people coming and going out of his life constantly. Never really able to call anyone family, never really knowing how to love someone. In his mind the best way to get attention was to kick and scream and then act cute and cuddly till you get what you want. It's all about survival. This precious adorable child deserved the best and he got nothing. And now I am here sheltering him, feeding him, loving him and trying to undo all the damage that was done.
My whole plan for the day was to just play with my kids and enjoy them, instead I spent hours working with him on how to properly treat mom while my other three kids sat downstairs waiting on me.
I had to take a moment, compose myself and remind myself..."he's overwhelmed, this "family" thing is new to him and it doesn't feel as real to him as it does my other kids" I cried a little then went back into his room and lovingly worked through it. At nap time he fell asleep in my arms. This time I prayed that he really feel my embrace and really enjoy it and that it sink into his heart...that he wake up feeling "this is for real."
In any event i don't write all this to complain. I've read about it and i feel prepared for it and I have strategies for making it better.  It is even to be expected.  None the less it sucks.  I am venting a little but more than that i'm writing for prayer from those of you who feel so inclined. I need lifting up and encouragement. Likewise, Kasen needs prayer...we want him to know that we love him and aren't going anywhere...It's okay to love back.

Christmas...

He's been here three whole months!  I feel like an update is in order.
First off I'll start with the obvious and most current...Christmas!
Obviously, it was a special Christmas for us.  Last year at this time we were planning to travel to Russia to meet another little boy only to find out a few days later that we were probably not a good fit for him as a family.  It was a hard time filled with anxiety and ultimately sadness.  This year was so different.  First off with regards to that little boy we recently found out that he has found a home!  He happily spent his first Christmas with his forever family too, a family that was better suited to his needs than us.  We are so thankful to know that God provided for him and that in the end our decision was what was best for him and not just us.  I'm amazed at how God worked it all out and how His plan was there all along.

Our family this year felt complete.  We are loving the balance of two girls, two boys.  While things are way more chaotic sometimes and loud and crazy...we still love it.  No more wondering what God had in store for us.  No more wondering if our son was out in the world scared and alone.  He was there, sitting in front of us with his feet dangling from the stool at the breakfast bar asking for "bilinis"(crepes) and chocolate milk for breakfast .  It seemed that Christmas time was more miraculous...I kept looking at him and thinking "how did you get here?" and "why haven't you been with us all along? you are obviously ours"

We did our typical Christmas things.  We made cookies, gingerbread houses, christmas ornaments...etc...  Kasen got to meet all of my mom's side of the family.  We had a great party complete with a bonfire and hayride.  We went to Acadian Village with friends and Kasen had so many firsts...he sat on Santa's lap, he saw a whole village of Christmas lights, he rode his first carnival ride, had his first fireworks experience!  He went to sleep that night and said "Mom I had good day" 

The boys really got into the Santa thing this year and went to bed on Christmas Eve bursting with excitement.  Chritmas morning was fun as usual but more bustling with an extra kiddo in the house. Kasen did get overwhelmed occasionally and more on that later but overall his Christmas was hopefully something he will never forget!  I know we will never forget his reaction to it all.  At one point I asked "Kasen did Santa come?"  He said "Yes, presents"  I said "yes you were a good boy.  I love you Merry Christmas."  He said back to me "Say it again momma" and hugged my neck.  Heart melt...teary eyes... :)
After all the presents were opened and the chaos of the day gone we all climbed into my bed to read about the birth of Jesus before bed.  Kasen likes to point out the baby Jesus and we hope he has some understanding of what Christmas is really about.
Above are a couple of shots from the past few week.  I hope all of you had a very special Christmas!

what is in a name...

We've had some questions over the past couple of months about our boys name. I thought I'd do a mini post to clarify. 
"Dima" is our son's nickname given to him by the orphanage.  All kids are typically called by their nicknames versus their real names in orphanages.  In Dima's case his name was Dmitry but he has never responded to that.  It's always been Dima.
When we adopted him we decided to give him an American name.  Our thinking is that he would like to have an American name as he gets older...let's face it, by the time he is grown he will be more American than Russian.  So we named him Kasen Dmitry Mast.
When we picked him up we decided to stick with Dima for a while as he was going through enough changes...he didn't need us to be calling him by something different to boot.  So Dima it was...
After he was home a couple of weeks I introduced him to his new name...it was a funny conversation so I'll go through it with you...
me: "Dima your name is Kasen"
Kasen: "My name is Dima"
me:  "Yes you are Dima Kasen"
Kasen:  "No i am Dima Boy"
me: "yes Kasen you are a boy"
Kasen: "momma...D...IIII.....MMMM...AAAA" (over enunciated as if I didn't understand)
I let it go for a while but soon referred to him as Dima Kasen.  Not long after he would say "Ya Kasen Dima"
Derek  (who still calls him Dima most often) opens to any stranger they meet "This is my brother Dima...He's from Russia...He speaks Russian" which is almost always followed by Kasen chiming in with "I'm Kasen Dima....hi"
It's all a little confusing, his name is Kasen but he'll answer to either.  Just clearing things up for those who thought we went out and adopted another child named Kasen :)

Happy Weekend

 Most parents of internationally adopted children say things turn around at 6 weeks.  I'm not sure if that is 6 weeks home or 6 weeks in our arms.  In any event Dima has been under our care for 6 weeks today.  I don't know if it's just been wishful thinking but I feel like he is so much more comfortable home now and so happy!  This past weekend has been by far his best.
Friday we took the kids to the pumpkin patch for pictures.  They did great and Dima has learned the word "pumpkin" and definately knows how to pose for a picture complete with his saying "CHEESE".  Below are a couple shots.

Saturday our good friends the Burns came over with their kids.  We had dinner, the kids ran around outside till after dark and everyone got along.  Dima acted appropriately with them not expecting them to take care of him but always came to "Momma" and "Pappa".  A good sign of attachment i'm told.  Brian had a great way of teaching him some english.  Saying "Da" or yes in Russian is addictive and Brian got him to start using "Yes"...he's still doing it and i find myself saying "Da" out of habit so that's tells me he's really trying.  Lots of giggles below...he's like the most ticklish kid i've ever met...

Sure he still has an occasional tantrum but we're not overly worried about it.  We deal with it and he moves on and honestly after he comes out of it he seems even more loving.  It seems like as he becomes more comfortable with us he feels like he can push us a little bit more.  I think he pushes we push back, he sees that we love him no matter what his behavior and in the end he loves us more.
There are more random "I love you"s and more moments where he just wants a cuddle.
I'll leave you with this last video so you can see the twinkle in his eyes for yourself...

1 Month in Our Arms

We picked him up a month ago today!  When I heard this song I knew we'd use it for a video about Dima one day.  Hope you like it!

Little Victories

It's amazing how a couple of days can change things.  On Friday I was at my wits end... Saturday wasn't any better.  Dima had been testing me at every turn and Derek was a whiny mess.  One was either trying to steal something from the other or telling me "no" in either English or Russian.  It was exhausting, stressful and I had had enough.  Usually on Fridays Willem and I go out with friends or on a date so staying home with non cooperative kids for the third Friday in a row was hard to swallow and I began to feel like this would never end.
Willem decided to take over and had to get stern with the boys and I guess it did a world of good.   Either that or my parents were praying overtime (we went over to their house for a bit and were horrible grumpy guests).
On Sunday Dima woke up happy.  He had slept without complaint and without waking up scared.  In fact we woke up and heard the boys. The both of them had gotten up on their own and we caught them heading downstairs by themselves.  We were shocked as Dima has not gotten out of his bed on his own since we got him.  It is a pretty typical trend for institutionalized kids to be conditioned to stay in their beds regardless of the circumstances.  Happy boy was ready to start playing with only the supervision of his brother.  Since that moment his days have been great.  When he gets grumpy after being told "no" for whatever reason he no longer tries to avoid eye contact but instead looks me in the eye and accepts it.  Naps are easy as are bedtimes.  When I hold him he hugs me back most times and has even started rubbing my back when I carry him around (something I've done to him since we met).  I know we will still have rough days but I feel like he has turned a corner.  It is almost like he has accepted us and realizes we are acting in his best interest even when he's not getting his way. Oh and the best yet...he's started saying "I love you" in Russian to me. :)

Derek has also calmed down.  He has started listening better and playing better with Dima.  In fact this morning he didn't want to go to school but instead wanted to stay and play more with his brother.  Again, not expecting this to always be the case but "Thank you LORD!"  I was beginning to get worried they would always hate each other.
With his new attitude we decided to push our luck and take him to the park and then out to dinner.  He did AMAZING!  Only started to break down once when we misunderstood him and said yes to him playing on something he pointed out only to find out he meant the nearby tractor/backhoe that nearby construction workers had been using!  Whoops!  He took it gracefully and was back on his way. 

It is crazy how just a slight change in attitude can make such a difference in our family.  Fingers crossed we all keep these happy outlooks!

new words: sorry, shoes, milk, cookie, moose, help, slide, brush teeth, one, two, three, four, five, hello, bye and my favorite russenglish phrase "Goodnight Luna"

 

 

Life with Dima

When we signed up for an international adoption we were required to do a certain amount of education with regards to the potential issues children from less than optimum backgrounds often posses.  We were personally most concerned about the issues surrounding institutionalized children.  Dima has been in an orphanage his whole life.   We know nothing about what it was like for him as an infant.  Was he held much?  Did someone talk to him frequently?  Was he rocked to sleep?  Held while fed a bottle?  Did he often have the same caretaker?  All these things were critical for his development.  It helps or hurts his ability to be able to recognize Willem and I as his Dad and Mom.  Will he develop a healthy attachment to us?
Having read about this over and over has been both a blessing and curse.  Knowing the signs of attachment issues helped us be able to feel comfortable with moving forward with Dima after only spending a few hours with him.  Now though,  I find myself stressing and always thinking about attachment.  I'm continually looking for good signs, bad signs any signs....  It's exhausting.  
Seeing my exhaustion my sweet husband demanded I have the day off on Saturday.  He declared Daddy Day Care and spent the weekend bonding with his boys.  He had them play in the rain, jump in the mud, explore our property, throw rocks in the ditches, play with sticks.  Willem knows the issues but admittedly I did the research and heavy studying.  Willem doesn't let it keep him from pushing Dima to try new things and as a result Dima's personality has begun to blossom.  Watching him with the boys made life feel normal again.  It made me realize I need to just let it be.  God chose Dima for us and whatever crops up from his past...God will give us the strength and wisdom to overcome it.  


 

Ironically after this surrender of my worrying and analyzing Dima started sleeping better, eating better, having shorter less frequent meltdowns.  He is more relaxed and so are we.  More and more I see him as any other kid instead of the damaged child all the books talk about.  He is so strong, so brave and I think he'll be that kid that turns lemons into lemonade.  Right now he is melting our hearts with his sweet funny personality and amazing us with his adaptability.

 

By the way: As you can see we got rid of the Euro Mullet! YAY! American haircut and American clothes go a long way.  I think he looks like my kiddos now where I never saw that resemblance before. 

 

English words this week: open, closed, car, cat, frog, horse, dog, fish, up, Dima's turn :) and his first albeit incorrect sentence "I nyet need to pee"

Our Brave Boy

We made it home and our homecoming was fantastic!  We were greeted by great friends and family bearing balloons and cards!  I was a little worried he would be overwhelmed but Dima seemed to relish in all the attention.  I think it was the abundance of children that really excited him.  His first moments with his siblings were perfect.  He knew their names and was eager to see them. 


Dima and big sister Maddy

Dima's adoring fans

Our first family photo

As far as his transition goes, I feel like it is going exceedingly well.  He has had only a few meltdowns and they are mostly about typical 3 year old stuff.  In fact our other 3 yr old, Derek has seemingly had more issues.  Going from being the baby to having another sibling let alone one that is walking talking and interested in the same toys as you is rough.

 

The things we are seeing we believe are symptoms of grief for his first home, his orphanage.  When in Russia we slept with him and while it comforted him he couldn't sleep.  We were too stimulating to him.  He would pet my face, my hair, my arms...everything for close to two hours before nodding off.  Now home we are teaching him to sleep in his bed without us.  Derek is in his room so I think that is comforting to him.  He will often fuss before bed but settles down and goes to sleep much quicker without us there.  Willem ultimately sleeps in there with him as he wakes up once or twice a night crying and after reassurance from Pappa he's off to sleep again.  A couple of times he has rattled off a list of names in his pre bed chatter.  We are pretty sure it's his group mates and we suspect they had some ritual of saying goodnight to everyone by name.

 

He also discovered our videos and pics of him in his orphanage on the plane ride home while entertaining him with my Ipad.  He will watch it over and over again.  It seems to calm him and he even laughs at the other group mates.  Our thinking is, his videos were comforting to us while we were away so we hope they are comforting to him now.

 

All in all he is incredibly sweet and smart.  He shares well.  Never hits or bites or lashes out at his siblings or even us when upset.  He's eating and playing well.  Will cuddle with us and enjoys making us laugh and smiling at us.  Most of the time he is happy and enjoying his new life and the freedoms he never had.  We know his grief is important and so we are nurturing him through it but pray he finds peace soon. 

 

Oh and for those of you who are wondering here is a list of English words from the top of my head that he uses:

on, off, light, juice, again, please, stop, walk, jump, run, telephone, jellyfish (thank you leappad computer)





The Highs...

Today was a bit more trying day with Dima.  I'll post more about that later but it's late in Moscow and Willem and I were just talking about all the great things about him and we came up with this funny list so I thought I'd post it so I don't forget...Here goes

by the way i call this picture "Dima...the boy from Russia"

Funny Things about Dima
he's scared of the trash can...he thinks it bit him once (it's one of those step on cans where the lid goes up...it kind of did as it came down a little fast and caught his finger ever so slightly.  we had to kiss it and make a big deal of it and fuss at the trash can.  now everytime we throw something away we act like we're scared and relieved when the trash can doesn't bite us....he still fusses at it by shaking his finger as he passes by)

he sings at the top of his lungs in moscow (we can't figure out how to tell him to be quiet and it draws attention which makes us uneasy as i'm sure people get suspicious when they see english speaking people carrying around a very talkative not always cooperative Russian toddler)

scared of washing machine (asked if it would bite him too)

scared of things that bite (saw a seal biting another seal..wouldn't touch a crocodile statue...said it bites...we are wondering who has been biting this child?)

he tries to tickle my feet (he thinks its hysterical...it was fun but it's getting tiresome playing like it is ticklish all day long but i oblige him)

he tried to grab the water as it was draining (we let him sit in it till its gone...seems more passive aggressive that way as he loves his bath...he tries to catch it and then when all gone he says "Bye water")

iphone game with finger drawing is magic (you know the ones where you color with your finger...he keeps looking at his finger to figure out where the color is coming from)

he's obsessed with jackets (willem told him to put on his sweater and called his own sweater a jacket...dima wanted the "jacket" and said it was his.  he put it on so we could show him it was too big as all we can say that would apply in russian is "big"...willem also put on his jacket so we could say "small")...so wishing we had a pic of willem in the small jacket

would brush his teeth all day but looks like he's in agony as he does it...well see for yourself

he walks straight towards us every time we try to take a pic of him by himself...we have several of him close up to the camera about to grab it...can't figure out how to say stay there or smile for that matter)

he picks his nose right before he falls asleep
That is all for tonight...i'm spent!

 

All things Dima

What a great couple of days it has been!  We are loving getting to know our boy and he seems to be loving it as well.

Things we have learned about Dima:
He loves to eat but will tell you when he is full and wants no more
He loves to drink (especially juice)
He has a small bladder! (he drinks a lot and then has to go pee quickly...we're told they drink little in orphanages so it makes sense)
Grapes are yucky
Holding mama or papa's finger is the preferred way to go to sleep
Machinas (Russian for cars) are awesome....we are on a busy street and he is always pointing out         "Boshoia Machina!" "Malinkaya Machina" ("Big Car""Little Car")
Light switches rock
Bath time should be all the time and splashing water all over his face is great fun
He's quite the actor (if he gets hurt, even slightly, he rushes to us to kiss it and make it better...he is  quite convincing as to how hurt he is but after a kiss or us making a fuss over it he smiles and runs off as if nothing at all happened!)
Loves socks (especially new socks)
Loves music (bops his head when he hears it)

Yesterday we took him to the zoo here in Moscow.  Our translator had the day off and offered to take us.  Thank you Aunt Irina as Dima calls her!  We went via metro and Dima was absolutely amazed by the trains and the tunnels.  He loved the zoo and the animals.  I loved seeing his expressions but more than that I loved seeing him be a boy just like anyone else.  He sat on the subway next to a boy and he seemed so proud.  He kept looking at him like "I'm just like you"  At one point during the day he told some passerby "that's my mama".  (super sweet right?)

walking with mama and aunt Irina

this is how he smiles when told to smile for the camera

this is my favorite

he said "that elephant is not big it's huge"

"i'm not an animal" (best said with Arnold Schwarznegar accent)

Today we are hanging out and laying low as "Zoo Day" was a big day and we need to be taking it slow.  Hoping to meet up with another adopting couple tonight at Red Square.  Will try to post again tomorrow.

What you've been missing

Now that he is ours we can share with everyone what we have seen of Dima so far. Videos and pics of the past two trips!  I'm showing him off here so sorry for the excessive doating! :)

Trip #1

Willem spoke at our church on Father's Day this past June. We showed this video as a sum up of our first trip.  The first couple of pics of him are his referral picture and the first time he is in the room is when he met us for the first time.

Trip #2

Our piano playing Dima.... (love his sweet voice)

A few pics of the days during our 2nd trip

Checking out pics of home with Mama

Laughing at Papa as he feeds Dima cookies

Listen to the translator...he says he is "handsome" after getting his new clothes

 

My favorite video...it's the one that has gotten me thru this past month without him...

 

 

This one is a sad one from our 2nd trip when we were saying goodbye...Try to listen to the translator but he is basically saying he wants to go home now with us and when told we have to leave to buy him clothes, cookies, toys, etc... he says he doesn't want that he wants to go now. :(  We've got you now buddy!

Dima has Left the Building!

He's ours! After arriving in Moscow we were thrown for a loop as we were told that Dima had been moved to a new orphanage a week ago!  We were very concerned about his new state of being and what it would do to his transition.  Prayers were answered however.
We arrived at the orphanage during his lunch time.  It is a brand new facility.  Turns out all of the kids from his orphanage as well as some of the staff went with him.  The social worker we had used in the past, who was very stern and not very open about the orphanage was gone.  In her place was a lady who has been with Dima since he arrived there.  She repeatedly told me to take care of him as Dima was her baby.  She loves him very much.  She gave us her email address and asked us to please send pics and updates.
Another boy in his group was being adopted the same day and we were told they would talk over the past month about which toys their new "mama" brought and would count the days together.
They had all of his things we had brought him waiting as well as his baptism certificate and they had taken some pics with a camera I left over the past month.  Can't wait to get those developed!
We were allowed all over the facility this time and towards the end of the lunch time we were allowed to enter the lunch room.  He saw us and his face lit up.  The caretaker told him to finish eating and he started shoveling the soup in!  After a few minutes with him we had to leave the room as we were making quite a stir amongst the kids.
He barreled through the door and said "Let's go home" in Russian and headed to his bench in front of his locker and began taking off his clothes.  He knew he would get new stuff and was ready to get dressed and leave.  It was hysterical and the other couple adopting with us and the caretakers were in stitches laughing at him.
As we walked out he insisted on holding both mine and Willem's hand and kept saying "Mama and Papa".  The caretakers all said bye and told him to be well behaved.  There were tears in all of their eyes and we were repeatedly told he is very special to them.  The guard at the gate walked up to him to say goodbye and he said "I know I will be good.  I am a sweet boy" :)
The ride home was great.  He almost fell asleep on my lap.  He had a snack at the apartment and played....lied awake as he was supposed to nap :).  Later we went for a walk to a park and got some energy out of him.  Dinnertime...great... Bathtime was a breeze.  Bedtime is now and Willem is lying with him (I was on nap duty).  He is scared by himself and hopefully he is on his way to sleeping.  It has been a very stimulating day!
I'll leave you with a video (forgive poor quality) and pics of the day....and now that he is in our arms I can show you pics from the last couple of trips as well!  Enjoy and thank you for praying and celebrating with us!