The First 24 Hours We didn't know what sort of mood Zoe would be in or how receptive she'd be to being attacked by a horde of well-meaning strangers waiting for us at the airport, so we sort of wanted to keep our reception there low-key. But that didn't stop a handful of family members and a friend who lived nearby from greeting us. Zoe was delighted by the small crowd.

Like the last trip, we shuttled back to our car at Uncle Gary's house and saw baby cousin Emmy.

With Zoe in such a great mood, we decided to join my family for dinner where we'd be picking up Jesse. My sister Marji was coincidentally visiting from Seattle this weekend, so our quick return through Moscow made it possible for her to meet both new nieces.


An exhausted Zoe fell asleep on the way to the restaurant where my family was eating, so we figured we would plant her in the stroller and wheel her into the restaurant sleeping so everyone could ooh and ahh. But true to form, she woke up. Cranky? No way. She met Jesse (whom she knew from photos) and within seconds they were laughing, smiling and playing with each other. When she wasn't playing, she sat at the table with her best orphanage table manners and charmed her grandparents and assorted aunts, uncles & cousins.

We thought that taking her home would bring an end to an incredibly long day, made even longer by the eight-hour time change from Moscow. Once again, she fell asleep in the car, but again rose to the occasion when we brought her into her new home. Following a brief orientation session, she wanted to take a bath. Then it was finally bedtime and she went down fairly easily assisted by Mama, making the transition from orphanage crib to full-sized bed without hesitation.

At 3:30, I took a break from blogging (which knows no schedule) and heard rustling coming from her room. I walked in and the crying started. The call went out for Mama, who settled her down in a few minutes and got to share a few hours of sleep in the new bed.

By 8 a.m., Zoe was up and ready to go. She started looking for clothes into which to dress herself for the day (which in our house is sort of unusual on a Sunday, where we can be in pajamas up until halftime of the first game). She wanted and got another bath in the morning, then completely stripped herself a few hours later to let us know that she wanted a shower (but was turned down). Breakfast--and later lunch--consisted of bananas and...well, more bananas. Jesse got the day off from Sunday school for quality time with his new sister, and a few family members came by to visit. Zoe explored her new home, played and demonstrated her artistic prowess with crayons, which will now require our keeping them safely under lock and key. And more stuffed animals showed up. For hygienic reasons, they don't have have them in the orphanages. So while they're new to Zoe, they don't hold her attention. The bulk of her interest goes to the multitude of electronics available in the house that beep and light up. Cell phones. We've tried the toy cell phones, but she much prefers the real ones.

All was going smoothly until 2:30 in the afternoon. Sari, who has been shadowed by Zoe 24/7 over the last four days, was totally exhausted and decided that they both were ready for a nap. Zoe wasn't quite so ready and decided to finally leave Mama's side to explore the house on her own. Which left me with the plum assignment of watching Zoe one-on-one for the first time. Sari and I agreed that no matter what sounds were heard coming from downstairs, she would stay put. Would this be the quality bonding time needed to address the "Papa issue" we've been experiencing throughout the last month in Russia?

I saw trouble coming as I went downstairs. Zoe stood in the foyer. I sat in one corner to watch her, she backed herself in the opposite corner and sat there, no toys in hand or nearby, refusing to make eye contact. After a few minutes of just looking at her and making gentle conversation, I approached with her favorite cell phone. She refused to take it and started sniffling, then began screaming and crying uncontrollably.

Remembering the agreement with Sari, my only option was to try to comfort her. So in spite of Zoe's defensive maneuvers, I managed to pick her up, hugging her and rubbing her back while she continued to cry and fight for her release. I figured eventually she would cry herself out, but after what seemed like an eternity, it just wasn't happening. I brought her up to Sari (who obviously hadn't started her nap) and announced all bets were off. The crying stopped, and both were asleep by 3 p.m.

And so ended Zoe's first 24 hours in America. Seven hours later, they're both still asleep.

Papa's day will come. Sweet dreams.  ¶ 10:25 PM