"Jesse Did It!" Zoe has been exploring her artistic freedom over the last few weeks, using (mostly) washable writing implements throughout the house on any number of media: important papers, furniture and walls. We've addressed these incidents with her as they've occurred much as we did with Jesse at that age and realize it's a phase. You deal with it, hope they understand and move on to a more appropriate medium.

So I was naturally upset, but not totally shocked to walk into our bedroom to find a green magic-markered zig-zag pattern on my nightstand the other night, while Zoe and Jesse were sprawled out on our bed watching television.

"Zoe, did you draw on the furniture?!"
"No," (momentary pause to think, then pointing an accusatory finger) "...Jesse did it!" While shocked at witnessing the first bald-faced lie to pass through her lips and the subsequent attempt to pin the rap on her brother, I was impressed with 1) the perfect English, and 2) the spontaneity with which the charge was redirected.

Stories like this make me realize that this blog is no longer about an adopted Russian orphan; it's now about a typical American three-year-old (albeit one with a really cool accent). How long this sort of thing remains bloggable, I'm not sure, but I'll keep plugging away for the time being.  ¶ 7:12 AM 2 comments

  Seaside Holiday

The Miss America pageant may have left Atlantic City, but America's Playground is still a draw for us. Zoe joined Jesse for a long weekend in becoming the fifth generation of our families to enjoy the Jersey shore.

A.C.'s answer to the brilliant "What Happens In Vegas..." marketing campaign is "Always Turned On." In the middle of February, the only thing we could count on being always turned on was the gas fireplace.

In addition to seeing the ocean for the first time, Zoe took her first venture into a swimming pool, and loved it. We were comforted with the knowledge that she's not afraid of the water, knowing the big dip that awaits sometime over the next few months.

As an experiment, I employed a time-honored parenting tactic with Zoe to get some attention: reverse psychology. After tickling Zoe into submission, I ordered her to not tickle me in return. Which, being a three-year-old with a 'tude, she naturally went right ahead and did. With Zoe all caught up in the moment, I took it a step further and ordered her to not kiss me. Needless to say, five--count 'em, five--smooches were planted on my cheek accompanied by lots of laughter over my feigned protests. Hardly spontaneous, but I'll take what I can get, any way I can get it.

Newly-added to Zoe's diet over the weekend: decaf coffee, which we know she likes because 1) it's one of the few English words she can now pronounce perfectly, and 2) she's very comfortable ordering it in a restaurant. Warning: This is the sort of thing that can happen when you let grandparents babysit when you need a few hours of quality time in the casino.

  ¶ 9:23 AM 1 comments

  Mush!
The winter storm that blanketed much of the Northeast last weekend took its toll on our area, as Zoe witnessed her first significant snowstorm in her new home.

I took her to the window as she woke up Sunday morning and showed her the snow; she begged to play. Sure, there's plenty of snow in Yekaterinburg (accompanied by high temperatures this winter in the -30s), but the orphans generally aren't outside playing in it, preferring the balmy climes of their orphanages.

Zoe loved her first toboggan ride, while Sari did her best impression of a husky in the Iditarod race over and over again. Meanwhile, I had the arduous task of operating the camera until we got just the right shot.

Fun and games being over, it was then time to put Zoe to work. She insisted on helping ("I want to help!"), using her toy shovel to scoop a substantial portion of the 12" snowfall back onto our driveway. (Union.)  ¶ 12:47 PM 1 comments

  Where We Are... Yes, I know it's been nearly a month since my last entry. We've been busy. I'm once again employed crunching spreadsheets. Mama is back at work after a few months of exhausting one-on-one quality time. And Zoe is in fulltime daycare. So, here's where we are after nearly four months home...

(insert shamefully gratuitous portrait here)

Language: Zoe's English is improving every day, enhanced by her time in daycare around other kids her age. Verbally, we understand what she's trying to communicate about 90% of the time. As for the other 10%, we'll try to bring Jesse in for a consultation--he's very good at figuring out what she's trying to say. Or if he's unavailable, we'll just sort of nod in agreement, hoping we haven't just authorized her to get the butane lighter and torch her dollhouse.

If there's a favorite food or toy or activity she wants, she will take the steps to learn the appropriate word so that her intentions are clear, although the pronunciation is sometimes a little off..."Artoon" for cartoon. "Shpoon" for spoon. "Please," "thank you" and "you're welcome" are used appropriately and often. Phrases are starting to morph into sentences ("Papa, more chocolate milk...pleeease?!")

Her receptive skills were there from day one, and she seems to understand 99% of what we tell her. As for the other 1%, I suspect she understands, but just doesn't agree with it. Amazing.

What little Russian language there was is now almost entirely gone; about all that remains is "yo soma" ("I want to do it myself").

Diet: We're still sort of limited to just a handful of foods Zoe will routinely eat. The current #1 food--which must accompany every meal--is chocolate milk. Also big on the list: yogurt, applesauce, clementines (those oranges in the cute little crates), macaroni & cheese, grapes, bananas, breakfast cereal and jelly sandwiches. And a lot of crackers and cookies. Protein is not on the list--peanut butter gets a thumbs-down. Red meat is out. Occasionally we can sneak in a bite of chicken, but for the most part she's a vegan. We're working on variety, but she shows little interest in experimentation.

Zoe loves to go out to restaurants, and will now order her dinner a la carte all by herself, telling the server (while counting on her fingers): "Chocolate milk...mock and cheese...applesauce...shpoon. Please." And she'll order her meals at home the same way.

Activities: Zoe has gymnastics class every weekend and loves it. She's not quite ready for the Olympics, but the Eastern European genetics are there and 2020 is not totally out of the question.

Potty Training: Zoe arrived largely potty-trained; accidents are few and far between. Pull-ups are reserved for nighttime.

Behavior: Four months with us have managed to undermine much of the respect for authority Zoe had in the orphanage. In short, she's now a typical American three-year-old with a 'tude. When she does something wrong, we let her know it, and she shows genuine remorse. Anger and frustration are expressed by throwing things, which we're working on correcting.

The Girly Thing: She's into makeup, jewelry and the like. Males generally don't get as much attention as females, whether it's with our friends and family or her classmates at daycare. No shock there.

Jesse: The occasional turf battles over whether the TV is tuned to (c)artoons or The Weather Channel are largely eclipsed by affection, laughter and conspiring to drive us crazy. More than brother and sister, they are best friends.

Papa: I played the role of Mr. Mom for four days while Sari was away on business. There was a little crying here and there in between phone calls from Mama and she never did grasp the concept that Mama wasn't coming home immediately, but for the most part it went well. The promise of Mama bringing her a present when she returned kept her going for four days and was a major topic of conversation throughout the week. She held my hand when she needed to (although we didn't venture out to any major parking lots) and let me help her into her car seat when leaving home in the morning.

Around the house, she's my best friend. She motions to me or grabs my hand to lead me to whatever activity she wants to do at the moment, whether it's eating, playing, bathing or toileting.

In spite of all the mutual affection, there have been no kisses since the quick peck on the cheek in November (but I can plant one on her without much resistance). At this point in time, it's simply a control issue. She recognizes she gets far more attention by not kissing. And she's more than happy to blow a kiss in my direction if the situation calls for it. Compared to where we were four months ago, I'm happy to take whatever is offered.

To sum it all up, it's been a remarkable four months; our dreams have come true beyond our wildest expectations. I'll try to do better with updates. Promise.

  ¶ 6:26 AM 2 comments