Very Happy and Busy

Today Deanna received a birthday gift from her friend Sophia, who was adopted from the same orphanage in Ukraine! They were best friends in the orphanage and we met and are keeping in touch with Sophia and her family through the internet. She was so excited about this bear and hugged it repeatedly and said "so happy". It will be fun for the girls to keep in contact because they have so much in common!

We have been really busy getting into a routine with our fall schedule. Deanna has preschool 3 mornings a week, daycare 1/2 day, speech therapy 2 times a week, and gymnastics.
She is really enjoying preschool and I can tell she has already learned a lot. One of the teachers has told me several times how much they enjoy having her in the classroom, commenting that "her enthusiasm is infectious". Even though she likes preschool, she says she likes daycare better! (Same location, different area) I know she really likes the teachers and the free playtime.
In addition to her private speech therapy we have added a group speech class with just 2 other children. Deanna seems to really like this class and encourages the other kids to talk as they are much more shy than she.
The gymnastics class is the most fun of all. It is very fast paced and she really loves it. She is about in the middle of the class as far as ability, so there is room for improvement!

The Best Birthday Party!!!

We had a nice birthday party for Deanna with all of our family; aunts, uncles, grandparents, and some cousins. She had a good time planning it with me, picking out the invitations, food and cake. We wanted to make is special because it was her first birthday celebration ever.






















She received many very nice gifts which we appreciate very much!!

DEANNA'S 5th BIRTHDAY

We had a great fun filled day for DeAnna's 5th birthday. It started out at her first gymnastics class. She had a great time and I was pleased at the fast pace of the class. I think she will learn a lot.

Then Jon and I took her to the zoo. Her first time of course, and she loved all the animals. The weather was beautiful and we got to see the new baby elephant!

We then took her to Toys R Us and let her pick out a bike. She chose the Disney Princess model.

Then the whole family went out to dinner. They put a big sombrero on her head and sung happy birthday, she was all smiles!! Deanna had a very special and memorable first birthday with us.

Six Months Home

It has been six months since Deanna has joined our family. She has experienced so much and come so far in such a short time. Here are a few items of interest about Deanna.
She tends to wear too many clothes and always thinks she will be cold. When we first came home she would go to her room and put on tights and snow pants with a turtle neck and a sweater, on a warm day. I still have to hide her long pants on hot days or she will put them on every time.

She would always wear shoes and seemed to be afraid to get wet in the rain. Being an Oregonian now that has changed. Recently she ran through the grass barefoot during a summer downpour and was laughing hysterically.

She would never lounge around in pajamas in the morning, she would be fully dressed as soon as she woke up. She'll lounge for a while now but still does not ever want to put PJ's on until she is actually going to bed. She changes her clothes several times a day and even though she loves to get dressed up, she immediately changes into something casual when we get home.

The first day we were home she was TERRIFIED of the dogs. She is now a full fledged dog lover and says "nice" and "ahhhh" every time she sees a dog, and wants to kiss and hug them extensively. (She likes cats too)

Her English comprehension is excellent and she can repeat most words now, (but speech of course is an ongoing project).

She has a great appetite and loves eggs, bananas, apples, cheese, chicken, rice, mac and cheese, potatoes, ice cream and of course her beloved wheat thins which she will glom onto in any store and hoard them all for herself. Vegetables are still a big negative and there are NONE that she likes. She will even pick miniscule carrots from chicken noodle soup.

She has grown 2 1/4 inches, gained 3 pounds, and expanded 2 1/2 shoe sizes. Her hair has grown quite a lot and has beautiful natural curl. She styles it many, many time a day in various pony tails and clips.

Behavior wise she is pretty good but likes to test her limits. She knows what she wants and loves to be the boss if at all possible. She often has trouble leaving things alone like cell phones, nail polish and anything belonging to Jordan. She really is very outgoing and happy almost all the time. Aside from getting frustrated by prolonged teasing from her brothers (whom she adores) she has never had any kind of a tantrum.

She fits into our family like she has always been here and she is perfect in our eyes!

End of Summer

Nothing too exciting to report. We have just been hanging out at home and getting ready for the school to start. Deanna has been having a great time spending time with her brothers. What will we do when Jeremy goes back to school??? Deanna (and I) will miss him terribly.

Preschool starts next week, and we attended the open house this week. Deanna already is familiar with her teacher and classroom from camp and vacation bible study so she is quite comfortable.

We have decided to try gymnastics, and that also starts next week. Deanna has been practicing at home and is ready to go!

Lake Tahoe Vacation

We just returned from a very fun family vacation to Lake Tahoe with our friends Rick and Debby and all of the kids, and a few of their friends (except Jordan who opted to stay home because he hates car trips).

This was our longest road trip with Deanna, and she did fine. About 10 hours in the car each way. Fortunately we had lots of Disney movies. On the way home she recognized our exit off the freeway and started cheering!

Deanna had an great time with our friend's daughter Krista. They spent A LOT of time together in and out of the pool. Krista was very patient with her and she will be a great babysitter (we get first dibs). Deanna lost her fear of water and was diving in, going under and paddling around the pool by herself (with the swim vest on).

Jeremy and Jeff had the run of the resort, and visited the casinos as well. Two of their high school friends (and baseball team members), who happened to be in the area, came by for a few days and stayed with us. It was fun to have all those young people around.

We had some fun sight seeing on the lake with the wave runners. Jeremy took me for an extended death defying ride and it was gorgeous when I could manage to open my eyes. He also took Deanna out for a much gentler outing, although I'm sure she would have loved a daredevil trip!

We all had a great time and are so glad they invited us along. If Jordan would have been there it would have been perfect!

Dance Class Finale

Today was the last day of the summer dance class. Deanna really enjoyed herself and did well following instructions and interacting with the other girls. I think we will try something new and a little more challenging this fall.

Tackling Speech Therapy

Deanna had her much awaited speech therapy evaluation with the cleft palate specialists at Doernbecher Childrens Hospital yesterday. (Even though she has begun speech therapy with a speech therapist I found myself).
First some history.....Deanna has a history of "misbehaving" at medical appointments. She gets a cute, yet blank smile on her face and sits there like she doesn't understand. Sometimes she starts wandering and getting into things to tests her limits. When asked to speak or demonstrate something, she might cooperate for a minute or two then sighs and acts totally bored.
Well, before this appointment I had a talk with her and asked her to REALLY TRY HARD to do everything they said, and be really good because we will only be there for a little while. I have tried this tactic before speech therapy appointments and it has helped.
Deanna of course reverted to her "doctor's office behavior". By the end of the evaluation the speech pathologist thought Deanna could barely utter a sound, had a limited understanding of English, and had trouble following instructions! (They were not interested in my input only their own observations). I do have great respect for these people but they do not know the real Deanna, and could not have possibly figured it out in this short visit with the show she put on.
I was not happy with her behavior and we had a talk afterward. I told her she really was naughty and did not do what I asked and also reminded her that she was going to have to work very, very hard to learn to talk, etc...
That evening at home she said more words than she ever has. She was initiating (not repeating) three word sentences for the first time!
She must have been paying attention to her prognosis and decided it was time to get with it!

Home 5 Months

We have been home 5 months and everything is great. Looking back on all the pictures Deanna has changed so much. She is taller and thinner, and looks so much healthier. Her feet have grown at least 2 sizes. Her hair is much longer and just short of an attractive pony tail (very important to her).

She loves to run and play catch. We may find our way back to the baseball field soon! She also loves her dance class and loves to tumble. I think she'll make a good gymnast because she is coordinated, tough and a bit of a daredevil. Deanna is also somewhat bossy and has a way of charming everyone to do things her way. Hopefully we can channel this energy into leadership qualities! (Pictures courtesy of my friend Debbie Mehlhaff, more to come)

Camping Trip

We spent the past week camping in Prineville with our good friends. This is only the second time we have participated in this yearly event and it was great. Deanna got to experience camping with a lot of swimming, boating, and socializing. There were several teenagers there who she immediately took a liking to. The young people were all very good with her, allowing her to "hang out" with them and it really made the trip special for her. Thanks to all the adults too, we appreciate your kindness to Deanna.

She did meet a couple of girls her age to play with. They had fun on a trampoline on the water. This is very good, as she prefers older kids.

We had to watch her like a hawk though because she thought everyone in the campground was her friend, and no place was off limits. This was a good time for practicing appropriate vs inappropriate behavior!

Parties

Deanna has been fortunate enough to be invited to several parties and events this summer. She has plenty of clothes and loves wearing new outfits! This day we thought we were going to a BBQ, but it turned out to be a surprise wedding reception. Congratulations Wanda and Neil! We all had a great time and Deanna had fun dancing and "singing" with the band.

New Kitty

Yesterday the "boys" came home with a new kitten. I have been saying that our cat is old and having trouble catching mice and we should get a new one, specifically an orange one.
Jordan called and said they found a nice black and white kitty and I said if we get a cat I want an orange one or a tabby. He said it might be too late, Jeremy might have already bought it, as I hear the car heading for home.
Anyway, she is a very nice kitten, very friendly and not intimidated by the dogs at all. Deanna of course was immediately in love and has been carrying her everywhere. Jon wasn't too happy but seen later that evening petting and kissing her......

HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY JEREMY

Hard to believe but our oldest son Jeremy is 21! It keeps getting harder and harder to deny my age when the boys are men. It has been great having him home this summer.
Deanna picked out some gifts for him and kept making some sort of hat gesture, so I'm thinking they did celebrate birthdays in the orphanage with a party hat.
After all the gifts she has received at her showers she is very good about giving to others and not expecting anything for herself.

4th of July

This was Deanna's first 4th of July as an American! If she only understood the significance. Spending 6 weeks in Ukraine makes you really appreciate all we take for granted here.
She of course didn't have a clue what it was all about.
The boys did some fireworks at home, which she loved. Then Deanna and I went to downtown Portland and met Mimi and Grampa for the big fireworks display. Aunt Susan has a condo right down on the waterfront so we went to dinner and hung out there to watch the show. Deanna loved the fireworks for the first 5 minutes but then was just as interested in watching all the people. We had a really good time and I've finally had to hide the t-shirt so she won't wear it every day.

4 Months Home

Summer is going by quickly and although Deanna has been here for 4 months it seems like she's always been with us for much longer. Her hair is really growing and has lightened up considerably as you can tell. She continues to enjoy just about everything she does and is always cheerful and energetic (perhaps too much sometimes!)

Her main issues for improvement are her speech (needs lots of work) and she is still too friendly with strangers, however this is improving. She definately knows who her family is and she is very affectionate and loving.

Dance classes are going well, but when they got out the tumbling mats one day she really came to life. I thought she would be a good gymnast because she is flexible, coordinated, and very tough!

The Summer Begins

This week Deanna was busy with many activities. She attended a day camp at the church where she goes for daycare/preschool. It was everyday, which she is not use to, but she really seemed to enjoy it. I do notice that she interacts more with the teenagers and adults than with the kids her age.

Jeremy is home with us for the summer. Deanna, Jeremy and I drove to Corvallis to pick up some of his things. It was fun for her to see where he lives when he is not with us. She LOVES playing with him and having him around but he is such a big tease! However I do think this bothers me more than it does Deanna.

This week she started private speech therapy. The first visit consisted mostly of testing and assessment, so the real work will begin next week. We are also in the process of evaluation for services through Early Intervention and Doernbecher Children's Hospital. It is clear she will need a lot of work so we are anxious to begin. With her speech delay it is easy for people to forget she has a language barrier as well. (Although her comprehension is excellent)

Deanna loves to play ball and actually is a very good at catching and throwing for her age. She is a girl at heart though, when I went to take her picture with the bat she was hugging and kissing it. I'm sure in all of our years of baseball I never saw either of the boys do that!

Today was very hot so we got out the slip and slide. She didn't quite understand the concept at first but Jeremy was there to demonstrate. He is an old hand at the slip and slide. We all had a great time watching and/or participating and everyone escaped with no injuries. I think this is the beginning of a very busy, hectic, and fun summer.