Thursday, August 30, 2012

Two month home 8-29-2012

Exactly 2 month ago our boys entered United States as Mironyuk's. Our newly adopted sons are doing great! Yes, we do have our trials and bad moments, but I would not trade our boys for anything. Actually now, as we get more older/ wiser :), I know that when boys making bad choices, and have behavior problem,  this is a  part of the bonding process, they feel more comfortable with us. The progress in two month is huge.

Danik is getting more open, he can talk to us about many things, before it was very quite child and we were never sure what he was thinking about. Lying was a huge issue, and we were warned by others(back in Ukraine), about Danik not being honest and lying about almost everything. Honestly, we never saw a lot of lying, we had few moments but it's almost gone in this two month. We had many talks, Danik knows all the consequences and we don't see any lying, he is smart boy. I know that he will still try, and will test us, but we already see a lot of progress, and now we are wondering if he was lying back in the orphanage , maybe he was just scared to be punished...?

Danik has quite personality, doing his best when someone is watching him, love when we praise him for good work, and will do almost anything for praises and to be recognized. He is trying to make good choices, and learning to not get in other people business. Danik is getting better at sharing. He doesn't understand what is family, and how we protect and helping each other, because we are one family. Danik is still has behavior of not thinking about others, but it's getting  better, and more often we see him sharing and thinking about others, but we do have long road to learn and help him to fully understand why it's not all about one of us, it's all about our family. More and more he is offering his help to others, and this is huge progress... :)

Now, he comes for comfort to Sergey and I, before he would never say what bothers him. Even a little scratch on his leg, or arm , we will know about it :)  He is still having hard time to bond, and accept Danilka as older brother. Even at school, when Danik is hurt, he would run away from Danilka, and all what Danilka tried to do it's to translate to a teacher what happened and to ask his brother if he needs any help. Danilka and Danik are very competetive, and I think this is number one issue, but they are learning :)

Danik love his little sister , and always trying to help and play with her. He is very good big brother to all younger ones in our house.

We hear more I love you's. :) More eye contact! :)We hear many jokes, and stories from him!

At school we see a lot of progress, he is catching up quickly on English, and improving his math.

He is learning and we just love to watch him grow, opening up and becoming loving happy boy!

Stanislav, our Stasik is very active little boy. Most of the time he can get out of hands, if we dont' stop him. He is very playful, and sometimes it's too much for others around him. The very funny part is that everyone fell in love with him instantly, and everyone usually ask us to get him out of the room, out of their faces :))) Stasik is getting better, learning to behave, and not getting in other people face.

His personality is very open, loud, and happy! What he will do while you watch him, same thing he will do when no one is around. He is always helpful, love little ones, doesn't' like when older brothers tell him what to do. This little guy has a taste :) Most of the time he will take to choose his clothes to school, and will not wear just anything... Sometimes he is not in mood, and would were anything like other boys, but usually he knows the way he wants to look :)

School is not so easy for Stasik. We decided to place him in second grade, even he was never in school before he came to us. In Ukraine, they never send him to school.
Before school started, Stasik had no idea what plus and minus is. He was able to count only till 10. Couldn't do 1+1, and would get very frustrated when I would try to work with him and teach him anything. I felt really miserable, and even thought that we made a wrong choice by sending him to second grade. I still tried to work with him, and teach 5 minutes at the time, and by playing or promising him something like: playing on my phone, or wii :)  But......today, only after two weeks of school, and working with him after school, I have a child, who made so much progress that it's unbelievable... He is counting almost till 20, but can do + and - up to 10 with out his fingers and plastic stick that i gave him at first:) He is understanding math :)
He can write numbers, he still does write many numbers backwards and for 13 write 31 but there is huge progress.:) He barely could write anything, and he is so proud of himself to be able to write his name now :)

He love to cuddle, give kisses and repeat : you are my mom, only my mom, I love you! :) very heart touching :) I think for Stasik life is game, and he is very easy to correct and teach something new, maybe because he is still small? He is always entertaining others!

Both boys doing great, and we just love to get to know them more. I really think that two summer month spending home as one family made huge difference in their behavior and our bonding.

I will write more updates on their behavior, and problems we have, when I get more free time. In the morning I have Sergey at home, and we do most of the shopping, appointment and etc, and I try to spend some time with Sergey and little ones.


When boys come from school, Sergey is already at work, and I do spend all my time on homework's, correcting behaviors, explaining why is not ok to pull down other kids pants at school, why is not ok to try to stop a bus, and open manually entrance door  to get in the school bus, why is not ok to chase girls and hug them, why is not ok to shake others when you are excited, why it's not ok to bite your friend even if your older brother told you to do it(as a joke, but it's still not ok), why it's not ok to punch others, why it's not ok to climb up things and jump off them, and looks like it never will come to the end :) everyday boys come up with different things and I have to come up with good reasons to explain why it's not ok :)


My awesome life :)



Monday, August 27, 2012

Life goes on...

Updates ..

Vadym left, and we do feel really bad and we do worry about him a lot. I got few pictures of Vadym in the orphanage, and it helped, and he looks ok. We miss him a lot, and I didn't know that it's so easy to get attach to someone in short period of time. When making food, or setting up our table for meals, we still get everything of 8, counting Vadym. :) When we are out in the public places, I am counting heads, and sometimes would get , oh why only 5 heads, where is the 6th head ?:) Thankful to our God for Vadym, and for this opportunity. In next few weeks will be sending a little package to Vadym with photos, his new glasses, maybe some clothes.


It's been 2 weeks of school, and kids doing great. I am so proud of them. Stanislav has the most warnings, and even got 1 citation but I thought it would be worst. :)

I am home with two little ones, and bunnies. We have 3 bunnies now

Just got new dining table, and we can enjoy our meal together as one family.

Moved Elliana from our room to her new room, and she is a officially big girl now :)

We got something going on in our family, some kind of cold. Everyone  not feeling too well, please pray it go away quickly.

Trying to find time, and put my words/thoughts together and make a post about Danilka and his medical problems. For now I just want to say that we are thankful that we got to today, and he is doing great. Praise our God!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Said goodbye to our Vadym

This week is very hard week for our family. Monday we took Vadym to San Francisco, and dropped him off with his orphanage director, and other kids who were in US for hosting. We couldn't take him straight to the airport on Tuesday morning, so we had to take him on Monday.

Older boys went to school, and we headed to San Francisco. We spend our last day together with Vadym, and we had a great day. Most of the day, I couldn't' keep my tears to myself. When I was looking at Vadym, and feeling his little warm hand in my hand, and getting hugs from him, when I heard "mommy" from him, my heart was torn in little pieces.
I tried hard not to show it! I knew that saying goodbye was extremely hard for Vadym too, but he was holding really good(at least it looked like), he is very brave little boy.

When we said our goodbyes to Vadym, and headed to our car, I started crying. It's hard! I saw Vadym's faces, stiff and with no emotions! No expression on his face, stiff hands, and no reaction to people around him. Same expressions on his face was when we first saw him at our house. When Vadym came to our house he was not reacting to our voice, questions, or anything around him. For first 2-3 days with us, he only replied with 1-2 words.  If he was in-trouble, he would go in the block mode, and not reply to our questions at all. I think he thought that he will get even more in-trouble. I think he does this every-time when he is nervous or feels uncomfortable, he just blocks/zoom-out himself from this world, and this is his protection. By the 3rd week with us it was gone, even when he would get in-trouble, and we asked him questions he would reply, and talked to us about what happened. It took a lot of time talking, and working with  him, but I was so proud of him when he would reply and would smile at me:)

I tried not to think that I am sending this child back to the orphanage, back to nowhere, back to his previous life! I know, we never made any promises to Vadym, or to anyone, but it was hard because I couldn't' do nothing about this situation. The only thing I promised Vadym, that we will always love him, pray for him and will do everything to find him a family. This little boy needs mommy and daddy!

Rest Area stop:)

 Took Vadym to Rain forest cafe to have lunch!

 Walked around San Francisco for a while.

 Saying goodbye! Vadym's already blocking himself!



 Picture from airport....Vadym is so sad...
 We couldn't go to airport but one nice lady took this picture...

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Have to say goodbye

In 2 days we will have to say goodbye to Vadym, our hosting son. All the emotions I am going through are really hard to describe. Vadym spend 3 weeks with us, and we got to know him more. He is awesome little boy, and how I wish that he would have a family already! We are praying for him, we are asking God to give Vadym loving family. I will post more about Vadym after he leaves.
We are really busy, with school already started, preparing Vadym and all of us for goodbyes!

I don't' have any energy to post ,and lately I don't know what to post about, the only thing I am thinking about is Vadym, and how to help him to find his forever family. It's so hard to send a child back to the orphanage! It's soooo hard!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Sunday 08-05-12

We decided to take kids to San Francisco, go to Aquarium of the Bay and also show kids the ocean. We had a great day! We asked Vadym what he wants for his B-Day, go to the zoo, or go to the ocean again, his answer was --ocean... so we will go tomorrow again, if everything will be ok.....boys cant wait to go to the ocean.:)

And here is few pictures from our Sunday trip :
I didn't put them in order, we went to Aquarium first and then to the ocean. But here is the ocean pictures...
 Kids had instructions to get in the water, get wet up to their knees.







 Until Denny fell, good thing Sergey was by his side. Denny was all wet, but I didnt' get a chance to capture those moments.
 Here Denny in blue jacket, Danik offered him, because Denny was all wet and it was windy.
 And then all the fun begun, Danilka tried to get a clam, and got all wet. Other boys asked to get wet too...
only baby didn't get in the water, she was playing in the sand all the time. Only few times she went to wet her feet a little.

 This lady was there for about 15 minutes, smiling and watchig our boys in the water.
 Vadym is a sweetest kid! Any woman would be proud to have him as a son, and be called mommy byVadym..
 Danilka wrote this. I just love my handsome boy!

 Stasik is very cold. And slowly walking to the parking lot.

 All kids after the ocean. Not so clean and not dry anymore.....:))) They had a great day, we all had a great day!

 We were not prepared for ocean "fun", and I had only few extra sets of clothes in the car. But we all went home dry and almost clean :)


THis is was early in the morning during our walk to Aquarium. Everyone is sill clean and not wet:)












 I just love this tunnel, and have all kind of fishes swimming all around you!






 They have this area where people can touch sharkds, rays and sea stars.


Very nice day, and great time bonding as a family! Vadym enjoying everything he see's and he is very good child.