Slack Lining and Turkey Day

Thanksgiving this year was a red letter day as far as I am concerned. Anya’s temperament is one that doesn’t handle new things well. Once something has already been experienced, she is just fine and mellow about it all. But this last year has been one of ALL new experiences, with all the turbulence that it created. So, a repeat of a holiday Anya had already had with us was something I was looking forward to. It’s funny, we are going to Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park again in a couple of days and I started telling her stories of her 3 hour visit with us last year. It’s like telling your child or niece about a cute thing you remember from when they were little, but our remembrances of Anya that we share with her are only a year old. Her response is usually, “Oh…......yeah…I remember that!” as if it were years ago.

She hadn’t met with Dave’s whole side of the family before, as last year Dave’s brother had an accident in December, so that group didn’t make it to the Christmas celebration and we arrived home with Anya the day they wanted to have Thanksgiving. So, this past weekend, we met at “Gramooshka’s” (Anya’s mushed together word made from Grandma and Babooshka) for Thanksgiving. On the way home, she told me, “Mom (she doesn’t really call me ‘Mama’ anymore-boo hoo), I had a really good day today with my family.” AND she gets to go to Knott’s in two days.

Anya set most of the table for Thanksgiving dinner this year!

I have grown to LOVE that smile and the mischievous eyes that usually are trying to hide a trick that is being planned.

Big brother brought his slack line for the cousins to use.

Anya's turn!

Literally dancing on a skateboard.

Look what she let's me do. The braid stays in all day and keeps most of the shorter hair out of her eyes. Awesome.

(Notice the stool Anya dragged across the yard to be able to get up on the slack line alone? I went over to make sure to catch her when she fell at Matt's request.) Matt took this picture and basically told me, "Mom, you're going to love this photo. It reperesents the past year and what you have done for Anya." Look at her confident independence on the line, yet her secure dependence on her mom, poised right there, almost falling under the weight of it all, ready to catch her when she falls. And who, with the two of them still laughing, will let her do it all again. 

~Monica

 

Anya's Bucket List

I found this list in a pile of things I intended to blog about. 

Updated comments are in blue.

 

3/8/11  Things Anya Wants To Do

(she'd only been here 3 1/2 months at this point)

*Drive (it's "a little bit scary" though)

*Go to a fair~Dave took her to the Ventura County Fair in August to see the animals and the Beach Boys. She called on his phone just before it started to tell me that the real men were going to sing, it wasn't just a CD like she thought.

*Ride a hort’ (horse)~Did that Memorial Day weekend at our friend Lehti's house. Did a blog on that one.

*Shave inside her nose (so she doesn't look like a grandpa)~haven't allowed that yet.

*Not to get her ears pierced~no sign of wavering on that one, she is terrified of the pain involved.

*Not to wear exercise pants~can't imagine that EVER happening, she is so disgusted by the sight of them.

*Not brush her teeth well~she finally does do it well!

*Have a big ponytail~she can put her hair in one by herself!!

*Have an iPhone~yeah, right.

*Grow her hair out~TA DA!!!!!!!!!!!

*Be able to go out front alone~she can and does. She gets the mail at the curb, takes Chico down four houses for a walk and often takes things over to the neighbors.

*Go to the beach~done and done.

* Fish~gotta plan that one. There is always next spring!

My how we've grown in a year!!!!!!! Phew.

~Monica

Anne Girl, part 2

I forgot to mention that Anya said soon after beginning to watch Anne of Green Gables, "Mom, she is just like me!"

And while watching the scene at the Christmas ball when Anne and Diana waltzed with each other, 

Anya said so gently, "Oh, it's so beautiful."

Anne Girl

Well, this story is about Anya or Anna and Anne, with an "e", if you know what I mean. Probably only the female bunch knows about Anne of Green Gables.

Before I begin, just a little, somewhat related back story. I have a friend named Viveca. We have been friends since 1995 and she tells me that when we first got together, I told her all about how I was going to adopt two African children and that I had it all figured out with my bunk beds. I remember none of this, but she's stickin' with the story. Interesting, huh? Anyway, Viveca generally goes by Vikki, but her husband calls her Viv and I occasionally do too.

As Anya and I were headed to Vikki's (one of Anya's favorite places to go), I used the name Viv and then proceeded to explain what her full name is. Anya get VERY angry with me and repeatedly told me NOT to call her Viveca. "She will be really angry with you Mom!" On and on it went as only a fixated person can do. When we got to Viv's, we recounted the story and Vikki insisted that Viveca is her name and it is okay to call her that. 

"Well, I told Mom that you don't like it. People called me my Russian last name and I didn't like it." Okay, enough about that. Only one more thing. Anya can handle their large black lab pretty well. It is amazing to watch. Obviously, if the dog chose to run away, he'd be dragging her behind, but he listens to her. Anya showed up at the back door as we were talking and she was wet on one side from the waist down. She had permission to hold the dog in the yard while Viv's brother was out there and we were just inside. However, she decided that she'd put the dog into his kennel by herself. Well, she was in the kennel with him and her legs got wrapped by the leash (even though Viv told her over and over to not have any slack in it) and she ended up in the bowl of dog water!!

A day or two after our visit, I turned on the TV for Anya, which isn't that common. Two shows came on that we watched on KCET-Saddle Club and the cartoon Anne of Green Gables. Within the first three notes of Saddle Club's theme song, Matt's girlfriend yelled from the kitchen, "Is that Saddle Club?!" and came running in and jumped onto the sofa. She and her sister used to watch that show when they were younger and it had been taken off the air. Well, after watching the AGG (Anne of Green Gables) cartoon, I got the idea to put the "live'' version in for her.


When my 26 year old was about 9 months old, KCET was having a marathon/fundraising drive and ran AGG on their station. I sat mesmerized by the show for a whole hour, keeping the baby up that much past his bedtime. Now, 25 years later, I was going to try it on An (or Ann, still pronounced On). So, we sat watching it. She grew more and more fascinated when she realized the girl's name, Anne, saw her red hair, found out she was adopted at 12, was in most of the show as a 13 year old and that she had trouble controlling her temper (as I am learning most adoptees do). She was in love.

Then, into the scene came Anne's best friend, Diana Barry. A quick inhale followed by, "Mom, she's just like Vikki!" So, now Anya sees herself as Anne and Viv as Diana. Check it out...

Anne

Diana

 

Our very own Anne and Diana. Kindred spirits indeed.

HEY DAVE!!

Check out the girl's hair!!

 

I have never seen so many adults so excited about the length of a child's hair before!!

I really, really wanted to go get a pedicure while Dave was working for many days. I have only had no more than 6 pedicures in my whole life too. But alas, I had used up all my “Hey, son, will you watch Anya for me for a few hours?” time, so I decided to do it myself. Hey, why not ask the girl if she wants one too. I added literally 4 drops of dish washing soap to the foot bath. Well, lots and lots of bubbles are made from the forced air that is shot into the foot bath. Anya liked that! At first she wasn’t too sure what was going on, but then she loved it. Note her little chair. My awesome upholsterer that I use for clients made it for her. It is sized to her exact measurements. Her feet touch the floor, her arms rest on the chair arms and the her back is flat against the chair. This is not normal for a dwarf, but now it is for her.

Dave was working for that long stretch and Anya and I went to see him at work very other day. During this time I was really a mess physically. Due to my thyroid being out of whack, I had a racing heart and had to have an EKG and an appointment with a cardiologist. They weren’t sure if my aorta was too small or if it was caused by my thyroid, luckily it was the latter. So on our last visit with Dave, I was wiped out and really needed a break from my precious talkative 13 year old. Being so out of it, I left my phone and a few other things I was going to bring to Dave on the coffee table.

Usually when we arrive at the station I call Dave and tell him we are there and he comes out to meet us. But not this time. I sent Anya into the kitchen to ask for Dave and stayed alone in the car. After a few minutes, through the closed car windows I heard a deep strong announcement going out all over the station. Next, Anya came out of the kitchen toward the car skipping, dancing and laughing.

Apparently, when Anya asked for Dave, one of the guys told her she could call him on the PA. He held down the button and she announced really loudly (not knowing how a PA works) in her strongest Russian voice, “Hey Dave!! We’re here!” And out it went over the airwaves, to be heard far and wide. She had the firemen in the kitchen laughing, that’s for sure.

Dave ate some dinner with Anya and let her run around and play ball with him on the racquetball court while I stayed alone (except for our Pug that was with me) in the car for a whole 45 minutes. Sheer bliss.

Anya loves her hair and tells me all about how the wave stays in it, even after sleeping. She is just trying to make me jealous. When I tell her how straight and “bad” mine is, she says, “Yes, I know.” What a little goober. She fits in just fine. Speaking of that, November 10 was the one year anniversary of our paperwork being official and November 20 is the one year anniversary of her arriving home. On the 10^th, we had a cake and sang to her. Dave was working so he sent her flowers and chocolate. She called him and must have said ten times, “I just love it so much, they are beautiful! Thank you!!” Next week we’ll go out to dinner with Dave for her arriving home.

Here are the three of us singing to Anya “Happy One Year Anniversary to You.” It’s pretty pathetic, but Anya loved it!

Three of us singing to Anya

 ~Monica