Second Verse, Same As The First

Dave sez, So I woke up in a funk yesterday. Not so much crabby or irritable, just kinda...meh. It's been grey and a little rainy. And not so much rainy, but the smell of rain. The weekends are slower, more laid back. After our SDA appointment at noon last Monday; our stop back at four the next afternoon, a visit to the orphanage with a social worker from Children's Services and a couple of stops to the notary, Friday we settled into our routine of visiting Masha. Then the weekend came and we had a different routine. We didn't have to get up as early or move as fast. Cathy and I finally got a little more sleep, and we shook off some of the jetlag that we'd been carrying around. Having done this a couple of times before, I'd have to admit that almost ninety percent of a journey like this is mental. I know what it is like to be a foreigner in a foreign country. It is very humbling. I am very respectful of the people here. Their country. Their customs. This is a country that is 2,500 years old. We are here as guests. While we are here, neither one of us wants to do anything that could be insensitive and offensive.

 

What helps me out of my funk of meh is seeing Cathy and Masha together. It's seeing our third child, our daughter come running to greet us when we come in to see her at the orphanage.

We didn't really get to know too much of her personality when we were here with Ethan. Just as we didn't get to know too much of Ethan when we were here with Justin. So now we are seeing all of Masha's personality.

It is fun to see her behave and act like a typical kid. It's fun to see her likes and dislikes. I'm sure we'll see more and more of it as time goes on - that was what was so much fun about bringing the boys home. Getting to know them and see their personalities develop. Each one of our kids is really fun to be around.

We are starting our second week, and getting more into a routine of visiting Masha. We work on her English - writing and reading. She has beautiful cursive handwriting. If she ever considers calligraphy - or comic book lettering - that could be kinda cool. She has a very nice accent. When we were here last she mostly nodded and answered yes or no (da or nyet) and scolded Ethan. When Skyping with her, it's been pretty much the same thing. Yes or no responses. We've heard her talk in her native language, and it is a wonderful thing to hear. When someone from Ukraine speaks English, the accent is enjoyable to hear.

This is the waiting period. We are waiting for our court date. That's the next step. While we wait, we get to spend quality time with our little girl.