Day 9 - Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Kev and I had a break through with Max! We made constant eye-contact with him and reinforced the idea that I am Mama and Kevin is Papa over and over again during our soccer game. I think just hearing us say it over and over, reassures Sergei as well. After the game we went inside and Max repeated the words “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”…His first English words! He can do this! Hearing his little voice and feeling his little hand in mine makes all my worries disappear. He is so happy to be with his brother and Sergei LOVES him more than anything. Watching them play soccer was great. Max will focus on whatever Sergei does. If Sergei does a drop-kick, Max does a drop-kick. I still couldn’t get Max to kick me the ball (he would only give it to his brother) but he does call me Mama, yell extra loud in Russian at me in hopes of me understanding him better and leads me by my hand when he wants me to do something. I love these boys.

We are going into week 3 this Sunday without the girls and I cannot tell a lie…it is really starting to hurt, bad. We have not been able to Skype the way we had hoped and it really does help when we can see their faces and Charlotte’s big round belly. At Suzy’s school they have a different virtue they work on every month. This month, Suzy was chosen as the student who displayed this month’s virtue: Patience. When we read that, we both lost it. We are so grateful for these sweet girls and their big hearts. They are anxious to get their brothers home so that Pearl can teach them English and how to swim and Suzy can show Max the jumpoline and Stewart (if Charlotte hasn’t crushed him by then…) Kiss our girls and hold them tight. Girls, Mommy and Daddy love you and we are coming home as fast as we can!