Time has flown by

My intentions were to update this blog frequently, but life sure gets busy. I can't believe nearly 5 months have passed since my last entry. So much has happened that it will be difficult, or impossible to describe it all. Natasha has adjusted well, beyond my expectations. She is a happy, well-adjusted pre-teen girl. Not that we did not have our moments in the beginning. I re-read my last post and remember the temper tantrums the first few months. They were averaging about 2 a week until about June 1st. Looking back, I think Natasha was frustrated from not being able to communicate well and she was also testing the boundaries. She was thinking she could call the shots in the family. In early June there were a couple of big incidents were Mark and I really had to let her know that she was not going to get her way. It was not particularly fun, but she got the message and the tantums pretty much ceased. She still gets pouty and whiny, but that is the extent of it. She knows now that she cannot win.

Her English is just great. She has no trouble talking up a storm. Just a minute ago she was looking over my shoulder, wanting to type the blog!

Her reading and and writing skills are still way behind, but considering how far she has come, I have no doubt she will catch up soon.

She has made lots of friends at school and she invited them this summer for her birthday party. At the end of the day, she said it was the best party she had every had. That just made me so

happy inside! She's 12 now. In many ways she acts like a typical 12 year old girl, but in many other ways she still seems very young. Emotionally, she is probably 2-3 years behind. I think she acts like a 9 year old. In some ways she is even younger than that. She needs her mom in ways that a young child does. But I know that is because she missed so much bonding a closeness with a mom in those earlier years. She recognizes that too, and is able to verbalize it. We have worked out daily routine that helps her get those needs met. Socially she seems to keep up with her peers, which I am grateful for.

She starts middle school next week. It is a much bigger school, with older kids. She is a little nervous, but she will be fine. One good thing about this school is they have put her in ESL classes for all her subject. I think that should help.

We took a 2 week family vacation which was awesome. We were up near Glacier National Park. She caught her first fish, and saw lost of wildlife she has never seen before. For her it was quite an adventure, for me it is the start of some wonderful family traditions and great memories. She is just an awesome kid with a great heart. I feel so very, very lucky!




She is taking swimming lessons right now. It was a fight to get her to agree to take them, but now she loves it. We are trying to get her involved in hobbies, or sports on anything that interests her. She does not want to take lessons of any kind. We have asked her about every interest under the sun and she has said "no" to all. But while on vacation she said she wanted to try golf. Yeah! We don't golf, but I am just so happy to see her finally have a desire to learn a sport or hobby.

We'll that's all for now, but I will really try to post more often. The truth is . . . I am having so much fun being with Natasha that I hate to break away!