The moment Natasha woke up she wanted Nina. I gestured to see if her gum was hurting her but she said” no.’ She immediately went for the I Phone to call her big sister Nina. They have formed quite the sisterhood in just one week. They have been together every day and I don’t think that will change for the rest of the hosting time we have together.

Natasha has started to reduce her food intake and for breakfast it was just ramen noodles and a hot dog. She knows there is plenty of food in the pantry and knows she can have it anytime she wants it so she is starting to eat normal size meals. She still likes to prepare a plate for me of whatever she has and we never have a meal without saying a prayer. She seems to be filled with rituals that I know her mother passed onto her. She was singing Jingle Bells in her native language at the table and I wondered if she was thinking about Christmas past.

Nina came over and the girls played for about 4 hours watching Russian videos, chasing Maggie McGee around the house and running through my kitchen like it was a drive thru asking for hotdogs, oranges, sprite and juicy fruit gum. Natasha seems to have forgiven us for her surgery and she knows the meds are keeping the pain at bay so she hasn’t refused them which I feared she would do.

I took them to McDonald’s so that Nina’s relative could pick her up for an early Christmas Eve dinner. You could tell Natasha was feeling groggy from the meds but she kept pushing onward. She told Nina that she wanted a phone for Christmas and a bicycle. I now know what parents feel like when you haven’t chosen the gift they really want for Christmas. The thought of disappointing her on Christmas morning makes me sad but I know neither toy can go back to the Ukraine with her.

Once Nina left I took her to the grocery where she picked up a teddy bear and princess Barbie doll to take home with her and she slept for almost 6 hours. The meds are still kicking in and she didn’t even want dinner tonight. She just stayed curled up in her bed with Maggie McGee trying to comfort her. I received a Fed Ex Delivery from Judy Peacock for Natasha and she asked if it was for her. She knows this is the night presents arrive so I finished wrapping up her Christmas gifts and will sneak them under the tree tonight…

I keep thinking of the kids back in the orphanage tonight who were not hosted and I’m sure they are wondering why they were not chosen. Nina told us that during this time the staff goes home and the kids are left to fend for themselves for three days. The hosting program allows the children to see America and experience some of our traditions while keeping them safe and out of harm’s way. I can only say that this hosting program has been a life changing experience for me and although there will be a little girl with lots of gifts under the tree tomorrow, the one that truly received the gift was me. I hope that through reading this blog others can understand what a wonderful experience this has been for me and how much joy this brings to the children. I would recommend this experience to anyone and you can email me using the contact form to the right if you would like contact information or you can visit the website www.frontierhorizon.org.

One Brave Soldier

We let Natasha sleep until 15 minutes prior to her car ride to the dentist. Jo ( Nina’s grandmother) did me a huge favor by taking her since I had to work. I also have to admit that I didn’t want to see her in such pain so Jo took “one for the team.”

Nina, Nina’s mom (Donna) and Jo were at the dentist office to fill out the forms and Nina was able to interpret for the dentist. The surgery went quickly and they removed two teeth (a 12 year molar and the one in front of that.) I can’t wait to talk to my niece Holly who is a dental hygienist and her husband Jeff who will be graduating from dental school in 2010. I don’t know what lies ahead for Natasha and her dental needs.

When the dentist started the procedure Natasha was shaking uncontrollably. She feared him more than most children but he was extremely kind and compassionate. He gave her happy gas and numbed her gums to help her relax. Once the procedure was over and she was alert she glared at all of them as if they had betrayed her. She bolted out of the chair and grabbed her coat. She had a huge piece of gauze in her mouth and I have to admit I kept thinking of the Christmas story where the little boy has gauze around his tongue… We’re pretty sure she had some “strong Ukrainian words” for everyone involved but going to McDonalds for ice cream and Nina sneaking her some French fries helped sooth her pain.

I stopped by at lunch and brought gifts hoping I was not on the outs with her and she ran and hugged me. Her little cheek was a bit swollen but she was still managing to run around the house with Nina. They were told that day if they slept for the afternoon they could go with Nina’s friend Trinity and their family to Lights Under Louisville. I didn’t think Natasha would even feel like going but she loves Nina so much that she kept up a strong front. They reminded me so much of my cousin Liz and I at that age… I would have done anything to be with her and I see that bond forming between Nina and Natasha. It is heartwarming to see them together…

That evening I went Christmas shopping before heading off with Jo to meet up with Natasha and Nina at the airport. One of Jo’s close relatives was coming home from basic training and we thought it would be good for the girls to see the soldiers coming home for the holidays. They watched as so many families were reunited and tears of joy could be seen throughout the airport as children hugged their fathers and mothers so tight they wouldn’t let them go. The expressions were priceless and the girls knew something very special was happening.

The Tylenol with codeine was kicking in with Natasha and so we both fell asleep as soon as we got home. It had been a very long day for her but she was one brave soldier.

Web guy again–Here are some more that I forgot to post but wanted to get up before taking off for the Christmas holiday. Merry Christmas Natasha!

Having fun plus…

some shopping fun and…

a gift from “Grandma Jo”! (That’s Nina’s Grandma)

Web guy’s note: My apologies for the late post…more to come!

Natasha Visits the Office #1 photo credit Harrell Tague

Natasha Visits the Office #2 photo credit Harrell Tague

Natasha Visits the Office #3 photo credit Harrell Tague

I was up at 5:30 this morning trying to organize my house before I go to work. With Natasha’s love of fine dining we end up using all my dishes, cutlery and glasses before the day is out. My washer is still on the brink of barely working and finding a repairman around Christmas time is unbelievably more difficult than I imagined. Natasha is noticing that the clothes are not quite as clean around the cuffs of her pants as she likes and gestures that I need to use soap and do them by hand!!!

Natasha stayed at home yesterday with my friend Marie Long who was planning to do crafts with her for the entire day and have beautiful Christmas presents of snowflake mugs and an apron with her handprint on it for me but Natasha was not feeling well and we knew it was her tooth or jaw that was bothering her. Nina’s grandmother was able to find a compassionate dentist Dr. Painter that agreed to see her immediately and unfortunately she has a molar underneath her gum that is broken in two and needs to come out. Children fear the dentists in their country because they do not the medicine needed to numb the gums like we do in the U.S. They also do not have fluoride in their water so cavities are very common and losing teeth to poor dental care is common. She will need to come back to the U.S. next summer for more dental care.

I came home at lunch and she came flying out the door to greet me and hugged me like there was no tomorrow. Because she is not feeling well she is particularly attached to me and my two dogs Maggie and Beau and they to her. She fixed lunch for Nina’s grandmother and myself which included watermelon, hot dogs, ramen noodles, Russell Stover’s chocolate, deli meat and grapes. She prepares the whole table and a different dish is used for each entrée. Jo and I were secretly putting the chocolate back into the box until she caught us and we both were given two pieces each to eat and she watched us like a hawk until we ate them and then she grinned and said “O.K..”

I had to go back to work and we had to get Natasha to the dentist so Jo agreed to take her. Dr. Painter is a very compassionate dentist and the staff went out of their way to make her feel comfortable and help ease her anxiety. Nina also went with her so she could translate for the dentist any questions he might have and to give Natasha some moral support. Nina is also very afraid of the dentist so it was good for her to see that dental care does not have to be so scary. I thought about both of them often during the afternoon. We laughed that I would owe her a small fortune because she could see on my face that I was fearing what was ahead for Natasha. She was willing to take “one for the team” so that Natasha would not connect me with the dentist if things went badly.

I left work and went Christmas shopping for Natasha and had so much fun. I bought games and clothes that she can wear while she’s here. Natasha will only be able to go back to the Ukraine with her new backpack and whatever we can squeeze in there. If I could send her back with a suitcase full of clothes I would but she has so many connections to make that it would be impossible for this to work. I plan on sending her boxes of treats once she is back in the Ukraine so that she never forgets me. She also went through my photo box of pictures and pulled out a picture of myself and my father (Ervin Schafer) where he was celebrating his 75th birthday. He was holding a helium balloon and that is one picture that will be going back with her for sure.

I picked Natasha up from Jo’s house and Jo’s children Donna and Jeff were there with their daughter Nina. The girls were having a wonderful time laughing and giggling and playing with Chewey while we got down to business on figuring out how to help Natasha through tomorrow’s surgery. It will be an early morning and one I’m not looking forward to but I know she will feel much better once the treatment is over. I’m guessing she will be sleeping most of the afternoon and evening and hoping the stitches are the kind that dissolve.

We had Nina translate that Natasha had to go back to the dentist and have some more work done. She was NOT happy and let’s just say the ride home was especially quiet. She looks at us like she knows she can trust us but leery that we are putting her through this. She went straight to my room to watch Russian videos and eventually came out wanting a bath and some ramen noodles. I think the soup is easier for her to eat at the moment and she was somber but trying to digest what was happening to her and how to get through it. She recites a prayer before dinner each night and it is sweet to see her little mouth just flying through the prayer with a hushed tone that does not allow me to hear what she is saying. She has been instructed in religion and it’s important to her to say a prayer before each meal. Her mother died two years ago but I can tell she loved her very much and taught her proper etiquette and to love God.

She went back to watching videos and talking on the I Phone until it was time to call it a night. She has a big day ahead of her and hoping it won’t be too traumatic.

I had to go back to work today and Jo (Nina’s grandmother) graciously offered to keep her for the day. Natasha had her first Bacon, Egg and Cheese Egg McMuffin and she plowed through that like it was an appetizer. She is also a big fan of coffee with cream and sugar…

Jo brought her by the office so she could see where I work and my boss Harrell Tague of RE/MAX Properties East offered to take pictures of her. He knew she had a sweet tooth so he opened up the candy machine and started handing out chewing gum, snickers bars, peanuts and lots of other treats. She really enjoyed the attention and she decided to get in my purse to pay for the treats and started giving out $20 bills to the realtors in the kitchen. Luckily, they returned all the loot or that would have been a very expensive trip to the candy store…

I took her home for lunch where we feasted on ramen noodles, deli meat, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, fruit and a coca cola. I suggest anyone that is considering hosting lose 15 pounds before they start this endeavor. All of us have decided we need to go on the Biggest Loser show after just one week with Natasha.
I got ready to leave to go back to work and Jo stopped by to pick her up. I got in my car and was backing out the driveway when suddenly she bolts out the garage door and runs to the car. “Mama Mama” She opens her door and buckles herself in. Jo and I laughed so hard that we just brought her back to the office and let her stay with me. . She also went into my garage once she realized she was going back to work and took Christmas ornaments I had in my garage to donate and decided to spruce up my office. I now have a Christmas tree with sparkles on my desk and she tried to organize my desk since it clearly didn’t meet up to her standards… She colored the rest of the afternoon and drew a picture for me which I think must have been of her mother because she was wearing an apron and we ALL know that the microwave is my best friend… We finished the day and Eric Blackwell (website guy) brought her in two helium balloons and she played with those until it was time to leave.

We left for the day with the balloons and right before we got in the car she looked up in the sky and uttered something like a prayer and let the balloons go. I had to believe this message was to her mother that she was happy and doing OK… As the balloons floated away she kept shaking her head and nodding. She was making a statement and I wish I knew what she was saying.

I took her over to Nina’s last night and they played for a few hours while I picked up my dog Beau from the vet clinic. I had to have Nina translate that I had a dog in my car and that he was very gentle. She loves him and now she has two guardians watching over her by night. She hugged everyone good night and it was time to go home…

She continues to have tooth problems and we have a dentist appointment set up for her tomorrow. I will owe Jo big time for this since she will be taking her to the appointment.

Yesterday was a great day with Natasha. We are slowly figuring out how to communicate even when we don’t share the same language… She got up this morning to find snow on the ground and just squealed with delight when she saw it. I could barely get shoes and a coat on her before she was running out the door with Maggie to make a round of snowballs. She came in and through several at me in the house just laughing and saying “Mama” (which is code for pretty much any adult woman…) She was having so much fun that I put my coat on and went out to play with her. We had a huge snowball fight, wanted me to chase her and my neighbors called later that evening and said they heard a little girl outside having the best time and wanted to find out how she was doing. After she pounced a few more snowballs at me we went inside and had breakfast.

We dined on pot roast and mashed potatoes and I had to convince her that it tastes better warm than cold but she eventually relents when she sees I am using the microwave versus the oven. She keeps saying when I try and put something in the microwave “No Mama, No” and then she tastes the meat and likes it but I wonder if she is used to just having her meat cold.

Nina is gone today so she will only be able to talk to her by phone. We called Judy Peacock to say hello and she kept answering Judy’s questions in her foreign language but she just loves to hear someone on the phone speaking to her…After a few minutes, we get her ready and do her hair and off we go to Wal-Mart. She is taking it all in when she sees the food section and so we ended up with grapes, pineapple, oranges, port roast, tons of mashed potatoes, hotdogs, chocolate for her gift bags, dog treats for Maggie, juice boxes, grape drinks, sprite, cokes, and a host of sugary treats.

We also shop for her some more warm clothes and she ends up with two little sweat suits (hot pink and black and pink) along with a skirt with tights, shiny boots, necklaces, a jewelry box, headbands, hot chocolate set with mugs and cocoa, and anything else that she fancied. I couldn’t say no to her and so let’s just say the bill was a bit excessive.

We came home and she went into organization mode of clearing and rearranging the refrigerator and she called me out in Ukrainian on getting another Coffee Creamer when I already had one in my refrigerator. Too funny. She managed to get everything into the refrigerator (a feat which I marveled at myself.) She then went to her room and organized her chest of drawers that looks just like you walked into The Gap with everything perfectly squared up and neatly placed in the drawer. I believe her mother taught her these things. She understands so much and wants everything to be just right. I watch her go through her routine and just know in my heart that she was loved by her mother before she was sent to the orphanage two years ago. Although she is fiercely independent she still will come to you to hug her sometimes, to rub her feet and she will give you a kiss on the cheek when you have made her happy.

Natasha had accidentally locked my I Phone and so she couldn’t place calls. She was really upset about that so off to the Apple store we went. She was not happy about going on another trip but I kept showing her the phone and trying to tell her that we had to get it fixed. She’s tired and starting to get a bit grumpy and so I run into the store and tell them the problem. The gentleman says “ you’ll need to go home and reformat your IPhone online and then everything will be OK.” I said “Sir, you don’t understand, I need this phone to work now and I’ll give you anything you want including my passport if you can do this for me right now.” He could see I was a bit stressed out and I explained that Natasha could not speak English and how important this phone was to her so he immediately put things into motion and up came the icons and off we went…

We went home and she watched Russian videos and then put on some of her new clothes and was ready to go see Jo Miller (Nina’s grandmother.) We were taking her that evening to a small country church where she could hear Christmas carols. But you guessed it, before we could go see Jo we had to prepare the gift basket of oranges, apples, chocolates, popcorn, miniature chocolate bars, chocolate kisses and some soft peppermint sticks… Jo had several gifts for Natasha that evening and she gave her a Santa Claus ornament that played Christmas carols and beat out the tune on two little drums. It was precious and had her attention from the moment she received it. She also received purple striped sock with the toes in them and a few other toys that pleased her.

We went to church that evening and she was worn out. I think she recognized some of the carols and I’m not sure if it made her sad thinking of times when she was with her mother. She curled up in a ball and fell asleep before the service was over…

We came home and she was hungry again and wanted hot dogs and wanted to sit out in the car. So we ended the night sitting out in my car eating hot dogs and opening and shutting the sun roof, turning on the windshield wipers, honking the horn and using the turn signals. I think she’s ready to get her license. 

When she went to bed she started gesturing that she had a toothache so I found the Children’s Tylenol. She was still hurting and was starting to whimper a bit when I tried to give her another Tylenol and she wanted no part of that recommendation. I used my ace in the hole by calling Gary Frye in Maryland so that Natasha could speak to his daughter and tell me what was the matter. Her tooth on her lower left jaw was hurting but she was refusing the medicine. She went to her room and kept refusing the tablet and cried for awhile and then she fell sleep. I was grateful to Gary and his family for trying to help her and I’m hoping that we can get her to take more Tylenol today. I pray we do not have to see a dentist because I know the children at the orphanage fear them.

On Saturday, Natasha woke up and was very hungry. She went straight to the refrigerator and started pulling out a pot roast, mashed potatoes, apples, oranges, bananas and sliced all the fruit and arranged them neatly on a plate. She has now learned that pot roast is better than deli meat and likes the gravy that comes with the roast. I think we have finally passed up French fries and have moved onto some healthier options. (Thank you Lord…)

She loves to take a bath and the warm water is comforting to her. She also enjoys having someone shampoo her hair and from there we are onto blow drying her hair and putting in electric rollers. She loves to see her hair in curls and I think we rolled it at least three times that day. She’ll sit back on my bed with Maggie and watch Russian videos until her hair is dry and ready for her latest headbands.

She quickly got ready and wanted her I Phone so she could call Nina. She kept getting voice mail which she doesn’t understand so she still continues to call a few people on my address book but thankfully they have all been in Kentucky!

She wanted to go see Nina and she gestures the steering wheel and says “machine” in a thick Russian accent which is just priceless. I gestured “no” and we would see “Nina soon.” I’m not sure she gets it but the I Phone has been priceless with giving me the ability to call Nina and have her explain that she would see her later in the day. That made her content and so she went into second gear of preparing gift bags for Nina and Nina’s Mama. She went thru my entire house and the bags included oranges, chocolate kisses, miniature chocolate bars, brightly colored memo pads, juice boxes, bags of popcorn, jewelry she found in my jewelry box, a pedometer, and a small calculator. It is tradition to bring gifts when visiting others and you can tell she was educated with proper Ukrainian etiquette.

Finally, it was almost time to see Nina. She gestured “machine” so I decided to put the bags in the car and drive very slowly over to Nina’s to try and use up some time.. When she saw Nina’s house she squealed with delight and couldn’t wait to open the car door and run into see her… She gave them the gift bags and off they went to Nina’s bedroom for some play time.

I drove over to the vet clinic and gave the girls some time to play and picked Nina and Natasha up later that day for some shopping time. I met my friend Judy Rosenberg and her daughter Emma over at Barnes and Nobles so they could meet the girls and Judy brought her a beautiful down vest that Natasha loves to wear. She said “Thank you” in that Ukrainian accent that tears at your heart.” I was trying to find a Ukrainian dictionary at B&N but to no avail. The girls walked through the store looking at everything with curiosity and wonderment. They were finally finished with the toy section and ready to do some real girl shopping. We headed over to the Children’s Place and picked Natasha up a pair of jeans that had studded hearts on them, a red long sleeve shirt and a red hoodie. The girls were hungry so we sat in a restaurant and had you guessed it “hamburgers and French fries…” They both said “thank you” and giggled throughout the meal.

We then drove over to Jo Miller’s home (Nina’s grandmother) and we sat in the kitchen while the girls played games and chased Chewey the dog around the house. They were having a great time and started taunting Chewey until Chewey finally revolted and nipped Natasha on the check for trying to take her toy. Natasha came in the kitchen and I noticed she had a bit of blood on her cheek and realized what had happened. I don’t know what bothered me more, the fact that she had been nipped or the fact that Natasha didn’t even cry. Most kids would have cried and so I wondered how much pain she has endured to show no emotion at such an event. Jo quickly doctored her up and she was off running and playing again.

The girls continued to play games that evening and I checked in on them in Nina’s room where monopoly money was floating from the top of the bunk beds as they laughed and spoke in Ukrainian the entire evening. They came in and feasted on at least 8 hot dogs, chips and orange drinks. Later they were both in Jo’s oversized chair snacking on peppermint canes. Now that was a Hallmark moment… You couldn’t write a novel that is any more rewarding than seeing the contentment in her face and how much she loves and wants to be loved.

I had some time to call someone back on my phone that had left a message. “Nancy, this is Gary Frye in Maryland, Natasha called us and I just wanted to make sure she is doing ok. If I can be of any help please just give me a call. I called him back and thanked him for offering to help with Natasha. Gary and his wife have adopted from the Ukraine and that is who Natasha stayed with the night they missed their connection. He was so thoughtful and he offered to let his children translate if Nina was not available. I had no idea how much that would help me on Sunday evening…. Gary is also a RE/MAX REALTOR and he saw on my I Phone that my business phone was given to me by my boss Harrell Tague. We began to realize just how small a world we really live in.

The girls were starting to wind down for the evening so we got her coat and went home where Maggie McGee was waiting for us. Natasha wanted another bath and her hair done before she slumbered off to sleep. Maggie McGee played with her on her bed and she has been a great therapy dog for Natasha. Maggie checks on her throughout the night and will sometimes be in front of her door guarding her. Animals understand more than we sometimes give them credit for because I can tell she knows she has a special child in my home and she needs to keep her out of harms’ way.

Web guy’s note: Nancy sent over some more photos of Natasha with a funny note to make sure that I told everyone that the “shiner” under her eye came from an encounter with “Chewey”, a little dog that she was playing with. Apparently she decided to take a chew toy away from chewey and he decided to live up to his name…news at 11 (grin)

Apparently she and “Chewey” are still on speaking terms?

Natasha and Nina enjoying some time together.

Another picture of Natasha and her friend Nina

Natasha got up early yesterday morning and was dressed and was pointing to the car in my garage. She grabbed my keys and hit the horn and my lights started blinking and the horn was going off like a bugle. I quickly turned it off and she had already opened the car door and put Maggie McGee in the back seat and motioned for me to sit down too. She said “Nina” and I tried to tell her that it was too early and that Nina was sleeping by gesturing to her that Nina was asleep. We went back inside and she understood.

I picked up a few of my voice mails and one was from my boss Harrell that I had called him at 10:30 last night and he wanted to know if I needed anything. Then I picked up another voice mail from Judy Peacock. “Nancy, it’s 4:30 a.m. here and you have called me three times already… I think you must have rolled over on your cell phone and accidentally called me… The pieces were coming together….Natasha had been calling several of my friends from my address book on my I Phone! She left some muffled messages on some of them but I realized I had a big problem because she holds onto the I Phone like it’s her doll… She didn’t realize her mistake but I knew I had to fix it quickly… I called Nina (her little Ukrainian buddy) who was adopted recently by friends of mine and asked them to tell her that she could use the phone to take pictures but she couldn’t call anyone other than Nina… That turned out to be a huge mistake.

She handed me the phone and bolted off to her room where I found her with tears running down her face… Not the kind of tears where a child is having a meltdown but tears that tell you that she felt wounded once again and thought she was being punished… I tried to get Nina back on the phone but she was already in school. Natasha had a rough morning and that “Russian glare” was back… If I could have given her my whole address book to go through again I would of and gladly written Harrell the check! That was painful for both of us and she eventually went to sleep and crashed for 4 hours.

I called Donna and asked if I could bring Natasha over to see Nina after school so we could help her understand that she was not being punished. I had 2 hours to work with before we met Nina and let’s just say she was not enthused about doing anything but sleeping. Finally, I folded like a tent and said “Nina, Go see Nina”. She quickly grasped the concept and was throwing her coat on and putting on her shoes. What she didn’t realize was that we had two hours until then…..

I had to get her out of the house so I drove her through Dairy Queen and got her a cheeseburger and French fries. She’s a big fan of anything that includes potatoes. She kept saying “Nina” and I kept shaking my head and pointing to the clock in my car. “Soon Natasha Soon.” She ate slowly and provided little eye contact but she knew I was taking care of her and she said “thank you” but that was about all the conversation she was going to have with me until she saw Nina. I then drove thru the bank drive thru and you could tell with her eyes that she thought she had been duped and that she wasn’t going to see Nina. She crunched down in the seat and left the world around her. She had no interest in looking out the window or asking what things were. She was in holding pattern until she saw her Nina…

The trip seemed like a lifetime for both of us as we drove in silence with Christmas carols on the radio. What she wasn’t telling me was probably as important as what she was trying to tell me. “I think you’ve conned me. I don’t believe we are going to see Nina” “You lied to me.” (I know that’s what she was thinking.) We finally arrived at their home and Nina was just getting out of her car. I said “Look Natasha… Nina…” She wouldn’t even look out the window… I said “Natasha… Nina … Nina Nina..” She finally peered out the window and the smile, light and life came back in her.

She quickly unbuckled her seat belt and ran to Nina and hugged her… She finally realized I had kept my promise and so we had the most beautiful little girl back again. Grinning, laughing, and squealing with delight to see her Nina. It was a Hallmark moment and one I won’t forget… They ran quickly into the house and into Nina’s room where they played with her toys and learned more about (gasp) the I Phone… When I came back from visiting my dog in the Vet hospital, she was playing tick, tack toe on the I Phone.

Nina was able to translate to Natasha that she was not being punished and that placing calls cost money. So she now knows that she can only call Nina and can still take pictures. She was content with that answer and understood. Nina told her “Natasha… You get me up very early this morning… I very tired…. Why you call so early? I had to go to school…. My teacher said she would take my phone if I got another phone call. You must learn to call me when I’m not in school.” Natasha finally understood and they giggled and laughed the afternoon away.

I stopped by Buffalo Wings before I picked Natasha up and my nephew Patrick was waiting for us at home. I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to cook and some say that’s a blessing. Natasha doesn’t get a lot of protein so Buffalo Wings and potatoes (a Ukrainian favorite) became the feast of the night along with a big piece of chocolate cake and coco cola. She was happy again and smiling and trying to feed Maggie McGee under the table knowing she was not supposed to do so but giggling so hard that I let her do it…

She thinks ahead and cares about other people. She put a juice box and chocolate in Patrick’s duffel bag to take home with him… It’s important to her that she shares what she brought from the Ukraine with us. I thought she might be leery of Patrick since she is entirely cared for by women but she gave him a couple of presents throughout the evening and you could tell he was touched by her generosity. A little girl with hardly a thing to share giving the best she had to offer to this young man… My heart just ached for her… I thought to myself, she should be with a loving family. She has so much to offer and with just a bit of encouragement she will go on to be the most beautiful American girl… She just can’t go back without hope that she will have a Mama and Papa.

About an hour later the sugar from the chocolate cake had finally kicked in so she went into Natasha mode of wanting to take a bath and wash her hair. She figured out how to turn the water on before I even got there and she’s already quite the independent lady. She had grabbed a towel, her shampoo and lotion and was waiting on me to get there. She had a great time playing around in the bath tub and you could tell she enjoyed the warm water, soaking in every bit of warmth and her mind wandering off to a distant land… I don’t think they use warm water for bathing and so you could sense the comfort she was feeling as she spoke in soft Ukrainian words that I wish I knew what they meant. She had that look on her face when you have just finished up a spa treatment and it was priceless to see her happy and content… We eventually dried her hair and of course she wanted to do the electric rollers again… She loves dressing up and seeing her hair tumble down with soft curls.

Nina had given her a Russian Video and so she excused herself and went back to my bedroom, grabbed the remote and asked me to put the DVD in. She understands technology and was fast forwarding and changing menus since the DVD had 50 episodes… I brought in a can of popcorn for her and she was snuggled up under my down comforter with her Sprite, popcorn and Maggie McGee by her side…You can’t get any more American than that…

About 10:30 she jumped out of bed and went back to her bedroom and got under the covers. As I said goodnight I could see she was holding onto the I Phone… Sweet Dreams…