Robin here. Today is Friday and in a few hours we will be leaving for the orphanage for our third visit with Kristina! Yesterday’s visit was awesome! The moment Greg and I appeared in the doorway of Kristina’s group’s main room, we were greeted with a huge smile as she jumped from her seat, still chewing the green apple she was enjoying as a mid-morning snack. Kristina immediately ran to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss. She then went to Greg and repeated the hug and kiss for him. Before leaving the room, she took her Russian speaking doll, Anna from the bookcase where it sat among other toys. Kristina also grabbed the book light she had confiscated from Greg the previous day. With these two possessions in hand, she hurriedly led us to the playroom. Once in the playroom, Kristina sat with us and finished her apple – core, seeds and all. The only part of the apple remaining when she was done eating was the tiny stem she handed to me to dispose of as she swallowed her last bite.

Yesterday’s pa-DAHR-uk (gift) from us was a Memory match game. The game has 72 cards, each with a simple picture to which there is a match. As we assembled the cards face down on the floor, we would call out the names of the pictures in Russian --
KOOK-la (doll), M-YAH-CH, (ball) OOT-ka, (duck) bah-NAHN (banana) and so on. It was now time to turn the cards over and try to remember where the matching card was located in the grid. Let’s just say that Kristina has a REALLY good memory and matched her pictures with ease. It was then time for some physical play in the jungle gym where Kristina climbed, jumped, crawled and slid in a furry of nonstop action! Greg and I stood outside the jungle gym as she taunted us with the Russian version of na, na na, na, na na, you can’t get me!

Finally, in a moment reminiscent of our bonding with Julia, Kristina began to dig through my purse, and once found, my comb and mirror became her tools to give me a makeover. She removed all ten of the clips from her own hair and began her magic on Mama! I believe the picture we’ve included says it all… And, not to be forgotten, Kristina even spent a minute or two styling Papa’s hair – picture NOT included!

I don’t think our second day of bonding could have gone better. Kristina is obviously ready to become a part of us. She readily calls us Mama and Papa and she imparts generous hugs. She is a precious child whose spirit and ability to trust has not been broken, despite the circumstances of her life prior to coming to the orphanage. We learned yesterday that Kristina was found. This means that she was without an adult, roaming about on her own. We will learn more of the details of this today when we speak with Yuri, the orphanage director.