We are suprised at how much she's grown since seeing her on the video that the orphanage where she was staying at sent to us.  She's going to be tall for her age; we can see that in her long, slender legs and arms.

She is absolutely beautiful.

Josue' and Yacinthe (our other two children) absolutely adore her.  They want to be with her every minute: her light, straw colored hair, big, blue-green eyes, and fair complexion are so unlike their own dark Hispanic coloring; this is one reason why they want to be with her: they can't take their eyes off of her.

Of course, like all children, Sophie has times where she wants to be by herself; when the loving gestures of her older brother or sister get the best of her, she will hit them, growl menacingly at them, as though to say: "Back off!  Leave me alone!"

Josue' and Yacinthe get the message.  They leave her alone; soon peace reigns once again in our household.

Juan and I have been busy trying to help her with her English skills.  Her English is still limited at best; however, she's still learning, so we should be patient with her.

We're thinking of teaching her Spanish once she learns more English.  We have found her to be very intelligent for her years.  She's just seven; yet she soaks up everything like a sponge, and we are discovering new, surprising things about her every day.

At night, she does have nightmares; one wonders what she may have experienced back in Russia; however, we are more than ready to help her, love her tears away. let her know that she's now safe with us.

It's all we can do.

Other than her stubborn streak or her nightmares, Sophie is a delight; we are making this journey right along with her, helping her assimilate into the American way of life. 

We can understand how she feels because at one time Juan (my husband) had to do this very thing himself.  He came to this country as an illegal alien from Mexico; he had to learn English, get his citizenship papers, get a job. Now he's legal, and he speaks English as beautifully as he does his native Spanish.

I grew up speaking both Spanish and English.  I still speak both today.

My kids are bilingual too; that way they have the best of both worlds.

Now we have had to learn some basic Russian, which makes things all the more interesting.

Anything to try to communicate with Sophie, anything to help her assimilate into her new home, her new family.

So far it's been working.  Sophie is a delight, a joy, a marvelous addition to our family.  We can't imagine being any happier than we are right now.

Maybe down the road we can adopt again--hopefully a little boy, so Josue' doesn't feel left out. Who knows what will happen in the future??

Our story may not be over just yet!