Lera's pre-school picture

We just love this picture of Valeria! She refused to smile at first - intimidated by the big flash units and the other kids. So, the teachers said "Oh look, here comes Sami!!" (That's Lera's beloved babysitter.) She smiled big, they snapped the picture, then they said "Oh, no, it's not Sami..." Hey - whatever works!

Halloween in Ohio

What a gorgeous fall we have had here in Cincinnati this year! Aidan must have said 10 times while we were driving around, "Mom, why do you keep pointing out pretty trees? They are just trees!" (Hopefully his tree appreciation will come with age...)

Lera loves her walks in the woods

Front yard aglow!

Back yard


Halloween was extra special for us this year. We travelled up to Sharon Center (outside Akron), where our Hickey relatives really do up Halloween for the town each year. They give hay rides and decorate the town circle, complete with scary music and characters who haunt the square and all who venture there. Russ & Petie were on the PA, basically heckling trick or treaters; Petie practically scared the costume pants off a few of the toddlers. Quite entertaining!

Lera wouldn't have any part of dressing up - refusing her dog costume with a deadpan expression of "no, I am not a dog, nor do I choose to dress like one today..." That gave us a chuckle.

Russ & Jane

Petie + costume + microphone + her witch cackle = SCARY!!

Aidan & Davey

Kristin & Anna... the only thing scary about them was how grown up they looked!

On Steve's high speed hay ride... before he really got moving

Russ & Steve (no idea what Steve was supposed to be?) I tried to get Russ to be Mr. Clean...but his post-chemo hair has grown in too thick already.

Lauren & Jim (he didn't dress up)

A few more random pix below:

Lera found the whole pumpkin bit really odd...but she practically shrieked with joy when she finally saw her jack-o'-lantern all lit up!

A & K at one of Cincinnati's many beautiful parks

Kristin's ballet lessons (she is far left)

Lera ready for what she calls "not not"

Russ & I really enjoyed a long-overdue date night for my birthday... I'm clingin' to my mid-forties by my fingernails! Fun night.

Onward to the holidays!!

First Fall in the 'nati

We have had a busy two months! Russ completed his chemo and we await the final 'all clear' scan results next week. Aidan & Kristin are enjoying 3rd & 1st grade, respectively. I'm back to my 4-day work schedule and am happy to report that Lera just LOVES daycare (whew!).

Lera is doing great. We've learned that she thrives on routine, and she has us all trained! Bedtime, for example - all the typical stuff, with mandatory skipping-is-NOT-an-option rituals like her turning on the night light, jumping off the step stool ("I need jumpy!"), and rubbing lotion on her cheeks, arms & legs. Whatever works - it's nice quiet time together! She still puts her hands on both of my cheeks for our goodnight kiss, and says "love you" (which sounds more like lubwu).

Other Lera news - she's potty trained - yippee! And, she finally had her "oral rehab" surgery last week - under general anesthesia as she needed quite a bit done. They pulled all 4 front teeth, which were badly decayed from what was apparently a textbook case of "bottle rot." Also a root canal/crown (on a molar that needs to last 10 more years) and multiple fillings. Good grief. The whole thing was tougher on me than on her, though - she was running around and eating like nothing had happened later that same day! I'm still sad about the loss of her front teeth - but the good news is, her permanent teeth are there and in place; that's what matters most!

The mutual love & fun club with Aidan & Kristin is still going strong - they have such a good time together. Russ and I love watching them teach her stuff, and she is a little sponge, soaking it all in. Every day I find myself thinking, "She is so darn cute!!" We all feel lucky to have her in our lives. It is hard to believe that this Thursday is the 6-month anniversary of when we met her. She hardly seems like the same child!

Here are a few pix of the last two months:

First camping trip, to Caesar Creek State Park near home...she loved it, rain and all!

Another camping pic...couldn't resist. Schlepping that pink potty back from Kaz was a good decision ;-)


Bathtime is big around here

Aidan & Kristin - first day of school

Lera loves to climb, just like her big sister does

Kristin comforting Lera after an "owie"

"Hiking" at the Cincinnati Nature Center

She really loved walking in the woods

With Reid & Marie at the Nature Center


This is how Lera kisses...seriously!

Lera was funny at the pumpkin farm...she thought it quite odd we were bringing these big weird things home!

Recuperating after her oral surgery

Showing off her new toothless grin

Back to normal - well, almost

It's been almost 2 months since Lera joined our crew, and we continue to be amazed at what a special little kid she is. She isn't growing much in size, but her language skills are growing so quickly! It is amazing to see. Her word list is now up to 43, and she's started using word combos like "ah wan" (I want), "ah neeya-neeya" (I need) and "ahm hungee" (I'm hungry). Okay, so her pronunciation isn't developing as fast as her vocabulary...but it is still fun to witness. It has also been a joy to introduce her to more family members and friends. (Including Grandma Hickey just this week!)

This is the last weekend of our summer - Kristin moves on to 1st grade at her new school, Aidan starts 3rd, and I'm increasing my work schedule. I must say I'm almost relieved to get back into a normal routine. But real 'normal' isn't here yet - we're hoping for that in about 5 weeks, when Russ' chemo will be behind him! (Two more treatments to go...fingers crossed we can stay flu-free around here.)

Here are a few pix of our past few weeks:

A & K went to a birthday party and came home with...two fish! Welcome Joey and Orangina to our gang

Lera's first road trip - to North Carolina for a fun weekend with some of the Hickeys

Lera loved the pontoon...

...but not the jet ski!

Cousins - Kristin, Lera, Anna

Nothing like a touch of home - she still loves this potty from Kaz (thanks, Jessica & Oxana!)

Aidan is a prince at his summer day camp's dance contest; they performed to "Kiss the Girl" from "The Little Mermaid." It was a stitch! (Kristin is on a photography kick these days - that's her thumb)

Another boating day at Brookville Lake near home - Aidy was excited to drive....

But "Ler-Bear" wasn't quite as thrilled.

Lera at Home - Week Four (aka, Back to Reality)

I can't believe it has been a month since we've been home with Lera! She seems completely settled in and happy with her new life...and we are completely smitten with, and proud of, her. She now has 28 English words (latest additions: finished, shoes and soap). I swear, she could be the best-behaved 2 year old on the planet (hexing myself as I write this, for sure...but she seems a lot less melodramatic than I remember either Aidan or Kristin being at this age)!

This week we appreciated a few fun visits from friends. And, Lera did a few half-day stints at daycare for 'practice' (since I must return to work next week...) Over the past 2 weeks, I've been taking her along to drop off and pick up Kristin, and also for recess with her class. I think this all helped her transition easily to the longer stays this week - dropped her off before recess, then she stayed for lunch, playtime and her nap! By all accounts, she did GREAT...only crying for about 2 minutes when I left the first time. The next day, she was excited to run inside once we'd arrived. Needless to say, this is a HUGE relief to me, as I'd worried about how she'd handle daycare away from home. (The international adoption books had me feeling pretty guilty re: this...)

The big highlight of the week, by far - was meeting her new grandparents! My folks traveled all the way from KC to meet her. Our dear friend Lisa was here, and she captured the moment well!

(Note I am holding the Russian for adoptive families book, where I'd just looked up how to say "this is your grandma and grandpa")

A couple other cute shots, thanks to Lisa B:

At Home with Lera - Week Three

Things continue to go well! Lera seems totally at home and at ease, and continues to be the cutest thing. And, the honeymoon isn't over yet between her, Aidan and Kristin! A few highlights:



* We are amazed at how much she understands what we say - one day I said, "I think your shoes are downstairs in the mud room" and she perked up, and went straight down to get them!

* Speech is developing slowly. but surely. She is learning more words, but would prefer to indicate what she wants with points and little grunts. Whenever she wants something, we've begun encouraging (um, well, making) her at least try to say the word (milk, water, ball, etc). Hopefully that won't backfire and do some long-term damage to her desire to speak - we're figuring this out as we go!

Kids are keeping a list - she's up to 23 English words!

* She has developed some amusing little habits. For example - when Copper barks, it really bugs her - she chastises him, "Copper - sshh!" quite loudly. And whenever the phone rings, she gets all excited and yells, "Hello!!" over and over, until we answer it. And, when we drive to pick up Kristin from daycare, Lera has begun to chant "Kissy, Kissy" repeatedly ALL the way there, even into her classroom.

* She had her evaluation appointments at the International Adoption Clinic here - 4-1/2 hours worth! She was quite a trooper, and it was extremely helpful to have a Russian interpreter there. Lera's face lit up when she realized the woman was speaking her language, so they became fast friends - it was fun to see. We learned that she is very small for her age(3rd percentile!) and a little weak in her legs and trunk (probably because the caregivers didn't let them climb much at the baby house). We've been doing some fun exercises and in just a few days, she learned to jump! She is very proud of this new skill and loves to show it off (even though she is only jumping about 3/4" off the ground)! It will be fun to see her progress.

* The worst part of her week? First visit to the dentist; she did NOT like that one bit. (Nor did we; we learned she needs a crown, a filling and her front 4 teeth pulled due to "bottle rot" - her mom must have put her to bed with a bottle. It makes me sad that she won't have front teeth until her permanent teeth come in - call me vain.)

* Lera has suddenly taken a disliking to the little stuffed monkey she slept with and carried during her last few weeks at the baby house, and during our time in Almaty and travels home. She now rejects it mightily, doesn't want any part of it. Perhaps it reminds her of the baby house?

I'd also like to add an update about Russ. He is doing well with his lymphoma treatments, and reached a milestone this week: having finished his 3rd treatment, he's now half way through chemo.

And now, a few pictures from this week:

Showing off her block-stacking skills

Continuing her baby house tradition of tea and cookies at 4pm (I'd never seen a 2 year old drink 'hot' tea - it is adorable!)

Homemade Ice Cream at UDF - we are hitting all the big Cincinnati brands

She loves her cute trike (from the Sebastians) and new outfit (from the Freelys) - thanks, guys!

At Home with Lera - Week Two

Another fun and easier-than-we'd-dreamed week at the Hickey household. Lera continues to do great, be sweet and cute, and she seems to really be enjoying her new home. This was a week of many firsts for her:

First time eating out at a restaurant (LaRosa's Pizza, a fitting first place for a new Cincinnatian). Lera was hesitant about the high chair at first, but once we said & signed "eat," - she was far more enthusiastic!


First bike ride (along the Ohio River)


First walk barefoot in the grass - she now wants to rip her shoes off every time we go outside! (However, she did get a bunch of chigger bites that are waking her up in the night - it's pitiful, I go in there and she points to them and says in a whisper, "itchy." Thank goodness for Benadryl gel!)

First time "swimming" (with her new neighbor friends). She loved this from the first moment; we finally had to drag her out once her teeth were chattering and she was turning blue. (Hey, I never said I'd win the mom-of-the-year prize!)

First ice cream cone (in a cute outfit from Grandma Bobby - thanks!)

First Skyline Chili (important milestone in any girl's life...and the best part is, we went with Petie, Gay, Jane & Anna - the first relatives she met).

We continue to wonder how long things will be this easy... and are appreciating every day!