Or persistent. Or stubborn. Bull-headed. Single-minded. Subversive...
Remember they wouldn't give me any pictures of Lexi's groupmates? (Okay, if you didn't, they wouldn't. And I wasn't best pleased. To put it very nicely.)
Lexi loves, needs her photo albums. She pours over them. They didn't give her back her photo album when we left, but I had copies of pictures and made her a new one in Moscow. She still looks at it just about every day and talks about what we played. (Mama puuuush. Bubbles!)
She spends more time on the crying pictures than any other. We talk each time about how sad Mama was and how sad Sasha was. We talk about how it is normal to cry. It is good to cry when we are sad. We say that it was time to say goodbye, but that Mama said she would come back. And Mama came back!
Duh, Kate. Last week (that's the duh--it took until last week) I made her another album of photos from the time we left the orphanage. She looks through this one daily, too, commenting on her flag, my flag and how little Alexander is. She talks about the airplane and her new passport. She talks about the big angel in the square outside the Hermitage.
So, you know what I did today? Color me clever --I went on the database and found pictures of children from her orphanage! (I could tell from the way the photos were staged.) Although I only found about six, two of them were the people she was asking about. At least now I have something to show her!
Just btw, her picture has been off the database for at least two weeks.
24 October 2009
color me clever
11 comments:
Clever, for sure!
I still think it's just downright mean that they wouldn't allow you any pictures.
You clever mommy. That's something I would have done - but it probably would have taken me a lot longer to think of the idea!
I think photo albums are a great way to help Lexi transition from her old life to her new one with you. And, it gives her a connection to that old life to help with any loss she might be feeling.
You are a natural mom, Kate.
Love it! In the adoption world, it's almost like we become conditioned that when we hear "no" we immediately think "ok, so you are not the right one to ask...now I need to get creative".
well done! thankful for the inspiration. GOOD stuff for your girl!
Great idea. Those kids are each other's family while living in the dietsky dom. I know how Vladimir would light up whenever he saw his friends on group outings that year I hosted him.
What a smart idea! It's such a shame that the orphanage would not allow her to bring her album with her or to allow you to take pictures. That was her life until she became you daughter and it's sad that she won't have that for the future.
Ah good thinking.
Good one!
I like Kathy Friends comment too. Very true!
Brilliant! It stinks that they wouldn't give you any pictures. Good job finding a work-around.
smart girls - both of you!
Ingenius!
Goos job there!
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