Elmo Live!

So we spent our "officially-becoming-zoya's-parents-anniversary" going to see Sesame Street Live and then going to an adaptive ice skating show! Such a fun day and Zoya had a blast!!! She really enjoyed Elmo and all the other characters.  I thought it was the cutest thing ever when she asked where Sid was. The only two shows with fictional characters that Zoya watches are Sesame Street and Sid the Science Kid....so I guess in her smart little mind she thought Sid should be there too because he is a fictional TV character LOL. She was dancing and smiling and clapping and then toward the end she just sat on my lap mesmerized and so calm! At one point she looked up at me and smiled and brushed her chubby little palm across my face, almost like she was saying thanks. Our seats were perfect because they were on the end so she could just stand and watch (although she would have run up to the stage if I let her!). They were also off to the left of the stage so we weren't in the middle where most of the kids were and where all the chaos and crying was! LOL. This was truly the first time she seemed like a big kid to me! She seemed so grown up paying such attention to the show and truly enjoying it!  I kept telling her all morning we were going to "Elmo's House" to try and help her understand that we were going somewhere to see Elmo in person! Too funny!

During intermission she just about chased the balloon guy down and sweet talked us into buying her an Elmo balloon! I was pleasantly surprised with how well Zoya did. If we would have taken Zoya to this show last summer, or fall even, she would have freaked out with all the loud noise, flashing lights, singing, and all the other sensory input. When she was newly home she even struggled in the auditorium at church when the band played. We are so thankful for her awesome occupational therapist and all of her knowledge about sensory processing problems. I would recommend to anyone adopting a child from an orphanage to have a great OT in place who is knowledgeable about sensory processing disorder, as many kids from orphanages struggle with lack of sensory input during their orphanage years.  She is truly a different kid because her brain is now able to process sensory input appropriately!