Halloween and Catching Up

Busy doesn't begin to describe it! We didn't end up trick or treating since it was hailing and pretty cold here. I just didn't think that sounded like much fun. So instead, we went to Panera, walmart, and Toys R Us and had tons of fun :) We dresed Zoya in her pink Skeleton jammies and took her out!

Notice her nice "ring sit." She is sitting like this or "criss cross applesauce" more than the awful "w-sit" lately :)

The Friday before Halloween Zoya came to the school I work at for the Halloween parade and party. She LOVED it. I tell ya, this girl MUST have been in a parade before because she just smiled and waved at everyone as I carried her through the halls! Her costume for the school parade and party matched mama's and the other 2nd grade teachers. See:

Zoya had a blast playing with all the kids and their costumes!

Zoya is recently starting to try to say more words. It seemed speech has always been the area that she was developing slowest in, but I do have to remind myself that she has ONLY been exposed to the English language for six months. Last night she said "nite nite" instead of "light light" like she has been saying. It was the cutest thing ever and she kept saying it over and over and was so proud of herself! She also says something that sounds a lot like yellow when she sees something yellow!  She is trying so hard to talk and is starting to get a little frustrated when she has to keep trying because we don't get it!  She can meow like a cat, moo like a cow and make a sound like a turkey with her tongue!

And this story makes me laugh every time I tell it....so Zoya and I were shopping and you know all the Christmas stuff is out already!!!! And she pointed at a Santa doll and said, "Saaaattttaaaa." Shocked, I looked and her and said, "What did you say?" She said it again. I made her say it a third time and it wasn't as clear as S-A-N-T-A but it sounded a heck of a lot like it! I thought I was hearing things or making it up in my head. I walked away thinking, thats weird and didn't think too much about it again.  Then today the sitter sent me a text saying Zoya was looking at a book with Santa in it, pointed to his picture and said, "Santa." I KNEW IT! How in the world did she learn that? All I could think was that she remembered it from Ukraine? This sounds very far fetched but it is all I can think of. I asked one of my students who is from Ukraine how to say Santa in Ukranian and he said "it's the same." The reason I know Zoya had seen Santa in Ukraine is because the director gave us 2 pictures of Zoya the day we adopted her...one of those pictures was of Zoya in a bouncy seat with a Santa statue next to her from last Christmas.  Strange? I think so! I have no other explanation as to how she would have learned who Santa is!! She doesn't hardly watch TV and she is mostly with us or our sitter, so I have no clue but it makes me laugh and look forward to Christmas!

Off to continue this crazy beautiful life...