Upate: 05.19

Another day in Moscow is coming to an end.  We officially celebrated Sasha's adoption tonight following in the footsteps of Samantha Carr's adoption celebration. We went to TGIFs for dinner.  It was so nice going some place where the menu and signs on the wall were in English, the music was American, the waitress even spoke English and the food was the same as it is in the states.  While it's definitely more expensive here it was worth every penny and the food was wonderful.  Sasha did really well at the restaurant, too.  It took awhile to get our food and she played nicely the entire time.   Once are meals came she enjoyed her hamburger and mashed potatoes more than I thought she would.  I think this will be a family favorite when it comes to eating out. 

 We are pleased that we were able to celebrate by doing something American so we can continue the tradition each year as we celebrate her adoption anniversary.

We also went to the park today and played for a little while in the sandbox.  Sasha enjoyed playing in the sand with her papa but then another lady and her son came.  Interestingly, as soon as she saw them Sasha stopped playing and wouldn't say a word.  She clung to Matt very closely and wasn't comfortable with the young woman who was friendly and tried to include Sasha in their play.  I think there's a lot of concern going around in her mind and she doesn't know who to trust and who might be coming to take her away again. 

Creating a known family circle is going to be a priority once we are home.  We have video and pictures of family members that we have been showing her each day.  She really loves watching the video.  This afternoon I think we watched it three times in a row.  Hopefully this will help her learn the different people who are going to be a part of her life.  It's important that she learns to differentiate between family who are safe, friends who are safe and strangers. 

Sasha did great in the car today.   She whimpered a little bit but almost as if she was humming to herself more than anything.  On the way home she even began chatting away.  The past couple days she's done very well with her afternoon nap, bedtime, bath and potty.  The other thing she's really helpful at is brushing her teeth.  Tonight I think we actually got them brushed vs me just making a mess of her face!  She's come a long way in only a few short days.  Actually we've all come a long way in only a few days.