[Butabzig]

I haven't been here in a while as my girls keep me beyond busy. Our little one has been home about 2 years and 3 months. My question is for others who have been home for a while. Ana has unfortunately lost most of her Russian. We've tried and surrounded her with folks who could speak to her. She still remembers a few things but most of it's gone. Just before Christmas she started singing Russian songs to me out of the blue and could tell me what the songs were about. I've never heard the songs before. Since then she will periodically say something to me in Russian. Some of it she recalls what it means and other things she just laughs and says she can't remember what it means but remembers the words. Has anyone else had this happen?

My second is a quick WOW story. DH and I teach the senior high Sunday school class at our church. I used to be the youth director and we've worked with the kids for years but took off until last fall to do our adoption and get Ana aclimated. We know most of the kids in the class but had a few new ones that we've gotten to know during the fall. This past Sunday one of the girls came in and was overjoyed to see us (this was one of the new kids). She had been hanging out with some of the other kids during the holidays and found out that we had adopted Ana. She was so excited to hear this because she too was adopted. As we started talking she asked where we adopted Ana from. I told her from Russia. The girls mouth dropped open. She too was adopted from Russia. Our conversation continued and I asked where in Russia and she told me Moscow. That's where Ana was adopted from. As the conversation continued I asked how old she was when she was adopted (she's now a senior in high school) and she told me when she was three. Ana was three when we adopted her. She's going to check with her mother but believes she MAY have even been in the same orphanage. Here's the REAL clincher! This girls name...Anna. How wild is that!!!!

The two girls were so excited when they realized this. They have been good buddies but suddenly a new bond seemed to form. They were laughing and the older Anna was jumping up and down telling our little Ana that she just knew they somehow had to be related. Quite possible...who knows. It was so cute and exciting to watch the two of them.

Just a neat story and I had to share.

[Butabzig]

After I wrote this I thought that I haven't posted a picture of Ana in quite a while. I'm out of practice and can't seem to add it to my prior post. I ALWAYS loved seeing the before and after pictures so here's ours.

The first one was the first day we meet her. The second and third were just made. The last one is with her big sister who she adores (big sis loves her too but has to be cool about it).

[votemom]

what a beautiful story and what a beautiful girl!

[DET62]

What a cutie pie you have! Well, both girls, of course.

I adopted my daughter when she was 13 and she has been home 3 years. She has forgotten a lot of her Russian. When I brought my son home from Kaz last May, she had to act as his translator for a while, and she was forced to recall a lot. He helped her. He was 10 - now is 11.

After about 5 weeks, we switched him over to English. Now they rarely speak Russian, even to each other. My son has forgotten a lot, too. On the rare occasion someone speaks to him in Russian, he answers in English, slightly annoyed.

I think losing the language is inevitable. I have friends whose children go to private school and have kept their Russian, and learned it academically, but that was because the parents felt that would be more productive than learning a 3rd language, and the school allowed it.
That's an option, if you can find a tutor.

I told my kids they will just have to decide whether or not they want to keep their Russian, and if so, they will have to USE it. I can't afford a tutor. If they don't try to speak it, they will lose it. However, if they take it as a language in school at some point it will likely be easy for them.

Good luck!
Dee

[GCS]

wow! Remarkable story! She's adorable, too!

My adopted at 3 years old boy really does not remember much that we can pin point. We tried to help him keep the language but he was very stubborn about it and only would speak English to our Russian nanny once he learned the language.

I wonder if he heard a song now that he knew before if it would be familiar to him.

[randloar]

What a great story......the world just keeps getting smaller doesn't it?? And she has grown so much, and is so beautiful (both of your girls are!!!)!

We haven't been home long enough to address your language question (only 11 months), but our 3.5 year old still understands the words I try to say to him, and when I on occasion ask what I said, he repeats it back to me in english......so cute! And he is trying to say 'spaciba'.....more like 'pa-diba' but he has fun and knows its the same as please........uses it randomly when needed! How fun that she is remembering some of it!

If she knows stories or songs, I would try to video her saying it for later (when maybe it isn't quite there in her recall anymore!)........but I seem to want to capture EVERYTHING somehow and don't know when to stop!!

Thanks for sharing!

[jeni-b]

Your daughter is precious! And it is a very neat connection she has with the girl from your youth group.

My DD has been home a little over 2 years. Until the last couple of months she was very uncomfortable when strangers spoke Russian. We have always tried to keep a little of her language, knowing that she wouldn't retain much and honestly didn't have much to begin with.
She has recently shown more interest. And I can now say a random word (even ones we haven't retained) and ask her what it means. She normally says it's Russian mama. But if I say what does it mean in Russia, she can often tell me. It is pretty interesting.

[kretzklan]

When I brought home my two children (age 6 and 7 at adoption) they spoke exclusively Russia to one another. Since DH, DS and I had little to no Russian, we eventually had to put the kabosh on it a little. We had a translator who let us know that everything they were saying to one another was not good about us...therefore I thought it was important for bonding and attachment that they learn quickly to communicate in English.
A few months after coming home, they were speaking English and dropped the Russian. They heard a Russian speaker in a store and both hid...they didn't want me to tell the person about their Russian.
Now, they remember very little...if any. Sometimes (like on Russian Christmas) I'll ask if they know any songs or poems...they laugh and say a few words, but much like your DD, they don't remember what those words mean. They didn't even remember Nyet.
I hope that when they decide to study another language (whatever it is), that it comes to them easily. I like to think that those areas of the brain are more open or connected, since they are already on their second language!
Your girls are adorable and the other Anna sounds like a wonderful person to know!