Life is getting back to normal, but it's still not the same!

It's been almost two weeks since Nastya left and I've been busy catching up on work that I put off while she was here. This is my busiest time of year as a bookkeeper with year end reporting for 2012 happening so I've really been hustling to get it all done. It's been a nice distraction and throwing myself back into my work has helped quay the tears and the dull ache of separation that has yet to leave my stomach.

I've also been busy getting our house back in order. Christmas decorations are finally down (I didn't have the heart to take them down before Nastya left) and we have rearranged the bedrooms so that Samantha now has her room back. However there are still lots of things around here to remind us of Nastya and I think about her and pray for her several times a day.

She made these flowers out of tissue for me one night

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure we will ever take this down!

For those of you who sent her stickers...this is where many of them ended up!

These say "Angel Mommy" and "Angel Daddy"

Our stairwell was turned into an art gallery

This has all our names and then says "my family, I love you" in the bottom right corner

The other side of the stairwell with signs for Dada and Mama

Another work of art

I find myself wondering about her often and adding the nearly half a day to ours to figure out where she is at that very moment. What did she do today? What did she eat for dinner? Did she think about us at all?


We sent a digital photo book back with her and a mp3 player so I'm guessing that she has paused more than once to flip through them and think of us. Oh, and she did take those roller blades back with her (as carry-on in her backpack!) so once the warmer weather comes I'm sure she'll be tearing up the Ukrainian pavement and remembering her fun here!

Showing off her mp3 player to host friend Nataliya at the airport

We have yet to try and call her, but will probably give it a shot this week. So far, the other three families who hosted kids from her school this winter have not had any luck getting through so I'm keeping my expectations low. We knew before she left that Nastya did not have any internet access so phone calls, letters and care packages will be our only communication for now.

Speaking of care packages, she should be receiving our first care package any day now! It was mailed by the New Horizons interview team while they were in the Ukraine talking to kids for the summer hosting program. Odds are good that it won't get lost in the mail and that it will find it's way to her. There are lots of goodies in there: hair barrettes, snickers bar, pistachios, stickers, gum, a small stuffed panda (of course), some compressed washclothes, a flashlight and a few other goodies that are slipping my mind right now. I didn't have the presence of mind to take a photo (I was stealthily packing it in our garage while she was still here because it had to ship to the interview team before she left). Wish I could be there to see her face when she receives it!

I will continue to post updates as I have them on any communication we have with Nastya and any new news on her medical care (which I need to follow up on this week...please continue to send up prayers that we will make some progress in that area!) In the meantime, I am going to start to write some "catch up" blogs to share some more of our escapades from her visit. Keep an eye out in the next day or so for a post on our fun day with Nastya's chaperone Andrey!