Happy 2nd Gotcha Day, Sasha!

Two years ago today, my mother (Baba) and I boarded a plane in Moscow. It had been an exhausting journey after my fingerprints expired in country, I had to have them re-done, and we waited, and waited for the approval to be cabled back to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. We had overcome skin issues, battled scabies and made the Marriot Grande our home. This was the last day that our Russian visas were valid for our trip. We had never been so glad to leave any place. With us, in a light blue umbrella stroller, was a little bald boy with piercing blue eyes. He was serious and sullen. He was our son.

The journey home is the stuff that legends (or nightmares) are made of. It was a grueling, trying, smelly, exhausting experience that ended with red, white and blue balloons surrounded by our family. It was a journey I was convinced I would never repeat but alas .. that is another story for another day :)

When we first met our son, we referred to him as Alexander. It was soon clear to us that he wasn't (yet perhaps) an Alexander but more definitely a 'Sasha'. In the months following our journey home, Sasha 'lightened' up. He became a happy little boy who laughed and was into big adventure. He had almost a year with his Grandma Jan who thought he was the smartest, most perfect little boy. She knew that he could do anything and be anything. She loved him deeply but left us far too soon. He had almost two years with Ice Iowa who enjoyed sharing heaping bowls of ice cream with a little boy (he introduced Sasha to ice cream) who certainly appreciated the finer points of ice cream eating. Ice Iowa left us too soon as well but we are reminded of him every day in so many ways.

This year has been a year of remarkable growth. Sasha has gotten taller, his hands and feet seem HUGE and yes, he has hair. His piercing blue eyes have turned into eyes that dance with joy and are always looking for the next big fun. He is fearless and can do physical things that you would normally reserve for much older children. His faithful companion, Blue Bean, is still holding on despite his tattered tail, damp expression and having a slight body odor issue.

He has also grown developmentally. He went from someone who was delayed in fine motor, speech, social and developmental areas to someone that just needs a little more help with speech. He is a smart little boy who takes care of others. This year he has learned to ride a bike (with training wheels), learned to rollerblade, was introduced to slip n'slide, got Blue Bean, met Great Great Grandmother Lucille, has gone on a lot of geocaching hikes with Dada, conducts a very large Geo Trax empire, started school, rode on a big bus, learned how to make snow angels and is learning how to be a big brother (he has the 'torture little sister' part down :)

This year is going to be a great year for Sasha! He starts gymnastics classes tonight and will continue his weekly swimming lessons. He will spend time with Uncle Brent and Aunt Deanne in July. Gdaddy and Baba are coming for a visit in August. He'll have the chance to spend time with his Godmother and Great Aunt Karen, Great Uncle Vic, cousin Alex and Great Grandmother Kathryn in August. In September, he'll go back to school which he loves. He's looking forward to candy day .. I mean Halloween and, so far, he wants to be a ghost. At least it will be an easy costume to create! We're planning a winter trip to meet Mickey Mouse in person. Gdaddy and Baba will join us as they haven't seen Mickey and Minnie in ages. And, Sasha will venture down to cheer on Uncle Jason as he gets married in May. He looks forward to spending LOTS of time with his Great Uncle James who assures us that he knows just what fun things to do with a little boy in Florida.

It seems amazing to think of the little boy that we met in the baby home, whose skin was blistered from the Russian medication for scabies. It's hard to imagine that this is the same boy who has come alive and tells me how funny he is at every turn. This little boy dances around to music, has a blast where ever he is and does soaring belly flops into his kiddie pool.

Sasha, sweet boy, happy Gotcha Day! You have filled our life with laughter, snuggles, Chucky Cheese, Dora, Geo Trax, water fun and movie nights. We love you BIGGER than the sky!