A few tears.....

Yesterday afternoon when I got back from the Internet cafe Rita was sad. B said that Rita had become upset while I was gone and cried for a little while. A few months ago I had bought the book "Sisters" which relates to our family very much. It is about Melissa and Kika. Melissa is the birth child and Kika is the adopted child who doesn't speak English. They are both around the same age....maybe 8 or 9 (Kika's country or age is not told in the story). The day before when B was reading this story to Rita she really enjoyed it. But yesterday it made her sad as there is a page where Kika is home with her new family but she is sad because she is missing her life in the orphanage. Rita was missing her G and started to cry. Once I got to the apartment she was okay. B told me everything. Rita promised B that she would not cry anymore. I told her (through B) that is was okay to miss her friends and G. That she had known them her whole life and they were very important to her and that she should miss them. Rita didn't want B to leave so we walked her to the corner. Rita shed a few tears again as we were walking back to the apartment. I just gave her lots of hugs and kisses. She was happy the rest of the evening. We worked on counting 1-10 with flashcards. This morning she woke up happy again but an hour or so later I was getting ready for the day and she was in her room looking at her pictures from the orphanage. I came in and started looking at them with her. She became very upset and started calling out for her nanny..G, G,G,G,. I could not console her, she didn't want me to touch her. I didn't know what to do for a moment so I just started to do my makeup.......not ignoring her, but staying in the same room with her so I would be there for her when she was ready. Not 5 minutes later she came to me with a hug and kiss. She really is a strong and sweet child. I still can't say enough how blessed we are to have Rita in our lives. Later on B called on the phone. Rita always answers the phone.....I could tell that she was telling B that she had cried that morning but that she was happy now. It was too funny to hear her talking to be because it seemed like she was mocking herself a bit. She was saying in a dramatic voice G..G..G...gora, gora, gora, gora (cry) and smiling all along while she was telling the story.

As far as official business goes we had to go back to the hospital to check Rita's TB site. She ran in and gave the doctor a big hug and showed her that her arm looked good. When the doctor told her that she looked good, Rita jumped up and down saying "YEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!" I have never seen anyone so excited about a negative TB result. Then we went to the US Embassy for our visa interview. All went smooth. Rita flirted with another boy about her age terrribly!! F said that the American boys should watch for this girl. Ted, Rita and I went in for the interview by ourselves. The intervier was very nice and Rita asked him a 100 questions (he was American but also spoke Armenian) I finally told him that Rita could keep him busy all day if he let her so he could feel free to talk over her. Rita told him that she was going to America!!!!!!

F received a call from the director of the O. She was in Yerevan visiting her son and wanted to say good-bye to Rita. Of course I wanted to do this but was worried of how Rita would feel. She did become very serious but still happy. We stopped to buy her flowers and to buy G a box of chocolate for the director to take back with her. When we arrived at their apartment Rita ran right up to the director and gave her a big hug. We visit in the apartment for about 15 minutes. It was a very nice visit and I'm so glad we went. Rita told her that she was happy with her mama and papa and that she would go to America. (everytime she says that she is going to America it warms my heart because back in April she was pretty insisted that she would not come to America). Rita bragged to the director that she was teaching me Armenian. I bragged that she was learning English very quickly (close to 30 words already....not including being able to count to 10 with very little assistance). The director told us that she was a very clever girl, we agreed!! After the visit B took us to a Mexican resturant.....oh my word, Ted is worried that he will have to buy an extra plane ticket for me and Rita with as much as we have been eating. I am not kiding the best strawberry milkshakes in the entire world are served at this place. Rita is still keeping Ted at arms length but the enjoy blaming poofs (passing gas) on each other.....they both think that they are hilarious.

Missing Andrew, Natalie, Audrey and Paul....Alison