Short Pause in Kaz

As of June 5 Rosa has now been home six months. According to the laws of Kazakhstan, we had to have a post-adoption home study done and sent to Kazakhstan. We had the same social worker who conducted our original home study come and do it. I think she felt that Rosa has adjusted well.

School is out and Rosa is enjoying summer activities. Here you can see her in swimming lessons. We were a little worried that she might be afraid of the water, but she followed her sister Megan in the water on the first day and did really well after that. Megan is next to Rosa on the right.

Rosa learned to ride a bike yesterday. I had been trying to take her out and teach her for some time, but she never wanted to do it. She was a bit scared of the thought of falling down. But yesterday she decided she wanted to teach herself how to do it and she now has it down. She has been using Megan's bike, so we'll need to get her her own bike now.

Rosa is being tutored in reading everyday at her school for 30 minutes. She even has daily homework. So far, she has not protested. I am also working with her and Megan each day on math. My objective is to get her caught up to her class by the time she starts fourth grade in the fall. Rosa is now comfortable adding and subtracting large numbers and "carrying" and "borrowing." We start multiplication this week and she is really excited about that.

It has been really amazing to watch her progress in reading and math. Regarding math, I can recall only a few months ago struggling to explain the concept of subtraction to her. For a time, she felt that she was not as smart as the other kids in her class and was somewhat resigned to the thought of always being behind, but we've explained to her that she is just as smart as them, and just needs to work a little harder to get caught up. She is determined to do that now, and it's been quite enjoyable working with her.