First Week Home

The children's first week in their new American home included the essentials:

* Their first pediatrician visits. Things went well until Ruslan had to endure six shots and Yana four.

* Building baby gates. Ruslan helps Dad sort through the pieces.

* Playing in their first big American snow. OK, it was actually more like crying as mom set them in the knee-deep snow and snapped their photos. It took about 20 minutes to dress them in their coats and snow boots and struggle to get them in their big gear down the stairs -- all for maybe 2 minutes outside. And look how happy they were to be there! They probably thought they were back in Siberia.

* Learning how to share. Yana brushed up on her sharing skills with Shreve, but she didn't seem to remember them during her first trip to the church nursery later that week.