It has been a wonderful and difficult last two weeks. How do working moms (and/or dads) do it! It is so hard to leave Maksim everyday. I wish that I could be with him every moment. Today we had a BBQ and even roasted marshmallows for smores by the fire.
A definate hit. 
We having been laying low and giving Maksim a chance to bond to his parents. It is hard to limit contact with our friends and outings. But we know that for Maksim it is best for his progress and attachment.
Maksim is learning English soooooo fast. We are amazed by his progress. Mostly, he speaks in phrases and uses them in interesting ways. "Shut the door" works for a variety of situations. We are glad that we are able to understand what he means. :) He is learning his boundaries fairly well and loves the river, going for walks, ice cream pine cones, ride on machinas,
all different foods, Elmo (eeooow- I don't love Elmo), tickling, chasing, dancing to Bluegrass (yeah!) and books. He doesn't like when something he likes is over. We are making progress on accepting "the end" of things."Neee-yet the end"
"Yes, Maksim, the end."
Our dog is doing okay. But today is her 9th birthday and she is feeling a little like the ugly red-headed step child. She has many of her old priviledges but some our our attention is directed toward her little brother. And boy are little brothers annoying. Sometimes she cries at us when he is finally asleep and we are all snuggling in our room like we did before HIM. Poor baby. We do love that girl.
Well, Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mother's and waiting Mother's out there. Good thing that there is a Father's Day. Papa needs his props. We are especially thankful for him and the hard work he does, too.
