Truth in Blogging

Looking back on the 8th of February.

We had described the rough days we had on our return. I just uploaded the pictures I have to remind us of the first clash of wills. I only have mental images of the 3 A.M. test of wills with Christina, but I do have the aftermath recorded.

In these pictures you will see the cute little girl and the damage she did to her 2nd bedroom door, the first one she destroyed. You will also see the door as it stands today. Then we have the parental badges of courage, now healed, the abuse the parents took those first few days. I hope they don't have rabies, those little teeth are sharp!

We have been warned that just because these day have past, doesn't mean they are gone. We stand ready for the next blow.

Erik

Time Flies!

I have to say I have been very bad at taking pictures since we returned home. My laptop I have all the pictures on is on the fritz and I have not been patient enough to move files over to our home work station. The photos are piling up on the camera, and since the kids leaned how to delete them, I always feel uneasy about them using it.

Our good friends Jennifer and Clinton joined us (reinforced us is more like it) for an excursion to the zoo on Saturday the 13th. Maxim was with Uncle Jerry at the house at that time. Here are some pics they took of the kids.


(click here to see the entire Brun Family photo album) or add a comment to this blog requesting access to all the photos on the Costco Photo site, where you can order prints.

The are all settling down more. Christina is still the hold out, but her resistance is less spirited. Masha and I took the three younger ones to a play date at a terrific facility in Maryland. It has a gymnasium and pool complex and many other sports activities available for the kids. We meet many other parents, including another veteran parent of former soviet kids about the same ages as ours.

Today was a shopping trip to Target on Columbia Heights for swim things and clothes to round-out the kids' wardrobes. The best part was Sasha's control of the shopping cart up and down the escalators ten or so times. They behaved so well it was beyond my wildest hope of a week ago.

Off to pick up Mom at work. I'm proud to say I have three volunteers at this point. Then tomorrow, back to Maryland for the pool hours at he same complex.

The cameo of the day was Tanya, who does not nap well, showing me her numbers on a clipboard as she carefully reversed her 7's and skipped a number or two. We counted in english up to 19. Who told her I was dyslexic!

Maxim is doing very will on his vist with Uncle Jerry. He is making freinds and they are working on English flashcards.

Love to all,

Erik 

Fancy Nancy

The Fancy Nancy is Jen's (Jennifer Bindhammer) reference to some cute girl out there (a cartoon or something) that shows a little girl named Fancy Nancy who likes to dress up and her family doesn't. It sounds cute so this is her version (Christina and Jen playing it up at the zoo in shades) - don't they look cute!


For additional Zoo images and the entire Brun Family Photo Album - click here

Thanks again and do take care!

-Heidi

Update on Maxim in Brainerd

Looks and sounds like Max is adapting well to the open range!

Jerry and Caleb (a six year old boy that Jerry helps care for with a single dad friend of the families) is working on flash cards to teach Maxim English.  All are getting along well!

Thanks again for all your encouragement!
 
-Heidi and Erik
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Jerry stopped by the office today and I meet Max. He is a very handsome and energetic boy. In the corner of the garage Max eyes the Kitty Cat snowmobile and wants to ride it. Very exciting! Jerry asked about a bike. My son Ben agrees to donate his old bike and Jerry picks up a set of training wheels. Walla! A couple of crashes, but he gets right back on and rides around the parking lot.
 
Harry Brodmarkle



To see all the Brun Family Photos, please click here. Or make a comment (below) and request the Costco Photo Center URL to be able to order prints.

Presidents Day (photos)

President's Day and a calm one so far (shh -don't tell the kids we think it's quiet)!

This Sunday was a marked contrast to last. The kids got up early and helped make muffins. Max had left earlier to visit Uncle Jerry and his family in Minnesota for a while.

Tears where running down my cheeks as we stood in Church yesterday, we had a choir group of children from the Watoto Village orphanage, in Uganda,  singing on a fund raising tour of the United states. I looked over at the former orphans next to us in the pew and thanked God for all the blessings in our life.

Now we are standing in a darkened hall, surrounded by people who have been praying for us and helping in the undertaking for the last two years.

A flash of recognition goes across the face of a young Army Nurse from Walter Reed,  when she realizes these kids are the ones we had prayed for in our Alpha Group last fall. I have trouble finishing my sentences, but I can point to the kids as they chomp their donuts and stare at all the people coming and going between services. They had joined in children's church and made some new friends along the way. The whole process of our church, that meets in the movie theater at Union Station was a bit of a blur to them.

Jerry came on Thursday to meet the kids and get to know Maxim. We had some wild times at Ft. Myer Army Base on Friday as we tried to get the kids in for their medical visits and get Maxim his ID Card, since he is old enough and they require him to have one to receive medical benefits. Let me just say that the ID Card Section will remember the visit for a long time to come. At least the Military Police were not involved. We also made a short trip to the National Zoo on Saturday, where the lion made a special demonstration of his vocal abilities, this I think even impressed the kids.

We still have a lot of tense moments, but they grow farther apart, and our scratches and bruises are healing. We are all learning to live with each other a little better and look forward to a play date in a few minutes with Pat Thomas and her grand daughter Micaha.

Mike Oland from Church came by a few days ago to attempt to shoot some family portraits. Christina was on strike but with great patience on his side and a lot of jumping up to see each picture, on their side, the pictures where taken.

(the rest of Mike's session, and all Brun Family photos posted here) or add a comment to this blog requesting access to all the photos on the Costco Photo site, where you can order prints.

We are now assessing when and if the work schedule will return to normal, and continue to get the kids tied into Dr. appointments and evaluations.

Love to all,

Erik and Heidi

Zoo Day

Took the younger three kids to the zoo today with the assistance of Masha and Jennifer Bindhammer and Clinton Blair and they had a great time! Masha escaped two hours later to get off to go help at Ebs hospitality (we are thankful she remembers to "pop smoke" as we call it in the military - to leave the area- and go have a life for herself even though she leaves to continue to serve others!)... Erik and I were exhausted when we left the zoo and the three kids were fairly tired too (yeah!)... My brother Jerry had Maxim all day on his own and Jerry continues to amaze me with the heart of gold and the kindness to this tough minded and strong willed (yet very confused and scared little boy)!

We hope that tomorrow am Jerry can get Maxim on the am flight to Minnesota and that all the kids can be ok with the change. Our family (Jerry's wife and daughter, my two other siblings, Mom, Grandma x 2) and friends and community in MN are already looking for Russian-speaking help and resources to be there when Jerry and Maxim land in MN and head up North to the 10 acres of land to begin a more roaming ability lifestyle for Maxim. Jerry already started to teach him how to use power tools, and with patience that Jerry has so much of, Maxim is learning to fix and do projects.

Thanks again and please ask many to continue to pray for this family!

Regards!

Heidi and Erik Brun and family

The Calm Continues

The calm continues as the week comes to a close. Heidi and Jerry, her brother, had Maxim at the ID Card section at Ft. Myer today and Jerry got a good feel for a full-scale (or Maximum) Meltdown. Otherwise the army bureaucracy kept us jumping. The folks from the Church covered us in the morning so we could be three places at once.

We continue to find our way around. We are pulling together support and resources as fast as we can. Most recently I stumbled across the website of the Families for Russian Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA): the DC Chapter has 250 families.

http://www.frua.org/

Heidi had arranged for an appointment with Dr. Ronald S. Federici. He came highly recommended, and as it turns out is a national expert on foreign adoption specializing in the former Soviet states, who has been on Nightline, 20/20 and Oprah. He agreed to see Christina as the first egg in our basket to boil. She is due for a 7-hour intake in March or earlier if a hole opens up in his schedule. We met for an hour today and it was very revealing.

He gave us a copy of his current resource, I've ordered some more copies on Amazon today, so it is available:

Help for the Hopeless Child: A Guide for Families (With Special Discussion for Assessing and Treating the Post-Institutionalized Child), Second Edition (Paperback) by Ronald S. Federici (Author) "Hopeless" goes hand in hand with such descriptions as: desperate, discouraged, incurable and irreparable..." 

http://www.drfederici.com/ is his website. He has some very good articles and other resources posted.

The kids are home and diner is simering.

Love to all,

Erik