Yesterday Olia and I went o see her pediatric eye doctor. He said he does not see her eye wander or cross any more so she does NOT have to have surgery. He was surprised at how well Olia spoke English. He remembered seeing her the first time in the summer when we had to have a translator present. He has seen her a few times since then and always says he marvels at how well she speaks English!
After the eye doctor appointment, we left for our road trip to meet with our friends at a hotel a few hours away. We were both so excited. Olia was going to meet Olya P. in person for the first time. They have spoken on the telephone numerous times, but had never met in person. Diana and I met in Simferopol, Ukraine. Diana adopted three siblings, ages 6, 8, and 10. We arrived at the hotel first, checked-in, then Olia swam while we waited for the others to arrive. The hotel had a very large indoor pool. They arrived a short time later, then we went to eat at the Olive Garden. All of the kids immediately clicked, especially Olia and Olya! I brought small wooden dolls I purchased at the craft store and the girls immediately started coloring them with markers in the car. Olia and Olya are so much alike, they even sound alike. They both are very happy to be in America! They ordered the exact same dinner at Olive Garden. All of the kids got along amazingly well. I brought one child, Diana brought 4! Diana also has a bio daughter age 8. After dinner, the kids all swam in the hotel pool for several hours. Then the kids all showered and got dressed for bed. Olya P. slept in our room with Olia. They danced, did each other's hair, and read preteen magazines. Olia and Olya were wound upand could not fall asleep until quite late! We all slept in, ate breakfast at the hotel and the kids swam again. Then we went out for a late lunch at Burger King. The kids ordered kids meals which came with a small Spongebob Squarepants water squirter. Diana and I were sitting at a table across from the kids. We saw the construction workers sitting behind them look over and smile; the kids had shot the water squirters as far as the next table. The men thought it was quite comical, but we made the kids apologize. They amused themselves for about an hour and then we each left to drive home. Olia told me that she had a great time. The kids will all see each other again at the Ukrainian reunion in July. Diana and I had a great time chatting about our adoption and post adoption lives. Olia and Olya had a great time chatting about everything. I did find out the name of the fist internat that Olia was at. It was sort of a holding place until the kids were placed. Olia's great grandmother lived in the same town that Olya P. is from. Quite a coincidence!
