Dmitry

Dmitry (we call him Dima, pronounced Deema) dressed as a "Russian". Last year the children had an international day at school and one of the Russian families lent him a costume from Russia. However, since that time he has tried harder and harder to distance himself from his Russian heritage. We can understand this and just want to go with whatever feels most comfortable to him right now. Dima has a perfect memory of his early childhood and remembers lots of sad and disturbing things so we understand his need for distance.

He has grown so much the last 18 months that he barely resembles the little, screaming, self-harming, angry little boy we brought home.

He is a rather obsessive child but this has really paid off for him in school. In one year he went from not knowing a word of English to being at the top of his class in reading. He loves to read and can often be found with a book under his nose. He also loves electronics, which we try to limit or keep him away from altogether!

Dima loves to swim and Alexander has taught both him and Max how to swim quite well. Dima also loves church and has absorbed the gospel like a sponge. He has an astonishing memory for scripture stories and details and an amazing ability to understand the deeper meaning behind those stories. We are so proud of how far he has come socially. It is very difficult for him to keep his emotions in check, but he is so smart that he is aware of this and with the help of a little medication, he can catch himself much of the time, take a deep breath and stop before he spins too far out of control. He wants to be just like any other American boy and that is what he constantly strives for. He refuses to admit he speaks Russian and claims he can't understand it at all. Again, we think this will pass.