All About Sophia

Sophia has a Gameboy with one game - Teen Titans! She used to just turn it on fiddle for about three minutes and then turn it off and put it away. It just made her feel like she was "one of the boys" since they have DS handheld video games that they like to play.


NOW, she actually knows how to play! She can't do all of the special moves, but she can play dog gone it!!!! Sheesh!


Yesterday, Sophia and I worked on counting to five. We first started counting various objects in the room. One, two, three, four, five... She would repeat after me, and we'd count and count and count. We ended up counting cookies which she loved.


After working on counting to five for about 30 minutes in various ways, Sophia just couldn't remember anything past two. She'd say one very slowly and then two, and then she'd poop out on me with a forlorn look. I have to admit that it worries me just a little. What I must remember though is that she has only been here for 10 months. Simply acquiring the language as well as she has is incredible. However, I do wonder if the blank stare will dissipate with age or if she is going to struggle learning.


I am debating putting her in kindergarten this next school year. She, in many ways, is still a year behind other kids her age. This is to be expected due to the time she spent in the orphanage. I am not sure she is ready for school, but there are still seven months to make that decision.


Sophia has such a magnetic personality. She is the life of the party. She sings incessantly - "You want thingamabobs"? "I've got plenty, but who cares no big deal." "I want more." Do you recognize that song? She also sings, "So you had a bad day..." These are just a couple of the songs! I take the singing as a sign that she's happy!


She loves to color and dress up in her costumes. She especially likes to hide from people and hear them looking for her throughout the house! She does the typical hiding her eyes so that none of us will see her too!

She loves to act like she is a cat or a puppy. She watches cartoons and says, "I'm her mom"!!! She'll say, "I'm the red one, and you are the blue." "Oh ya, I am winning." She is very good at using her imagination. She also plays well with others. The only thing I notice is that she is a bit touchy as in she likes to direct other kids, and if they don't heed to her spoken word, she'll likely lightly touch their shoulders or turn their little face towards her so they'll listen! She is driven for sure.

She enjoys helping VERY MUCH! If I am cleaning, she wants to clean too. When I do the laundry, she helps. She even asks to walk the stacks of clothes upstairs to put them away. Once in a while, she'll come back down and say, "They got crumply, but I fixed 'em"!

Which brings me to the next wonderful thing that makes Sophia, Sophia - she is very neat and clean. She has to have a napkin whenever she eats, and she actually uses it. She cleans her mess off of the table when she is finished. She "makes" her bed each morning. She is quick to pick up any mess lying around the house. I wouldn't say she is OCD. She just notices messes, but she'd leave a mess if she were on her way to a bowl of popcorn or candy!

I have enjoyed the time I have been able to be with her. We have bonded in a huge way and that has been priceless! Soon I'll return to work, and I am gonna miss her so much throughout the day! Chances are that she'll be at a preschool on the campus where I'm teaching so that could be VERY nice! What could be better? I'm praying that it all falls into place seemlessly.

And, for the record, Sophia talked to Auntie Gina about 3 hours after our lesson on numbers, and she said, "Listen Gina, one, two, three, four, five"!!! Go figure! The girl retained how to count to five! I happily presented her with five animal cookies!