Anya.

Ання (Anya) is seven years old. She is grouped with the 'malankas', like several other girls I have introduced you to this far. She is not, however, as tiny as Olya, Nadya, or Znyjana. My guesstimate is that she is more than four feet tall (mind you, I don't have my dads gift of accurate estimation. I won't be following in his footsteps as a framer, I'll leave that to my brothers). Anya has big, brown eyes that are always laughing, and she is very affectionate. She loves to touch, grab, hug, and kiss. Anya also enjoys biting me, which is really not as violent as it sounds. Her mouth is usually wide open in a look of excitement, sometimes sharing her saliva with the rest of us :) (And for the record, I'm comfortable with slobber, boogers, and various other bodily fluids now. I like to think of it as bonding.)

Anya has limited motor skills. One of the older girls, Marina, usually aids Anya with movement. She supports Anya as she begins to walk, guiding her by the arm. Thanks to Marina's help, Anya is able to spend time at the Internat park with most of the other girls, and is also starting to take steps on her own. Marina will walk ahead of Anya, and keep moving backwards as Anya shakily inches forward. Gradually the distance between Marina and Anya grows, and occasionally is encouraged by onlookers. I admire the patience and gentleness that Marina displays with Anya!

Anya also lacks language skills. She makes loud, happy noises and I interpret them as signs of contentment. She loves naptime, finds comfort in sucking her thumb (as shown), and shows affection to everyone (especially Marina!). Like Znyjana, I have yet to see Anya in a less than positive mood. She is a hard worker, I can see this as she is beginning to learn basic movement skills.