Hannah joins the fold

A little Russian girl adopted by an American family marks a milestone: her baptism. The Rockleins - mother Mary, father Bob, and older sister Abby (right) - pose for a portrait outside the West Congregational Church in Haverhill, Mass., where Hannah was baptized in November.

Monitor photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman followed the family during the summer, and documented Hannah's odyssey from a Russian orphanage to the Rockleins' home in the Sept. 15 Homefront.

Hannah and her new family are getting along well. She enjoys ballet class, gymnastics, and attends preschool. The big news is that Hannah has started speaking complete English sentences. This from a child who spoke only single Russian words. She's very affectionate with her parents and often comes over and puts her cheek against theirs. Older sister Abby is thrilled to have a younger sister and no longer sees her as a constant rival for her parents' attention.

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society