A photo essay by staff photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman
Text by staff writer Marjorie Coeyman

		BED NO. 15: Anna Sinyaeva is one of 105 children in her Russian orphanage.

As three-year-old Anna Sinyaeva opens her eyes to greet the morning, there are few mysteries awaiting her. Each day, she knows, will be exactly like the one before. This tiny occupant of bed No. 15 in a state-run orphanage two hours outside Moscow is well accustomed to the highly ordered institutional rhythm that shapes her life. She and the 14 other two- and three-year-olds who sleep in the same room all rise at the same hour every day, bathe and dress at the same hour, and share the same kindly but limited attentions of the orphanage employees.

NOT A DROP SPILLED: Anna and the other children eagerly eat everything offered to them.

Anna has never known any other existence.

Her mother, listed as an alcoholic on hospital records, abandoned her at birth. She did come back to visit the child twice early on - drunk on both occasions. She hasn't been seen since.

The identity of Anna's father is unknown.

When no known relatives came forward to claim her, Anna became one of the more than 600,000 Russian children whose parents have either died or abandoned them.

NOT A DROP SPILLED: Although the food is bland, the children never seem to get enough. Lunch is porridge, bread, and weak tea.

Because she has no family ties, she is considered eligible for adoption. The state prefers a domestic adoption, but in the last few years, because of the stigma attached to adopted children in Russia and the country's economic crisis, the number of adoptions by Russians has plummeted. Since no potential Russian parents have taken an interest in Anna, she is eligible for international adoption.

DAILY RITUAL: The children all go to the potty at the same time, and are asked to sit until everyone has finished.

Adoption of Russian children by Americans has risen sharply in the past few years, hitting a high of 4,491 last year, up from only 324 in 1992. But most would have called Anna's chances of attracting foreign parents slim at best. Her medical records suggest signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. The doctor who examined her called her unresponsive and developmentally impaired.

What the medical records don't tell, however, is that Anna has already proved herself to be a fighter. At the age of 15 months she became seriously ill and entered the hospital, with little hope of recovery.

A NEW ELEMENT: And to Anna's daily routine - playing in the yard, using potty No. 15, hanging her little towel on hook No. 15 - has been added another element.

But the child fought her way back to health and eventually rejoined her tiny colleagues at the orphanage. A doctor who saw her records called her a "miracle child."

And, now, once again, it seems a miracle has come to Anna's life. Far off in the United States, a family has decided they want her to join them and become their child. They've already sent a photo album, showing pictures of their smiling faces, their large home, and a newly decorated bedroom - all waiting for Anna.

A NEW ELEMENT: So this child who has never owned anything suddenly has a picture book that's just for her.

So this child who has never owned anything - at the orphanage even the children's shoes are shared - suddenly has a picture book that's just for her. And to her daily routine - playing in the yard, using potty No. 15, hanging her little towel on hook No. 15 - has been added another element.

She can occasionally page through the new book.

DAILY RITUAL: Caretaker Lyubov Lasitsa gives one-on-one attention to Anna. Since two or three caretakers look after 15 children, there's only so much time they can spend with each child.

Whether she understands what the book means no one really knows.

FRESH AIR: Each morning during warm weather, Anna's group goes outside to play in the yard. The children play independently of one another and seldom fight over toys. When one falls down, usually there is no crying because caretakers can't always come to comfort them as a parent might.

Next: Anticipating Hannah's arrival