Gotcha Day - One year later

I can hardly believe that one year ago today I picked up my little RP and we walked out of the orphanage in St. Petersburg for good. So much has happened in the last year, yet the memory of that day and time is still so fresh that it is almost surreal to me. I have never wanted anything more, yet more nervous and anxious about anything in my entire life. My family and friends could not possibly have been more supportive, or more excited for us, and I remain thankful every day that RP and I have them in our lives.

Today I took RP to get her one-year adoption pictures taken, along with her third birthday pictures. I had been gearing her up for the picture appointment, and god love her, she was VERY excited about the prospect - not because she likes having her picture taken (she doesn't), not because she got to wear her pretty new "princess dress" (which is doubling this year for her Easter dress), and not because we were headed to the mall to shop (she hates sitting in the stroller and wants to walk around). Nope - she was excited because posing for pictures, and doing a good job, means a handful of M&M's.

Imagine my surprise when I walked into her room this morning to get her up and lo and behold she was already up and VERY excited about something. She kept jabbering on and on about pottying, and I, naively, thought that perhaps she had a dry night and wanted to get on the potty right away. THEN I stopped to listen to what she was saying. "No pee-pee on Mommy's floor, Mommy - ME potty." She then grabbed me by the hand and led me around her bed and pointed to the floor. I think all the potty training is starting to stick because apparently before I got up little Miss RP woke up and discovered she had to go to potty. Apparently not wanting to wet an already wet pull-up she took off her pajamas AND the wet pull-up, peed on the floor, then redressed herself, happy as a lark at her accomplishment (and also apparently not truly understanding my messaging about "NO pee-pee on Mommy's floor"). I couldn't help it and laughed out loud, even despite the fact that I had quite a mess on my hands to clean up.

After that we took showers, got dressed, and headed over for pictures where RP did a GREAT job cooperating with the photographer. I would have posted the pictures online except that in my excitement of seeing all the prints I completely forgot to ask for the picture CD with all the prints on it, which means we have to head back to the mall before I can post them. On February 24 last year I was in Russia and spent the day going from the hotel to the orphanage, to the airport, on a flight to Moscow, and then trying to settle in to a new city over there with a scared and less-than-happy toddler. This year I woke up to "Hi Mommy!" and a big snuggle (followed by cleaning up that big mess!), pictures, shopping, and lunch with my munchkin, followed by playtime, story time, and more snuggles as she got ready for bed.

I won't lie - I broke down several times today for no reason at all other than feeling so grateful and so fulfilled at having RP in my life. Yes, there were times I never thought this would actually happen. Yes, there have been days I have been at my wit's end, and yes, I anticipate there will be many more. A lot of people today have commented as to how lucky RP is and I can't help but think that it is actually just the opposite - I am the lucky one, lucky that she is in my life and lucky to have her call me "Mommy." There has simply been no greater feeling in the world.

So yes, to sum it all up - today was a good day. A VERY good day....

The countdown begins...

I can hardly believe that a mere 24 hours from now RP and I will be "celebrating" our first "Gotcha Day" anniversary! I still remember being SO anxious to get to the orphanage and walk out with her as a family, yet SO scared about what would come next. For as long as I waited and anticipated that day coming, I was also really sensitive that this would be a life-altering event for RP, disrupting the only life and only home she had ever known. I remember packing and unpacking her stuff for the trip, packing and repacking my suitcase in an attempt to keep myself busy (and hold on to what was, by that time, left of my sanity!), and worrying about our flight from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I am surprised that the outfit she wore out of the orphanage that day didn't have huge holes in it because I swear I held it, folded and refolded it, and just stared at it a million times while I waited to go and get her.

Today RP and I spent a "girls-day-out" at the mall, shopping for a dress for her. Thursday (our Gotcha Day anniversary!) I am having her one-year adoption pictures taken as well as her third-birthday pictures. For her one-year adoption pictures I actually found the exact same outfit she wore home to the US in her size, and I can't help but marvel as to how much she has grown. The original outfit she wore home was a size 6-9 months (yes, she was 22 months old at the time!) and the outfit she is wearing in the pictures is a size 24 month. For her third birthday pictures I wanted a really girly dress, so it was off to the mall we went to find the perfect one (which, by the way, will also serve as her Easter dress this year - yay for multi-purposing!). We found a beautiful pale pink silk dress that I call her "princess dress" and I can't WAIT for her to wear it, although I will have to be sure that she partakes of her "picture day M&M's far from this dress if I have any hopes of her wearing it for Easter in April. The dress is actually a size 2T which both thrills me (because she has truly thrived since arriving home with me) and saddens me (because I really can't call her my "baby" anymore - no more shopping in the baby section!).

Gotcha Day will be spent snuggling with RP and cherishing the day we truly became a family - not just on paper, but being together and growing and developing as a family unit. This year we are doing pictures on that day, and probably a nice lunch/dinner out along with lots of one-on-one time as a family. This is such a special day for us that I want to set the precedent, even before she truly comprehends what it means, that we spend this day reflecting on what we have, cherishing our time together, and relishing the fact that we found one another and can celebrate our love as a family. After all, that's what it's all about!