Celebrating one year home

Yes, I know I'm posting this early, but RP and I will be visiting her godparents out of town tomorrow, which is thoroughly exciting to me! A year ago at this time we were climbing into bed (keeping in mind that Moscow is 9 hours ahead of us!) and trying to get a few winks of sleep before a VERY long day of travel. As I recall I didn't sleep a wink, and therefore was up for over 24 hours before I stumbled into my house, and RP refused to sleep in her crib that night. Therefore, I laid in bed with her on my chest, where she woke up every half hour or so just to check if I was still there and pinch my cheeks like she was confirming for herself that I was really real.

So many "best laid plans" went by the wayside on the trek home. RP had her own seat paid for, but sat on my lap for all but about 20 minutes of the ENTIRE journey, and slept for maybe an hour of it. I really wanted to get pictures on the plane, at the airports, and coming through Customs and Immigration, but couldn't get to the camera, nor had the presence of mind to even try. RP fell asleep about 5 minutes after meeting Papa and being strapped into her car seat, and woke up when we got home, only to be greeted by two crazed puppies who literally were howling and jumping up and down to see us after I had been gone for two whole weeks.


I still vividly remember the "holy crap - NOW what" thoughts going through my mind when we walked in the door. The luggage sat in the kitchen for almost two whole days, and I scrambled to find something for RP to eat, since she barely ate anything on our flights and looked as if she was about to scream bloody murder at any moment. I remember finding oatmeal in the cabinet for her and feeding her, changing her, and putting her to bed, and then I barely remember anything else for the next week or so - it's all still such a blur!


Today I can't imagine life BEFORE RP came home. While it sounds cliche', I truly believe she has been in my heart since before I even saw her picture, or knew of her existence. The road to our becoming a family wasn't short, wasn't easy, and was full of detours, but in the end we are the family we were always meant to be. Never has a year been so full of change, nor has one gone by so quickly than this past one, and I wouldn't change a moment of it for the world.

Asleep in the car after a long journey home

First meal home - oatmeal! (and doesn't she look thrilled?!?)

Same outfit, bigger size - one year later (and all smiles!!!)

My little Russian princess

Jedi Mind Trick...

I didn't get to see much of RP today as she went to pre-school this morning, then spent the afternoon at her grandparents so I could get some errands done. I am happy to report that I FINALLY took care of getting RP a social security number - AND that it only took me a 10-minute visit to the Social Security office to do so (I had allotted HOURS to the process and was pleasantly surprised by this turn of events!). By the time all the errands were done, it was time for dinner at Nana and Papa's house, which then led to RP and I coming straight home and her pretty much going straight to bed.

The past few nights RP has wanted NO part of going to bed. Last night she talked, played, and sang in her bed until I finally took away her favorite toy of the day - a toy school bus (or "bool-bus" as RP calls it), which then led to almost 20 minutes of screaming, crying, and carrying on until she wore herself out and fell fast asleep. Tonight I was prepared for more of the same, but RP chose a simpler route...

RP (standing at baby gate in her room talking to me while I worked on the computer which is directly outside her room): Me no sleepy Mommy.

Me: Yes, you are sleepy RP. Get that tushie back in bed.

RP: Otay Mommy. (Heads back to bed...)

** 30 second pause in the drama**

RP (back at gate): Me no sleepy Mommy.

Me: Yes, you ARE sleepy RP. Get back in bed... now.

RP: No Mommy - me no sleepy.

Me: Yes you are RP. Get that tushie BACK. IN. BED.

RP: Otay Mommy. (Heads back to bed...)

RP (yelling from bed): Me still no sleepy Mommy. Me pay now (pay=play in RP-speak).

Me: No, you will NOT play now RP. You need to go to sleep. You are sleepy.

RP: Otay Mommy.

You get the idea. This went on for 20 minutes until I finally smartened up and went downstairs, where she proceeded to yell down to me every 3 minutes that she wasn't sleepy yet, until I finally threatened to remove all of her books and toys from her room unless she closed her "pretty brown eyes" and went to sleep. This led her to inform me that Mommy has blue eyes, Nana has green eyes, Papa has blue eyes, and RP has brown eyes, but after getting that out of her system, she toddled back off to bed and finally fell asleep.

On the plus side here, at least everything was "Otay Mommy" and not "Otay guy..."

Getting closer to Gotcha Day!

Five short days from now will be the one year anniversary of my "Gotcha Day" with RP. Time is so very weird that it seems like forever ago, yet hardly possible that it has already been a year.

That being said, a year ago today was my final visit with RP before our Gotcha Day. I remember being excited to see her, but at the same time hurt and annoyed (okay, angry really) that I had to be in country for two weeks, yet only could see my baby two times in the first week and a half, let alone having to wait five days between our final visit and the day that I could walk out of the orphanage with her as a family.

Our final visit was actually the best one ever, and if I had to wait the five days, it was an incredible way to start that wait. I remember the music teacher coming in and having our own personal "concert" with her and RP. RP was shy yet adorable, and was truly the center of the universe for the hour that we spent with her. This day also stands out for me because it was the first time I ever heard her speak - and her first word to me was "Mama."

Walking out of the orphanage every visit was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but this visit was by far the hardest. After 13 months, 50,000 air miles, and confirmation of the finalization of the adoption from the court, I was ready to start our life as a family. It was of little comfort at the time that the next time I arrived at the orphanage it would be for the last time, and that RP would finally come home with me to start her life with me as a family. I remember choking back the tears over the next several days, but truly unwilling and unable to do much other than wish the time away and count down the hours until I held her in my arms... for good. This was truly one of the times that I was thankful for the fact that no matter what else happens, time marches on!

February 19, 2010

February 13, 2011

Sometimes change is remarkable...

As I alluded to in earlier posts, February is really a time of reflection for me, and there are going to be a lot of "one year ago" posts this month since so much happened to finalize RP's adoption and complete the journey that was 13 months in the making.

Below is a picture from my visit to RP at the orphanage on February 17, 2010, followed by a recent picture (I didn't get any of her today, so it's from the 15th, but you get the idea). While I'm posting this on the 16th, technically it is already the 17th in St. Petersburg, so it truly is a "one year ago" moment.

I love looking at these pictures side-by-side because I think they illustrate the fact that RP is an entirely different little girl just 12 short months after coming home. The picture on the right shows my beautiful little girl as I remember her most from all of my visits - serious, shy, and VERY tentative around me. While the bonus in this picture is that she wasn't crying and did spend some time during this visit interacting with my Mom and I, she tended to focus solely on her toys, answer questions from the interpreter, and sneak peeks at us to see if we were still paying attention or trying to play with her. Fast forward one year and she is silly (hence the fact that she is wearing snow boots in the house and playing in a cardboard box despite the rooms full of toys that she has!), talks up a storm (and then some - sometimes I swear my ears are going to bleed, but gosh darn it, she is incredibly funny and animated when she talks - wonder where she gets THAT from???), and always has to be on the go-go-go!

While the differences and changes are pretty hard to miss, I think I should also note that there are some things that HAVEN'T changed about RP in the last 12 months. The first time they brought RP into the room to meet me, she let it be known that she wasn't happy and had a complete and utter meltdown - crying, screaming, the whole nine yards. While this was due to fear of the unknown, I have to say that there are times when this temper still shines through, and she is VERY clear about what she likes and doesn't like, and still has quite the healthy set of lungs to express those feelings with! I was also told that she liked to color, draw, and sing and dance, and those things also have not changed. Right now her favorite "toy" is a pencil and notebook which she carries around with her almost non-stop and "colors" on a regular basis. Painting, drawing with markers, and pretty much anything crafty is a surefire way to keep her busy and entertained for hours, as is anything musical - she turns almost anything and everything into an instrument and loves to sing and dance for Mommy (have I mentioned that she does a wicked "I'm a little teapot?"), and often entertains herself while putting her toys away by singing a "Clean Up" song (which literally consists of singing "Clean. Up. Clean. Up." over and over and over) and lets me know she is done with her meal by singing "Allllll Donnnnneeeee" and throwing her arms over her head in dramatic fashion.

It goes without saying that I love my little RP - for all she is, for all she "was," and all she will become. Despite any and all challenges, I'm really looking forward to seeing who that will be!