Weekend

We got a break from PT this past week. So we decide that we would go on a short vacation. Maria really wanted to see her friend Alexis, so we went to Indianapolis for a long weekend. We ended up meeting up with Alexis' family at a park on Friday and another adoptive family joined us too. It is always great spending time with families who understand adoption, this time was no different. It was wonderful chatting with my friend Valerie, hearing the plans for meeting J and S next month. Seeing how her kids have grown in over a year and being completely entertained by the two littlest boys. The girls love connecting with each other and all the kids had a blast at the park.

After the park we went out to dinner with our friends Kim, Jason and their son, Nikolas. We actually got to celebrate Nikolas' gotcha/family day. They are a great family to spend time with. We had plans with Kim and Nikolas for Saturday morning at the zoo.

Saturday looked a little questionable weather wise, but we got to the zoo bright and early. The kids had fun looking at all the animals and the weather was nice. I think Kim and I got the biggest kick out of seeing. Nikolas push Maria up and down the hills at the zoo. He was very sweet and protective of her. Wanting to make sure she got to see everything. We made sure we did some of the collector penny machines too. My plan is to eventually make Maria a charm bracelet out of her collector pennies.

 

This guy was too funny, he kept spitting out his food at us and then sucking it back in.

The flamingos liked to inspect everything. Nikolas wasn't so sure they should inspect Maria.

Maria wasn't sure at first about feeding the birds.

After the initial shock, she did a lot better.

I even got to hold a parrot for a while.

After the zoo, we went back to the hotel for a long rest. Then we went to a Greek restaurant with Kim, Jason, Nikolas, Jane and her daughter also adopted from Bulgaria. It was a fun evening with lots of entertainment from the kids and the belly dancer. We will just say one day Kim and Jason have some funny photos and video that Nikolas might not want shared with his friends. It was a good time. We had lots of fun....so much that Maria didn't want to leave.

 

 

 

 

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Fear and Hope

Let's be honest....adoption is hard, it is filled with the unknown and with the unknown comes a lot of fear. Fear on the part of the waiting family, fear for the child, fear of the future. Adoption is a leap of faith not knowing where one will land, what will change, what the new reality will be. I will be honest, I totally lucked out with Maria. Yes, she has medical issues and we have had our share of struggles with those. But in regards to bonding, behavior, and even love and acceptance....well it could not have been a better fit. I'm amazed at times thinking of the leap of faith Maria took in agreeing to be adopted. She has blossomed and grown in so many ways since coming home. She is still the shy girl she has always been around new people, although the shyness around me has ceased. She is still kind and very soft hearted about certain things, but she is also learning to have a voice and state what she likes and doesn't like. She continues to have a great love for her birth country and friends who are still there. Which brings me back to fear.....

Zack....oh Zack.....while Maria has blossomed in a family, fear of the unknown and anger at being left behind has hurt Zack. Zack made the choice, on his own, that he does not want to be adopted. The family who has loved him, traveled to meet him and tried to reach out to him, is honoring his feelings and wishes. I completely support the family's decision and am heartbroken for them. At this time Zack will not be adopted....most likely he will never be adopted, unless he changes his feelings about being adopted. Sadly Zack doesn't understand completely what this decision means for him or for his future. I have let our friends in country know that we will continue to try to help him as we can....although we know this means he will most likely never come to the US. It is uncertain if Maria and Zack will be reunited again, but one can always hope.

Hope....we do have hope at this time too. Hope for 2 if Maria's other friends J and S. Their family has finally gotten verbal approval and they are hoping to visit in August. We are anxious to hear how J and S respond to the news of a family and that they will be brothers and have two sisters who use to be in their group at the orphanage. We are praying they are home in time for Christmas....if that happens we might have a special December trip to plan.

You might wonder how Maria is with all this.....well, she is sad for Zack. She knows he can be very difficult and that everyone has tried their best to help him. She wants him to be adopted, but also has accepted he most likely will not be. Maria is thrilled for J and S. She hopes that there will be many visits with their new family and be reunited with some of her friends. We actually got to Skype last Thanksgiving with J and S and get regular updates on them. These boys are special.....many mommas in at least 3 countries have fought for them to have this chance. I know their new momma is ready to have them home and in her arms.

Thank you to all who helped Zack when we were trying to find him a family.

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Maria update

PT today was great. Maria has been standing in the parallel bars for a while now. Today I brought in her crutches per the PT's request. We started off standing with the crutches then took a break. PT asked Maria if she could try taking a step....first one post surgery. What happened next made me cry!

http://youtu.be/HCaPP-yd9xM

 

 

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