6 Month Anniversary!

Today was our 6 month anniversary of being home as a family. I know a lot of adoptive families celebrate their "gotcha day" as the day they officially became parents and children of one another via a court ruling. But our court date was somewhat anti-climatic; since it had been cancelled three times and we couldn't even take the kids out of the orphanage for another 10 days afterwards, it just didn't feel official. So instead of counting from April 13th, our court date, I've been counting from April 30th: the day we landed on American soil and walked into our front door as a family! To celebrate our anniversary, we went to breakfast, and though it wasn't a fancy place, it's one that they kids do well at. My parents were visiting for the weekend so they joined us, which made it extra special.

The past 6 months have really rocked our world. Life has been turned upside-down since becoming parents, but that's not a bad thing! We're finally getting used to being "parents" which was a pretty foreign concept in the beginning. I think Ken and I are doing the best we can, but make some parental mistakes here and there. (This is true for all new parents, right? Right? Hello?!) Lira and Timmy have been adjusting very, very well. The "bonding process" continues and I think it's coming along at a very nice pace, but there's still room for growth. We're not having attachment "problems", which is great. Lira is still closer to me than she is with Ken; it seems like she takes two steps forward, then one step back with her and her daddy. When Ken has opportunities to spend time with the kids without me there, Lira is much more affectionate towards him. But lately between his work schedule, projects within our community, his softball team, projects in the house, and volunteering, his time with the kids has been limited.

Lira and Timmy love their extended family, and this is truly reciprocated. I try to arrange visits with my parents and sister and her family about once a month. (They live about 3 hours away. I wish we could see them even more frequently!) They also talk on the phone quite a bit. Lira and Timmy are very close with my sister's daughters. Lira and Tim have met Ken's mom (their grandmother) and have spoken on the phone with a few other members of Ken's family. They live in different places on the west coast, so opportunities to visit are limited, as you can imagine. We're preparing Lira and Tim for a trip to California over Thanksgiving to meet most of the west-coast family. I'm excited and nervous about that all at the same time!

This past weekend we participated in their school's "International Night" by having a table where we displayed pictures of Ukraine and a bunch of traditional Ukrainian items we brought back from our trip. (I'll post pictures soon!) We also served Ukrainian peirogies which were a big hit. Lira and Tim had a fun time with some of their classmates as well as having a chance to taste lots of foods from other countries, too. Just a few more days until Halloween- Lira and Timmy can't wait!! I'll be sure to post pictures soon!