Sunday, February 25, 2007

To Search or Not To Search...

Right now Ken and I are debating whether or not to do a birth-parent search in Ukraine. There are so many questions we would like answered. If we move forward with this, we will keep the information private; we also don't plan to share the information with Lira and Timmy until they are much older. Since Lira and Timmy were placed in the orphanage as toddlers, they already have some recollection of their birth family; at least, Lira does. But she is forgetting so much of it. So... to those of you who read my blog who are adoptive families, I'd love some input... have you performed a birth family search? What's your experience? What questions do you ask the searcher to get answers to?

Monday, February 19, 2007

Friends from Ukraine





While we were in Ukraine, we met a few other couples, but one in particular. Tammy and Billy had their appointment at the NAC the same day we did and we started talking to them while we were waiting for our appointment. After a bit of a wait, and lots of chatting, we discovered that we lived about 5 hours from each other. We traded home numbers and promised to keep in touch. After we had our appointments and received our referrals, Tammy and I gave each other tearful hugs and we decided to meet again that evening with a few other American families at the O'Briens pub in Kiev.

Tammy and Billy have two biological daughters and adopted Marina, then 7 years old. We chatted all about our experiences at the NAC that day as well as joys and anxieties we'd experience over the days to come. The next day, we all went our separate ways, not really expecting to meet again until we were in America. Don't you know it, we bumped into them again at the American Embassy in Ukraine, the day before we all left for America. Lira and Timmy met Marina and overwhelmed her with non-stop chatter! It was a sweet moment.

We have kept in touch via email and phone calls and Tammy decided that it's time we actually get together since we've talked about it for almost 9 months now. So, this weekend, they made the drive and spent the weekend here. They came with Marina and their middle daughter, Allison. The kids got along famously, especially Marina and Lira. They have so much in common with the experiences in their lives. Lira didn't want to leave Marina's side and when their visit was over, Lira cried as she went to sleep.

It was so nice for our families to see each other again and talk about our experiences in Ukraine. We plan to continue to keep in touch and next time our family is driving out to see them! Lira can't wait! (And neither can I!)

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Timmy's Birthday... "I'm Rich!"




When I was putting Timmy to bed on the night of his birthday, he laid in his (new "big boy")bed, crossed his legs, and put his arms behind his head. With a huge smile he said, "Mom... I rich! I have a new big bed, I have lots of new toys, I'M RICH!" And there you have it. I had a good giggle out of that. I told him he was rich with love from his family and he said, "Yep, and I'll love you forever, mom!" After he said that, I felt rich. That's what keeps me going these days- the love from the kids no matter how frustrating a day it might have been.

Timmy's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese was great. Nana and Poppy drove down from PA for the party and Timmy had 8 of his friends, not to mention the adults that came (despite it being at Chuck E. Cheese!) It's a new Chuck E. restaurant that just opened within the past year, so it was much bigger than the other few I've been in, and a bit cleaner...Phew! Although I thought the party would be too overstimulating for Lira and Tim, they both did great. Tim just gets a bit quiet and tries to take it all in. Lira didn't seem to be affected by any of it. So, there you have it... yet another sign they're adjusting! While the waitress was lighting Timmy's bday cake, he said to me that he wished it was his birthday EVERY day! (Meanwhile I'm wishing my birthday only came every-other year so remaining at the age of 30 wouldn't be so much of a lie! LOL)