Looking for the Stork: October 2013

Last October on a Friday afternoon I got that call...
I honestly hadn't been preoccupied with work and getting our documents together. We were still preparing our dossier for Bulgaria. There were still a few more documents to track down before we sent it out to Children's House. They would then send it to be translated and then we would begin to wait for the MOJ.
Only, it didn't happen that way.
Chris had the car. He had gone to the mountains to go climbing with some friends. It was Columbus Day weekend and they had 3 days off work. I was getting a ride home with a collegue. My phone rings.
"Can we send you a picture? I know you have a strong connection to Bulgaria- but would you consider this little one?"
A girl..from Hungary.. this was rare. There are more boys in orphanages around the world and Hungary only did 4 adoptions to the United States in 2011 (the latest information available to me at the time).
I had to track down Chris- no cell phone service, no land line to reach him at.
I opened my e-mail and saw this smiling face.

And the rest is history.

Well, if I'm honest 6 1/2 months. I've been meaning to write this post.
Gabriella came home a tiny 3 year old. She weighed just 25lbs and was just over 32 inches tall, barely wearing 18 months clothing. Her hair was short and thin- you would need 4 rubber bands just to pull it away from her face. She only ate pickled vegetables, white bread and lunch meats. Her gross motor- walking, climbing, was immature, her attention span was no more than ninety seconds. She couldn't speak more than 30 words in her native language. The American doctors had warned us- "she's frenetic," "she won't catch up to her peers."
In the past 6 months, Gabriella has soared. She has grown to 36 inches, 28 lbs she's wearing a 2T. She has successfully potty trained, no longer even needing diapers for car rides or naps. Her hair has grown so long to fit into just one ponytail. She has tried many new foods. She loves yogurt, bananas, she will even willing eat green beans. She can look at books, puzzles or play with her toys on her own for extended periods. She runs, climbs, swings, slides and bounces with the other children at the parks. She speaks in complete sentences, she knows hundreds of words. She loves and is caring towards animals.
Gabriella has gone through a lot since she's been home. But the biggest challenge was the eye surgery. Gabriella has strabimus, in both eyes. They would wander, mostly turning inward. The doctor told us, remember surgery does not correct vision- it will just correct alignment. A few weeks later, at her post operative appointment, her vision was checked- and it has corrected. Her brain had "turned off" her left eye because the signals it was getting were too poor. Now Gabriella's brain has adjusted and she no longer needs glasses.
Gabriella was born too premature, her survival is a testament to the Hungarian Medical system - even a little, rural hospital can save a baby that came into the world just over one pound, but mostly to her own spirit. She is a fighter. Nothing can hold this little peanut back. Gabriella is a joyful child. She brings happiness to everyone she meets. I can't remember- I don't want to remember what our life was like before she came.