On January 30th 2013

It's hard to believe it was a year ago...
Although we were tired from the flights and the 9 hour layover, it wasn't easy to sleep the night of the 29th.  After a quick breakfast and a 2 hour snowy drive, we would finally meet her...
I took these three pictures with and sent them to our family and friends.

Looking for the stork... Take 2

It's hard to believe a year ago today we were packing for our trip to Hungary.  I spent countless hours packing, repacking, weighing suitcases.  We even had a plan to slip one more piece of luggage by the gate checkers.  There was no way we could pack 2 adults, 1 baby of indeterminate size, stroller and car seat in the luggage allotment for 2 adults.  Chris planned to push the empty stroller up to gate check alone hoping the handlers would assume baby was with mom.  Luckily, the ticket checkers at Aeroflot let us check everything- after a panicked "where's the baby!" from the attendant, we explained we were going to get her and everything was checked.  (Though they broke the car seat in cargo.)

Well, here we go again!
Last week we met with a social worker for adoption number two.  We planned to adopt from foster care domestically.  We are requesting a child under 4, so our pumpkin stays the oldest child. 
When meeting with the social worker, he indicated we would be well suited, as Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), to the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor  program (URM).  This program identifies children who have lost one or both parents administered through the United Nations; who cannot be cared for in their home countries due to instability, natural disaster or war.  The children are granted special visas and come into the domestic foster care system.  You can read more about it from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that overseas the program's administration. 
They have seen an increasing number of referrals for this program and hope to find more families to adopt them.  Families must complete foster care parenting and additional trainings. 
We will start our training in a few months, the paperwork has begun.  We won't know if the child will come from domestic foster care or the URM program for some time.  But once the child is identified, we won't have much time from matching to placement.  Sometimes is can be a few months but some children are sent to their foster/ future adoptive homes within a week of matching. 

One Year Ago

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.

6 months home

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. 

Gabriella spent her summer enjoying the New England heat wave

cherry blossoms!

loves her music

after the surgery, she no longer needs glasses

yogurt, maybe calcium isn't so bad

first carousel ride

before the surgery, glasses and patches

this was taken on the anniversary of 6 months home

Introducing...

Gabriella Christine!

It's official

Friday we had our court date, it's official this peanut is ours! Th thirty day period was up and the courts decision was in our favor.  We then trekked back to the birth village for the new birth certificate with anticipated difficulty, apparently the woman in that office is notorious for being difficult.  Then 3 hours to Budapest to the passport office.  That wasn't too bad thanks to our facilitator.  Tomorrow is the appointment with the embassy the we can go home!

Little trip

This week we took a little trip to Pecs (which is pronounced more like Paige).  It's a rough guides don't miss top pick and a European cultural capital this year.  It's totally worth a visit.  We took the train down from Budapest.  Hungarian trains are very nice, some even have wifi.  They are  much cheaper than trains in the states and not only does your child under 6 travel free, the parents get a family discount.  So it's cheaper than 2 adults traveling alone.
In Pecs, there are many international people due to the large university with classes in english.  We met an American-Hungarian family with a few biological kids and an adopted one about our peanuts age.  Our little lady had a blast playing with the kids- they had all kinds of cool toys like a play kitchen and doll stroller that were big hits.  But the best part was the piano, I have never seen her so engaged for such an extended period of time.  No I take that back, best part was the girls, our little one loves to play with bigger girls, and they had 2 a bit older than her.  It was nice for us parents to be able to talk to someone else too.
We've got some busy days ahead of us, might not post for a while.  We have to get the Hungarian courts decision from the regional government seat and the updated birth certificate from. The birth village.  The it's off the embassy for all the documents to return home.  We will be home in 1 week!