5 months home

Well, we are just past our 5 month mark.  We just completed our first homestudy post placement update.  Everything seemed to go okay.

Here is one of the pictures in the report.

I just had my first Mother's Day.  It was special to finally observe the day and not be sad.  My baby girl was finally with us and we were all happy.
May 18th is approaching... it will be a year ago on that day that we got information regarding a little girl in Russia.  Did we want to proceed?  OF COURSE!

so ornery!

she's got daddy's pinky!

and momma's heart!

June 1 - will be the anniversary of the first time I ever got to hold my baby girl!(above is the picture of our first day together!)  She had just turned 2 and wasn't really talking(boy has that changed!).. but she smiled continually and had us wrapped around her finger in just a matter of minutes.  I will never forget that HOT day an the darn HOT hotel!  The grass at the orphanage was so high, Steve wanted to mow it, but there wasn't a mower available.  It is such a great memory... she is such a special little girl!  She is growing up fast.  The past 5 months seems to have flown by.  I still can't believe that I made 3 trips to Russia last year... me -- a small town girl - now world traveler!  (LOL)

I just love this photo... I titled it A CHILD OF RUSSIA because she just looks so innocent.
I was never so happy as I was on that day! I was never so scared either - scared of losing her.. scared that it wouldn't work out... scared she might be sick... just plain SCARED of all the unknowns!  But - we pushed forward...our dreams were about to come true.  We just didn't realize it would take another 6 months before we'd have her home to be with us for good.

Ton's of paperwork later - she was finally ours!  NOW WHAT?  who knows really?  But she seems to have adapted to the adjustment very well. 
I am about to embark on another change for her.. "day care"  just a couple days a week to give GRANDMA a break and so she can play with other children her age and get some structure to her day.  I worry what she will think.. .we will have to see how it goes.  I'm going to take her in on May 29 and let her check it out... see how she does..Got to have faith!

She is now trying to sing "ring around the rosey", twinkle twinkle, ABC's...

She is learning something new everyday... we were doing flash cards last night... and she got one wrong..... about 1/2 hour later... I asked her what it was again and this time she got it right... she is really going to be a quick learner. 

Here is a picture from June 2... the day we had to leave her until we went back to court on November 15!... She looked really sad... we tried to put on happy faces... but it was hard... and as I look at this photo it breaks my heart to know we left her - if only for a little while...It was what had to be done. 

Enough sadness!  She is home and she is ours forever!  No more sadness little one! 

another photo from post placement report!  Just look at that SMILE!

WE LOVE YOU!
Momma and Papa Lewis!