ayat

It's time to celebrate a month of anniversaries. Two years ago today we gained custody of the kids. Here's the link if you want to go wander down memory lane with me: At Last.

adoption, russian adoption

18 months in

A year and a half ago today our plane landed in Chicago and our kids became US citizens. Hours later another plane landed in Seattle and we were picked up and driven home. A year and a half ago today -- a mere 18 months -- our children walked into our home for the first time. We were still speaking Russglish back then, still using sign language, still essentially strangers to one another. Twas merely a year and a half ago.

How did we celebrate? My Gift worked overtime and I took the children first to class with me (last night WHoo HOOO) and then to a Ron Paul party to celebrate our successful convention. I did mention that 80% of the delegates from our county are Ron Paul's people, didn't I? We had much to celebrate.

ayat: Zurich to Chicago to Seattle to Home

A year ago today we were enduring the (up until then) hardest experience of my life: 36 hours of travel with little people.

At about 6pm Pacific Time on the 18th, think "The Chandlers are at the airport now." Enjoy your evening. Go to bed. Get a good night's rest. Appreciate that. Get up in the morning. Think "The Chandlers are still either in an airport or in an airplane." Think this through breakfast, through lunch, and through dinner. Go to bed. Fluff your pillows. Drift off to sleep. At about midnight, wake up to think "The Chandlers have finally left the airport. Now they are in a car on the freeway." Pray for our safety. Go back to sleep.

Twas sweet indeed, to see our own home again.

Thus endeth this ayat series. I hope you have enjoyed it. Looking back at the early days has been informative to me. My word, it was hard at first, and I didn't even post the worst stuff. During our first few days we were near despair, thinking we had wrecked our lives and seeing no escape. If you are reading all this as a pre-adoptive parent, or fellow adopter of older children, take heart.

We have no regrets. Plenty of hard days and discouragement, but no regrets. Most of the time we are quite sure that we got the best ones.






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ayat: Moscow to Zurich

A year ago today I'm not real sure where we were, as the date line has me all muddled up. But here's a link to a post that is claiming to be Sept 19th, 2006.

ayat: Moscow

A year ago today we were staggering around Moscow, jet-lagged, sleep-deprived, and weary inside and out. There is no post to link to for this day, as we spent the whole day walking walking walking, hoping to tucker out a certain insomniac young boy.

This was the day we visited the Kremlin, did the St Basil's pics, and learned of Dandy's deep and abiding dislike of ketchup. I posted about all this a year ago tomorrow.

ayat: Khabarovsk to Moscow

A year ago today we were on the most vile flight ever as we flew across Russia to Moscow. Here they are, first-time travelers: poor dears.

ayat: almost leaving

A year ago today we were having a farewell dinner with the other families in the MarKuel apartments.

ayat: packing

A year ago today we were packing for departure to Moscow.

We are packing! Joyfully gratefully merrily packing! 24 hours from now we will be at the airport and I don’t care how long or cramped or bumpy the flight is, we won’t be in this flat.

ayat: still in Khabarovsk

A year ago today we were still in Khabarovsk, toodling about.

ayat: a happy day

A year ago today we were all well and in jolly moods and we had a marvelous day.

ayat: Family Day!

A year ago today our court decree finalized which made our adoption process complete. September 12th is the 'birthday' of our family.

ayat: holding time

A year ago today, we were trying holding therapy with our very trying children as well as attempting to deny the fact that Papa was coming down with a nasty flu.

Plop your raging child onto their belly over your lap so that the legs dangle over one side and the arms over the other. Plant your elbows on your kneecaps to hold your kiddo there (this also allows you to put your fingers in your ears if you wish). Let them express all their angry indignant feelings in whatever volume they wish (not that you could stop it anyway). Wait until their angry energies are spent. Your child will relax and you can rock your legs left and right and pet them; I start humming the soothing song about now.

:: this post is part of the adoption journey roundup.

ayat: this is intense!

A year ago today we were blogging about the trials and tribulations of our adjustment period.

ayat: oops

A year ago today we were flailing about trying to figure out what to do.

ayat: haircuts & outings

A year ago today, Dandy got his first non-buzz-cut haircut and we all went to the market.

ayat: early days of parenting

A year ago today we were learning how to discipline. You know, it's really rather good that we had no idea how hard it would be, as we probably wouldn't have had the courage to try. We did find time for two posts that day, the second one full of tidbits of our new lives.

ayat: at last

A year ago today we were posting a few very brief reports of our first days with the kiddos and what we were all learning.

adoption

ayat: and more waiting

A year ago today we were blogging as we waited out the final hour before hosting the farewell party and picking up the children for better or worse, til death do us part.

ayat: still waiting

A year ago today we were still waiting for custody and posting pics of Khabarovsk.

ayat: first visit to our place

A year ago today we were recovering from the few hours that the children had spent with us in the flat. It was crazy. When they got picked up to return to the orphanage, we could hardly look at one another, we were so terrified of what we had gotten into. The children had gone bezerk.

You may think you have seen them all wound up and hyper here in the States; you have seen nothing.