Week one home with Mia was a whirlwind!
The Reality is.....
we were exhausted. I think it was a combination of the jet lag, and the fact that my body is finally letting go of all the emotions and stress that has been building up over the last 6 months of this process and it is catching up with me.
The Reality is...
bringing home a 4 year old is a little different than having a newborn baby.
Although you are not dealing with the physical recovery that goes along with giving birth, you are also not really given the usual "R & R" period that is expected after giving birth.
You bring home this new child and you don't really miss a beat. There are no meals being brought in, and no nap time with a newborn. You have to jump right back into life...cooking, cleaning. etc. and on top of it all, your new "baby" is mobile!
The Reality is.....
we are still overwhelmed....
yes, part of it comes from trying to get caught up on life after being gone for 32 days,
part of it is the logistics of suddenly having 4 year old twins....
but MOST of it is feeling overwhelmed with gratitude as we watch this little girl explore the world
a world so very different from the one she knew 2 weeks ago
and we are overwhelmed at the wonder and the awe that is so apparent in her eyes as she soaks it all in.
we are overwhelmed with joy to see how well she is adjusting and enjoying the abundance of attention she is getting.
The reality is...
tucking all 4 of my girls into their OWN beds,
under the SAME roof
the first night home was a tremendous feeling......
no more empty beds here
The reality is....
it is an adjustment for everyone to add a new one to the family dynamics.
But I am so proud of my girls as I have watched them welcome
with open arms
their new little sister...no questions asked.
My sweet Bree is trying so hard to adjust to this new change to her life....
her mom and dad leave for 32 days
and bring home another 4 year old who is now sharing her room, her attention, and her family....
and she is doing so well.
She is Mia's guardian angel...
She is the reason we knew we could bring Mia home...
Does she have her moments of fighting for the attention and struggling with what is really going on? yes, but all things considered, I am so proud of how well she is handling things.
The Reality is...
Mia is loving life
She LOVES to swim
and try new things.
The reality is....
the miracle of this little Ukrainian princess is not over
she is touching people's hearts with her amazing ability to love
and showing us all that she has so much to give.
The Reality is...
looking at her intelligent,
beautiful little soul
and thinking of it being extinguished in an institution around the world gives me chills...and not the good kind.
She is smart
She is happy
She is capable
She is eager to learn
She loves freely
The reality is....
This girl is LOVED
The reality is that nothing else really matters.
It is all worth it....she is finally here and she is part of a family!
She thought it was a great big bathtub so she started washing her ears and her hair
She thought it was a great big bathtub so she started washing her ears and her hair
She loved swimming with all her "papas" (her uncles)...she thinks every guy is a "papa"
She just looked so comfortable in the water and enjoyed every minute of it!
Bree taught her how to get around on the slide and how to maneuver around the pool
Mia was in heaven when she found grandpas cars....they can be controlled by a remote my an adult so she thinks she is driving!
The first of many swim days for this little one this summer!
