Finding Our Butterflies

I Am Slow...

It has been thirteen days since Kristina's gotcha day three years ago. Never will I forget the moment we were pronounced her parents!! Then the burning (LITERALLY) that followed. We were given a drink...everyone drank and I took a big swallow... BAD BAD MISTAKE!!!! (I do not drink..) My throat and my WHOLE chest burned!!! And for many hours after...Nope never forget that ceremony!!! :)

What a feeling to finally become a mom. Oh my! Sometimes even to this day I still can't believe it. God was/is so good to me for giving me such a blessing!! Lately I have been thinking about her "tummy mommy". (Birth mother) I know she loved Kristina and wanted her to live and be "healthy"! (She has Cystic Fibrosis) Sometimes I wonder how she could have wanted her to be adopted and loose her again..but it not a death, or did it feel like it? I felt pain when I saw them together...I could not imagine what it felt like to give away your daughter... Oh my!!

Kristina knew who her mother was, and she did not want to come to me. A part of me wanted to keep them together..adopt the mother? It was sad. And not to be able to communicate was hard. I pray for her...comfort and peace. At the end of the visit she handed Kristina to me..and walked down the road out of the orphanage and then down the street. I thought about how our lives were changed forever, yet tied together.

Now, three years have gone by...she is a happy sweet little girl!!! She loves dollies, horses, swinging, and DIRT!!! She is helpful with her great grandmother, and her brother. Her chores are done without complaint..and even wants to do more! :) Just an all around blessing and joy!!

We went to the Mall of America for her gotcha day...she wanted to go to the zoo but it was raining. She and Jovan had fun on the rides. Daddy was the guy that got to go with Jovan. As I do NOT do rides!!!! Except we went as a family on the Farris Wheel. Scary...I just looked at my husband, and didn't think how high up we were.... UGH!! I survived..then we went to eat. A fun day we had! Some pictures of the day.

The first ride...a bus!