Arriving home on Saturday, April 17, at 9:30pm, we had much to share about our journey and visit with Julianna. We also had a lot to catch up on with our other children. So how did we fair?
Here are some of the highlights:
· Our little Angelo has now adjusted to our return. It was reported that he was well behaved while were away and a little more affectionate than usual with his babysitter. Since we have been home, Angelo has not left our side and wants Kenny or me to hold him constantly. We have giving him extra hugs, kisses, and attention since we’ve been home. I think he is almost back to normal.
· Vincent had some issues of his own while we were away. We have given him lots of hugs, kisses, and attention, too. Today, he is finally returning to the Vincent that we know and love.
· Gabby, Francesca, and Dominic have also been extra affectionate since we returned.
· Each morning before school, I have insured that each of my children got an extra squeeze of a hug, a kiss, and an “I love you” before they parted from me. I also made sure that I was at each of Angelo’s four therapy sessions.
· Many of our friends and colleagues have offered words of support for us upon our return. We have enjoyed sharing with them our experiences with our new daughter.
· Adjusting to the change in time has been huge, especially for me! Kenny had to work away for two days…this was tough for all of us so quickly after our return from a long and emotional trip.
· As a guest of our pastor, Msgr. Lawrence, Kenny and I attended a benefit dinner for the local pro-life organization. The speaker was inspirational and affirmed the actions that we are taking to improve little Julianna’s life and officially make her a Licata.
· A little girl in my school brought in some clothes for Julianna that she has outgrown. She also gave me a coloring book and crayons for Julianna’s plane ride home. How sensitive this little girl is to the needs of others.
· Our Gabby has been busy at work getting Julianna’s wardrobe together. She found clothes and dolls that she had packed away for her new sister. The clothes are now organized in Julianna’s dresser or hung in the closet. Gabby even found hair ribbons and bows…some as big as the ones in the pictures.
· We are inspired by accounts of others who have successfully adopted their children in Russia since the April 8 return of the Russian boy. This is encouraging for us since we are “in process” as well. A recent article that I read on Foxnews noted that US diplomats were asking Russia to continue with the adoptions that were in process. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/22/lawmakers-urge-russia-halt-adoptions/
· We continue to pray for Julianna and the others that are in the Children’s Home. We know that those who work with Julianna, truly care about her.
· The news from our coordinator/translator - We gather some more documents and can be in court by June, …with God’s grace and in His time.
· We miss our Julianna and pray that she remembers us by our pictures that we left with her. Kenny and I are in the process of developing some video clips that we will be putting on YouTube. Our plan is to send the URL to Svetlana. We hope she will be able to give it to the Children’s Home for Julianna to see us.
For those of you that our following our blog, we ask that you please continue to pray for our adoption process, as well as all those who are in the same situation. The 144 million orphans in the world are depending on our prayers.
Here are some of the highlights:
· Our little Angelo has now adjusted to our return. It was reported that he was well behaved while were away and a little more affectionate than usual with his babysitter. Since we have been home, Angelo has not left our side and wants Kenny or me to hold him constantly. We have giving him extra hugs, kisses, and attention since we’ve been home. I think he is almost back to normal.
· Vincent had some issues of his own while we were away. We have given him lots of hugs, kisses, and attention, too. Today, he is finally returning to the Vincent that we know and love.
· Gabby, Francesca, and Dominic have also been extra affectionate since we returned.
· Each morning before school, I have insured that each of my children got an extra squeeze of a hug, a kiss, and an “I love you” before they parted from me. I also made sure that I was at each of Angelo’s four therapy sessions.
· Many of our friends and colleagues have offered words of support for us upon our return. We have enjoyed sharing with them our experiences with our new daughter.
· Adjusting to the change in time has been huge, especially for me! Kenny had to work away for two days…this was tough for all of us so quickly after our return from a long and emotional trip.
· As a guest of our pastor, Msgr. Lawrence, Kenny and I attended a benefit dinner for the local pro-life organization. The speaker was inspirational and affirmed the actions that we are taking to improve little Julianna’s life and officially make her a Licata.
· A little girl in my school brought in some clothes for Julianna that she has outgrown. She also gave me a coloring book and crayons for Julianna’s plane ride home. How sensitive this little girl is to the needs of others.
· Our Gabby has been busy at work getting Julianna’s wardrobe together. She found clothes and dolls that she had packed away for her new sister. The clothes are now organized in Julianna’s dresser or hung in the closet. Gabby even found hair ribbons and bows…some as big as the ones in the pictures.
· We are inspired by accounts of others who have successfully adopted their children in Russia since the April 8 return of the Russian boy. This is encouraging for us since we are “in process” as well. A recent article that I read on Foxnews noted that US diplomats were asking Russia to continue with the adoptions that were in process. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/22/lawmakers-urge-russia-halt-adoptions/
· We continue to pray for Julianna and the others that are in the Children’s Home. We know that those who work with Julianna, truly care about her.
· The news from our coordinator/translator - We gather some more documents and can be in court by June, …with God’s grace and in His time.
· We miss our Julianna and pray that she remembers us by our pictures that we left with her. Kenny and I are in the process of developing some video clips that we will be putting on YouTube. Our plan is to send the URL to Svetlana. We hope she will be able to give it to the Children’s Home for Julianna to see us.
For those of you that our following our blog, we ask that you please continue to pray for our adoption process, as well as all those who are in the same situation. The 144 million orphans in the world are depending on our prayers.