Celebrating 6 Months Home!!!

I can’t believe we just recently celebrated our 6-month anniversary of being home! It has been an amazing continuation to the journey..... Looking at the photos on the blog bring back the memories of those first few days home. What a special time that was…… It has been totally mind-boggling to watch Agella go from a handful of English words to being totally conversational. We were told she would pick it up quickly. They were right! She doesn’t have a shy bone in her body so even though she isn’t always “grammatically correct” she can carry on a conversation with the best of them – her Dad included! :) She adjusted well to American school and made some really wonderful friends before the end of the school year. Len took her to UC for Take Your Child to Work Day - she loved seeing a "university" and wants to go there when she gets out of high school - so she can still live at home and sleep in her own bed!!! :) Soon after we were home we celebrated her first Easter and Passover in America. She met many of her cousins and aunts and uncles. We thought she might be overwhelmed, but she absolutely loved it!

She attended a summer camp that included swim lessons and daily swimming sessions, outings to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Coney Island to name a few. We bought her her first bicycle. She loves to ride. She took karate and ballet lessons over the summer too! We went on vacation with the our cousin's the Pax’s to St. Simon’s Island, GA and Isle of Palms, SC. It was so fun to see Angella’s face the first time we approached the beach and her excitement when she found her first sand dollar and conch shell. By the 4th of July, she had met all three of her big brothers! She loves having brothers and although she doesn’t see them often she runs to the phone whenever they call!

Starting school was a breeze as she was so excited to be in the 5th grade with her best friends Maddie and Vanessa. The Montessori environment and her teacher Ms. Jill have proved to be the perfect fit for her! We found a life saver in Zebo. A graduate student from UC that is from Uzbekistan (near Russia). She speaks Russian and is studying linguistics. She and Angella hit if off immediately. Nice to have the "tutor" responsibility off of my plate! We’re wrapping up her first soccer season. She absolutely loves soccer! She scored a goal last game! We celebrated with snickers and Indian food that night. Her favorite. She and Len go out golfing whenever possible. Last time she had a 150 yard drive right onto the green! Needless to say, Len was a proud papa! Angella also loves to cook and puts garlic, cayenne pepper, and pepper jack cheese on just about everything. She “mans the grill” anytime she has the opportunity! She eats more fruit than you would believe! And a whole cucumber and tomatoes accompany her to school each day in her lunch box.

She has learned a handful of magic tricks that are actually quite unbelievable. Her latest interest is making jewelry. Gail, Len’s sister was so impressed with the pair she made for her, that she asked Angella to make an assortment for her gallery in Chapel Hill, NC. We spent hours searching for beads and now she is in non-stop production mode. We’re creating a logo and artist statement – she’s already written the copy! It's nice to see her innocence and hear her laugh out loud as she watches her cartoons. Not a day goes by where she doesn’t get her “sponge bob fix”!

We celebrated our 6-month anniversary with Bubbi and Grandpa Marv and Grandma Norma and Frank. We ordered Indian - of course and showered her with a few special gifts. It was a special evening for all of us.

Mom and Dad are doing great. We are enjoying sharing the responsibilities of parenthood. It’s definitely different from our quiet and spontaneous lifestyle we were accustomed to. For Len it’s been great experiencing a daughter. Fortunately she loves sports but the sweetness of being scared of monsters at night and fashion shows after a little shopping spree, are always a hit! He affirms girls are definitely different than boys! Motherhood has come very naturally and the connection that Angella and I share is indescribable. It’s not to say there aren’t challenges with adopting an older child, but it’s certainly been easier than either of us imagined. Most of the time, she is a complete joy to be with. We love having Angella in our lives! She truly is a blessing!

Look for another update just after the holidays. A lot of “firsts” coming our way! Angella’s 12th birthday is January 7.

Enjoying the days of our lives……….

Pam, Len and Angella