I was reminded that now comes the time to practice patience. So since there is nothing I can do right now (adoption paperwork wise) I found other ways to keep myself busy. I painted the girls room and started painting the playroom. I went to several different stores looking for Disney balls the girls love, but had no luck. I bought them each two outfits and when Vito got home we went shopping for bedding, curtains, and some other fun stuff!
While all of this was fun...the best part of the week was an email from the girls foster parent. We emailed a couple of pictures of us in the house. We wanted the girls to see where we eat and where we cook meals. He emailed us back and said they were so excited and the younger one said she will run and play in the yard and the older one said she wants to come right now. They asked if we had toys, books, and clothes. He asked what they wanted tell us, and they said "we love you mum and papa" The younger one also recognized Scooter in one of the pictures and remembered his name. So this was why I immediately went out to buy some clothes. I wanted to send them a picture. I also want to send them a picture of their room(of course that will be a few more weeks.)
I have a question for your all....did any of you make a "life book" or some sort of memory book for your child? I want to do something and need some ideas. I used to scrapebook a little, but I am just afraid I don't have the time. I was thinking of doing something digital. Any ideas. Also we were asked not to post any pictures of the girls yet...but if any of you would like to see some pictures, I would love to send them your way. Just send me your email!
Backpacks we left with the girls on our last visit! They loved them!
Picture of the clothes I emailed them!
Picture of the clothes I emailed them!
That is sooooo sweet!! I have a life book, but it's more of a picture book I made on Shutterfly. It'll work until my son is a little older. He's 4 now and I should probably get started on it! I would love a pic of the girls :-) kelly70@gmail.com Hope you travel back ASAP!!!
ReplyDeleteI plan on using shutterly for his life book, and printing off my blog.
ReplyDeleteYou are SO lucky to be able to communicate with your girls. I hope your time waiting will be shorter than ours!!!! Expecially if it gets us to Warsaw around the same time.
Wow, how awesome that you get to email the girls through their foster parents. We did a scrapbook for our daughter's adoption in 2003. But I think I will do a digital one through snapfish or shutterfly this time around. We have made photo books through there for vacations, etc. and love how they turn out. I would love to see pictures of your girls. mommy2molly @ gmail . com (just take out the spaces) I hope you will get to go back for them quickly.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you get to communicate with your kids during this time. What a relief for you!
ReplyDeleteWe're still in the process of putting a scrapbook together from our trip (I'm slow)... I also will be printing our first year from our blog...
We also brought a photo book to Poland that Chris loved. It had pictures of everything from our home (rooms, toys, our cars, etc.), people (grandparents, uncles, etc.) and neighborhood (school, his new teacher, classroom, church, etc.). I wrote what everything was in both English and Polish on each page. He still looks through that book...
Ramie, those backpacks are so cute! It must be SO AWESOME to have such great foster parents who are so willing and eager to keep up communication with the girls.
ReplyDeleteI am realizing the differences between toddler adoption and older than toddler adoption- your girls really understand that you love them and will be their parents, they understand you are coming back to get them, and you will be a family. That is so special.
I hope your second trip comes ASAP! I would love to see their pictures if are willing to share: kara.chlebek@gmail.com.
So cool. Sounds like you have a great way to communicate through the absence. I say keep up those emails and pictures they will have such a great impact and probably make the transition to your home easier.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a life book on shutterfly right now. It is a compilation of all of the pictures we have of her at the orphanage before meeting her (none of her bio family:( though) and her experience with us once we met. We also have a picture of the hospital where she was born (we were in town and I asked the cab driver to drive by so I could get a picture.) Also some of the "getting ready" for you to come home pictures.
I've been trying to figure out what to do with the background information I was given. Some people say to include it in a "life book" so that the kids can review the information when they want. I have a hard time memoralizing information that people read and cringe. Instead, I think I'm going to create a binder of information with original documents, translations, impact of her early environment documents (ie why were the decisions made that were made), my thoughts on the adoption process (like a letter to my daughter when you turn 16), and some information on the family.I won't put it in a fancy scrapbook or even a digital one. Just a binder that protects the information and makes it available for review later.
I decided to go this route when I realized that her brother has a "baby book" that we all pull out and share with the kids, friends, family etc. She needs to have one to. One that she can show off. Sure the first three years are condensed into one book and we don't have any true "baby pictures" but we have enough to create a semblance. Since you seem to be working with a great foster family you will probably have so much more to work with.
Have fun. If anyone has any good ideas on other ways to handle the sensitive information please let me know.
I'd love pictures as well. So exciting. cspeh98 @ gmail.com (also delete the spaces.)
ooops! I put my old email address!! Must have been up too early, here's my current one if you'd like to share pics: keason 70 @ gmail .com (w/o spaces). For our son's more personal/private background info I've done something similar, I have it in a 3 ring binder (all the Polish originals also), along with a description of what we know, felt, thought, etc... I'll give it to him when he's a little older.
ReplyDeleteI started on the scrapbook only 8 months after we returned, and more because I wanted to share it with other adoptive parents I was planning to meet at the summer picnic.
ReplyDeleteThe scrapbook I made has only photos from our time with the kids in Poland.
I was given several CD's and an album from the foster family of their early years. But after looking at those photos it makes me very upset and I am not comfortable printing the rest of the photos from the CD. This family took a 1000 photos of my little child and only 2 photos of the other two. I knew that he got the majority of their love and attention, but I don't want them to notice it black on white, or in color photos.
I take too many photos, so creating a scrapbook takes a tremendous amount of effort from me to print only a few photos. I am planning doing a scrapbook for each year and forcing myself to print only five photos per month. It's going to be extremely difficult, but hopefully I can manage.
Good luck with the rest of your planning! And I'd love to see photos, too. My email address is in my profile.
Hello! Creative Memories now has a "digital platform". I have not used it, but I have heard it's pretty cool and easy to use. I plan to create a scrap book for each child of our complete journey. It will take me years, but I am committed and scrap booking is an outlet for me. I already do a family scrap book for each year which I hope to keep up (fingers crossed!)
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled for you that you will be able to stay in touch with the children. The time will FLY by and before you know it you will be back again! Since we were not able to communicate there was quite the adjustment period again and for you that won't be an issue.
One thing I was always mindful of while in Poland was to always pick up 2 of everything that I thought was important to put in their scrap books. Ie. Two maps of the city, two brochures of an sightseeing adventure we went on - etc. Just a thought for you!
Please send pictures!! I can't wait to see them!! martha.hanson@yahoo.com