My Favorite Season

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.--- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is hard to believe that October is almost over. This month marks six months since Juliana has been home. I can’t image a time that she wasn’t here. She is such a joy to everyone who meets her~ you just can ‘t spend time with her without leaving with a smile. She has such an amazing spirit and an abundance of energy. Every week, she surprises all of us with her new found tricks, skills she has accomplished and funny antics. She has refined her climbing ability~ this month she has escaped out of her crib, almost made it to the top of her dresser using the drawer pulls as a foothold, started up her changing table and mastered the stairs. This is from the “tiny little peanut” who is barely making the growth charts. One thing you can say about her is ~ don't let her size fool you! She still has a never-ending supply of energy that exhausts all who watch her. But boy, is she cute!! She also has the best sense of humor and loves to have fun and laugh.
Last weekend, we (along with Aunt Karen, Zeke, Kaleigh and Grandmom) went to Duffield’s for a hayride and pumpkin picking. It was a beautiful fall day and we had a great time. I am posting pictures from that day. We are looking forward to Halloween and hopefully it won’t rain. This weekend is our last swim class. It is hard to get up early to go swimming when it is cold out. I think we will do a gymnastics class for the winter.
I have always said that I can't wait for her to talk (I know, I will regret saying that one day). Well, she now can say apple and Jackson. Yes, Jackson...it is a boy in her room at daycare that she fancies. What is worse is that she says it and smiles. Oh ok, I need to have more talks with her about playing harder to get....first it's Henry, then Milo, now Jackson. I think I still have a good 14 years!

Anyway, right now my life is filled with toys, books, alot of laughter and even more love..... It doesn't get any better than that!!!!

I will post Halloween pictures when I can. Bet you can't guess what she will be??

A Milestone

Occasionally in life, God presents a path that requires a leap of faith to travel. The trailhead looks promising, but the trail farther on is certain to be arduous and long. Those of us on the trail together are going to have to make it up as we go along. Yet, the vision towards which we travel is life-giving, and the journey will stretch the soul.......

It has been 6 months today that, in an unassuming courtroom, I became Juliana's mom. Now, it seems that only weeks have passed! I remember the day like it was yesterday~ I think it will be forever ingrained in my mind. In the 6 months I have been a parent, so much has changed. I may not read anything but children's books or watch anything but Baby Einstein, but my world has new adventures everyday. I know now that the quote written above couldn't have been more profound. The journey to this point has been filled with many emotions, trials and triumphs, but most importantly, it has ended in joy. To those still on the journey to your dream...keep going!!

Last week, Juliana started swimming lessons. She is such a waterbug....loves being in water. Most of the time, she is pouring water all over herself from a cup when I am not looking. She also will lay down in inches of water on the ground. We also took our first trip to the zoo recently with our friends Michele and Galina (2 yrs old). Miss J had another ride on a pony and did so well holding on! That's my girl! What do you think, out of the entire zoo, was her favorite animal? Not the lions or the elephants.....it was the Cows!! She went nuts over them-laughing and dancing. She is just too funny.

Her new favorite pastime is standing at the wheel of the car and turning the radio up really loud and dancing. I will post a video of this. If I close my eyes, I can fast-forward 16 yrs and see a preview of life to come as a teenager. Luckily, I will be old by then and maybe senile, so it won't bother me as much. Life has a way of getting mothers back for what you did as a young person. If that is the case, I am in Big Trouble (my mom can tell you stories!) Anyway, I have time to prepare for the teenage years. Wine and hair dye will cure alot of ills....

Thank you to all who supported me and the princess up to this point. I will continue to update everyone on the tales of life with Juliana.

Paka Paka!!!!

All about J

My favorite things

It is amazing how fast time is going by! I think the best part of having Juliana home is watching her grow and discover the world around her. Everyday is an adventure~ a rock in her path, a bird flying, a mud puddle, an ant~ all hold such fascination. It is just magical to see her explore her world. I am so thankful that we all get to be a part of it. How lucky are we!!! Juliana has definite opinions on what is her favorite things...animals (cows, dogs and birds are the most cherished), books (loves to read and kiss all the animals on the pages- very cute), fruits (all kinds-can eat them all day long), peas (how long will that last!), being in water (it doesn't matter if it is from a glass or the sink), studying how things work (a scientist perhaps?), and best of the best~ climbing (she will try to scale anything she can).
I can also say that Juliana is a very happy, smart and funny little girl. It is so much fun to see her personality develop. She is the darling of everyone who meets her. She is still a little pixie, but don't let her size fool you~ she is very strong!

Some of these pictures were taken at the 4-H fair this summer. She is following in the Kaz tradition of horsemanship and had her first pony ride. She loved the animals and it was a great day. Soon enough the summer will be over and it will be time for pumpkins......

Summer Fun

Juliana's christening and party was on July 22nd. The church service was really nice~ Pastor Chris did a great job and made it personal to her. It was difficult to keep her still during the service and to prevent a meltdown from occurring... but she did better than I thought she would. I chose two Godmothers for the occasion~ Karen and Diane (my sister and my cousin-sister). We all went up to the baptismal stand (not sure what it is called), Juliana decided to be funny. She loves to blow raspberries, especially with food in her mouth. I think it is funny and of course, I laugh when she does it. That encourages her to do it more. My mom always tells me not to laugh at her, because she does it out at restaurants and other public places. There we are at a nice dinner or affair and she is blowing raspberries and food is everywhere. But she starts laughing and I start laughing... she is so stinking cute! Well, she decides that the alter in church is a good place to blow raspberries and to laugh at herself. I can't help but to laugh at her, which makes her do it more. I can just hear my mom's voice in my head saying..." you shouldn't have encouraged this behavior" . The minister was even having trouble not laughing. I just hope God has a sense of humor! It was so funny...
One more word on the service.... her dress was so incredible. It was like a vintage heirloom lace outfit. It was ivory, with matching ivory shoes.... fabulous gown.
Ok, the party.... we had about 50 or so people there. It was so much fun. Again, the weather cooperated and it was a gorgeous day. I was glad to have the family meet the princess. Everyone just adores her! I thank everyone for being there. I especially thank Karen and Diane for being her Godmothers.

Juliana is now walking across the room, but still prefers to crawl if she needs to get somewhere fast. I can't believe she is walking, when just a few months ago, when we first met, she couldn't sit up by herself! She is just amazing to me... so smart, so funny and happy. We are all so lucky to have her in our lives....

Happy Birthday to Juliana!

The day the I have been dreading has finally come.... My baby girl has turned one year old! I didn't want this day to come~ she isn't a baby anymore. I missed her infancy and I am not ready to move on yet. However, time has other ideas! I wrote that when I was in Astana, someone added hours onto the days there. Now, someone is taking them away! Anyway, we had a summer BBQ birthday party for the princess. There were about 24 people~ family and friends~who came to celebrate her special day. It was a fantastic day with great weather. I think she enjoyed her party!


Juliana is standing on her own for minutes at a time, but she still prefers speed crawling to learning to walk. However, the weekend after her birthday, she took her first steps! It was the most exciting thing I have ever seen! She is just to cute!
I realize that I am in trouble now~ she is now learning a new mode of transportation. Eventually, she will be running and will probably not slow down for a long time.

I have planned Juliana's christening for the end of July. It will be a celebration for the entire family to meet Juliana. I am looking forward to it.

Life in the USA

I didn't realize how challenging single motherhood would be! I figured~ I am an intelligent woman who has resources and advice, I will be able to do this without a problem. WRONG! Ok, from the beginning. It took a few days to get used to being home. Everything was strange...driving, time, English signs, noise. Then add a baby who is also feeling that everything is different. Yes, you get a bit of chaos. The first month was a blur.. exhaustion, disorganization and little sleep. Then it started getting better with each week. I was thinking that I was doing fair at this.... more confident... aren't I something? Then, May 14th, I went back to work. Are you kidding me? I have to work and take care of me, the house and the baby? This sucks!!! I know all the mothers out there are laughing right now. Welcome to the exclusive club of overworked, under appreciated working mothers!

Well, enough of that....back to the issue at hand...my wonderful baby girl! In spite of me and my many mistakes, Juliana has managed to become very well adjusted to life in the United States. She amazes me with her spirit and intelligence. She is nothing like the child that I took out of the babyhouse in Astana. She is so much more! This child crawls so fast, it is funny to watch. She is a tiny, mighty petite powerhouse! I think that I will be in trouble in a few years.

I have figured out her favorite things:

animals~ preferably dogs, cats and birds

music~ she dances and laughs to all types of music

climbing~ she will try to scale anything (gymnast in training?)

fast motion~ I hope not a daredevil in training....

She smiles and laughs alot, she understands more words in English after being home only a few months than I can Ever hope to learn in Russian, and she is a joy to be around. We are definitely enjoying life... now if only I could find a way to not work~ all would be perfect!
I at least have support in my other single adoptive moms. I keep in touch with my Astana friends and we commiserate together. I must say that life is good and I feel very blessed. I do miss my friends in Kaz. I have heard from Zuhkra and will write to Alma soon. I want them to know how wonderful Juliana is doing.

My next post: The First Birthday!!!

PS: Happy Birthday to Maya and Milo!