October - where did it go???

Well - Another month that did not go as planned... but still better than last year.

The first half of the month was very busy at work and Ava spent the some extra time with her Dad. At work we had a Board of Trustees meeting, then Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, Family Weekend and an Admissions Visit Day. All events were successful and we had great fall weather to share with all of the visitors to campus.

Ava, Fran and I went to Fly Creek Cider Mill for a beautiful fall day and enjoyed attending several games (football, field hockey, soccer, volleyball).

I had my appendix out on October 15th and the rest of the month was pretty much a blur. Mom and Fran were very helpful and Ava was great! I learned quickly that I have made several good friends here and I am feeling more comfortable in this community than I had realized prior to the operation. I can now tell parents at the college first hand that we have a great hospital in town...

For Halloween Ava wanted to be a fairy princess. The College had a children's Halloween party mid-week and the town has a parade that we attended on Saturday. Then one of her pre-school class mate's family had a party. It was a very busy and fun week - A big thanks to Fran who spent a lot of time carrying Ava around in the rain and re-attaching her very special fairy wings.

The moments that take your breath away...

Do you know the saying that "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take your breath away."?

Well - Ava has provided me with many of those moments.

One moment in particular was October 27, 2006 - the day we received our adoption referral which included the first picture I would see of my daughter (see above). I fell in love instantly and my life changed forever! What an amazing and scary day. The adoption agency gave me pictures of this little 2 month old baby who was half way around the world with a medical history that indicated she needed my help. They encourage me to share the information with an international pediatrician that specializes in adoption and then I had a short period to determine if she was the child I wanted to adopt. One look, one realization that this is the child was matched with me from way over in Vietnam, one thought about how awesome this was, and there was no question - she was my daughter. And, forever she would be MY little "sparking wolf".

Today, October 27, 2009, we were at the doctor for a flu shot - she is 35.5 inches tall and 25.5 lbs. The doctors visit took about two and a half hours and for a short time I was a bit aggravated with how long it was taking, but then it struck me that three years ago today I met the little miracle that I have the honor of raising as my daughter. I am a very lucky mommy! She asked me to read almost 10 books to her while we waited. We played the "do you see a..."game and sang. She surprised me when she knew the fish in the water was a dolphin not just a fish. She also knew the difference between a row boat, ship, and sailboat on the mural in the room. After the doctor left the room she used a tongue depressor to listen to my heart, lungs and back then she looked very carefully in my ears, eyes and mouth. After she was done she said - "Look mommy I can take care of you like you take care of me. I love you", then patted my shoulder as we hugged. This all happened before she received the shot. After the shot, I was holding her while she cried and she said "thank you for taking care of me, mommy". I love being her mom and I am still in awe of all that happened to give me this opportunity.

Also - today I learned my friend Christine and her husbanded landed safely in Russia where they are picking up their two little boys and bringing them home - Congrats. And, my friend Brandon and his partner are adopting a little girl who was born last night here in the US. Adoption is such an amazing experience and it is wonderful to know that my friends will be able to experience the joys that I have with Ava. Thank you Lord!