Waiting for Sonia
Going through this adoption process has been more stressful than I had anticipated. I didn't spend a whole lot of time deciding whether to adopt. My experience with infertility treatments had failed and I was very, very sad - I felt like my body had failed me and I was depressed. The whole experience had been so extreme - moments of hope followed by terrible disappointment and dispair. What I did know at the end of it was that I still wanted to be a mom and to create a family. So adopting seemed like the logiical next step. I knew there were many risks, but I did what I often do - close my eyes and dive in -
So here we are a little over a year later, waiting to meet our Russian baby Sonia. We have her photograph which was taken when she was 3 months old ( we think) and she is now 7 months old. When we see her, she will look a whole lot different. I have no idea what to expect. I met a nice woman who told me that she felt attached to her daughter from Ukraine almost the moment that they had met - And the little girl ( elana) almost immediately began to hang onto her and hasn't let go 2 years later.
The children in orphanages apparently don't necessarily drink milk and eat very strange food like Fish Soup every day. When you get them, you have to be very sensitive to their diet and not introduce foods they may not be used to, like sugar or milk. Also, their eyes are very sensitive and you need to have them wear sunglasses when they go outside. Apparently, they are not taken outside very often so their eyes are sensitive to sunlight.
The woman also said that we should introduce our daughter to Russian speaking people. If they enjoy "talking" to the Russians, it means they have fond memories of their time in the orphanage - if they recoil, they did not. She also said we should start looking for a speech therapist since we will probably need one. So there are a lot of things to think about. She also said that one of the first things you will do at the orphanage will be to read to your child. It helps the bonding process. She also said her daughter is so attached to her it makes her laugh to think about all her concerns about Attachment disorder.
So what did I do? I went to Barnes & Noble and bought "Good night Moon" and "Pat the Bunny". I also bought some developmentally positive rattles and toys. Also, a very cute pair of pink "robeez" - soft little shoes. These are the little things that help me to prepare to be a mom - to assuage my worries and to imagine my new life.
So here we are a little over a year later, waiting to meet our Russian baby Sonia. We have her photograph which was taken when she was 3 months old ( we think) and she is now 7 months old. When we see her, she will look a whole lot different. I have no idea what to expect. I met a nice woman who told me that she felt attached to her daughter from Ukraine almost the moment that they had met - And the little girl ( elana) almost immediately began to hang onto her and hasn't let go 2 years later.
The children in orphanages apparently don't necessarily drink milk and eat very strange food like Fish Soup every day. When you get them, you have to be very sensitive to their diet and not introduce foods they may not be used to, like sugar or milk. Also, their eyes are very sensitive and you need to have them wear sunglasses when they go outside. Apparently, they are not taken outside very often so their eyes are sensitive to sunlight.
The woman also said that we should introduce our daughter to Russian speaking people. If they enjoy "talking" to the Russians, it means they have fond memories of their time in the orphanage - if they recoil, they did not. She also said we should start looking for a speech therapist since we will probably need one. So there are a lot of things to think about. She also said that one of the first things you will do at the orphanage will be to read to your child. It helps the bonding process. She also said her daughter is so attached to her it makes her laugh to think about all her concerns about Attachment disorder.
So what did I do? I went to Barnes & Noble and bought "Good night Moon" and "Pat the Bunny". I also bought some developmentally positive rattles and toys. Also, a very cute pair of pink "robeez" - soft little shoes. These are the little things that help me to prepare to be a mom - to assuage my worries and to imagine my new life.
posted by mamainwaiting at 1:58 PM
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