Celebrating Two Years with Nina Bea
November 3, 2010
Two years ago today Dart and met and held and fell head over heels in love with our first daughter. I don't think I will ever know anything quite so emotionally intense as that first meeting. We had waited so very long for a daughter and two years ago on a dark and cold night in Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan we met this beautiful, shy fragile little doll baby. I immediately wanted to make her safe, happy, healthy, LOVED.
Two years later I feel we have done just that!
We celebrated the day beginning with a school party for Nina. Her teachers were amazingly supportive and sincerely excited to be part of our special day. We brought in blue and yellow Kaz cupcakes to share with the class. (The girls and I had fun making them last night sans frosting as that is not allowed at school.) We also brought in apples and apple juice to share because of course apples are from Kazakhstan! The teacher's read a book called "Forever Family" to the class and told the story about how Nina and apples were both from Kazakhstan. The kids huddled around a globe to see where Kazakhstan was. Then Nina shared a book of photos from our bonding trip at the baby house. It was so interesting to hear the kids ask questions like "who took care of you before your Mommy and Daddy got you?" and "where did you sleep?". The teacher handled it expertly and the kids seemed to accept her answers without judgment. Nina donned in her Kaz flag head band looked at little shy with all the attention but we could tell she was feeling proud. At the end all the kids gathered around Nina and sang a song about love and acceptance. THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS SCHOOL!!!!
Then later in the evening our family went out for a traditional Kazakh meal, (cough, cough) at the Japanese steak house. Nina had a small present and a blue and yellow cake complete with with sparklers.
I can't help but see the joy and happiness present in Nina....so different than two years ago when we met. And truly there is a new level of joy in our lives as well. It had been a very VERY good two years.
Two years later I feel we have done just that!
We celebrated the day beginning with a school party for Nina. Her teachers were amazingly supportive and sincerely excited to be part of our special day. We brought in blue and yellow Kaz cupcakes to share with the class. (The girls and I had fun making them last night sans frosting as that is not allowed at school.) We also brought in apples and apple juice to share because of course apples are from Kazakhstan! The teacher's read a book called "Forever Family" to the class and told the story about how Nina and apples were both from Kazakhstan. The kids huddled around a globe to see where Kazakhstan was. Then Nina shared a book of photos from our bonding trip at the baby house. It was so interesting to hear the kids ask questions like "who took care of you before your Mommy and Daddy got you?" and "where did you sleep?". The teacher handled it expertly and the kids seemed to accept her answers without judgment. Nina donned in her Kaz flag head band looked at little shy with all the attention but we could tell she was feeling proud. At the end all the kids gathered around Nina and sang a song about love and acceptance. THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS SCHOOL!!!!
I can't help but see the joy and happiness present in Nina....so different than two years ago when we met. And truly there is a new level of joy in our lives as well. It had been a very VERY good two years.
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