Loving this song

So in love with this song!!! As will every adoptive parent.

Tammy Cochran
"Half a world away"

http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.popupplayer&sindex=-1.0&shuffle=false&amix=false&pmix=false&plid=34439&profid=24934968&friendid=24934968&sseed=0&ptype=3&stime=0&ap=1&rpeat=false

3 years and happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day Vinay. Here is a picture from our visit trip.

3 years ago Miss Olivia was placed in our arms for 5 short wonderful days.
Here is my post from that first day.

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let you all know that Vinay, Olivia, and I are doing fine. We made it thru our first 24 hours. Olivia is so beautiful in person, and I can't believe how much in love we are with her already. The first night was rough however she did sleep till 10 AM. I have broken every mommy rule I had for myself, but oh well.

Just for fun I thought I recap the last 24 hours.

6pm Olivia is brought to the hotel, we are given instructions(she sleeps at 9, up at 1, up at 5, bath at 8am)
7pm up in the room with her, Vinay's first words in private w/ her WHATS UUUUUPPPP. What a dork
8pm Olivia wants to eat, OK we feed her but she does not want to burp.
9pm she's suppose to be asleep, she is up crying, Vinay insists I put her down and let her cry it out for 10 min. I only last 3.
10pm she goes to sleep, I also try to sleep but keep checking on her.
11pm Vinay realizes he forgot his contact stuff, too bad is my response.
11:15 Vinay looses a contact in bed, too bad is my response.
1am wakes for bottle, I get up.
4am wakes for bottle, Vinay get up tries to change diaper w/ out glasses.
7am, wakes for bottle, I get up.
8am goes back to sleep till 10am, we completely miss bath time, OH well.

Honestly Vinay is doing great and we are having a blast, spent some hours at the pool, napped and have had fun dressing her up. I'd send pictures but I'm too tired to to figure it out. We hope to send some soon and we will love to share stories when we come home. Thanks to everyone who sent their good wishes for this trip.

Belly laughs

I love Olivia's belly laugh. Here she is cracking herself up when she was playing dress up.

Ch ch ch chia

Vaishu gave me this chia pet grass head for mother day. Since the first day we got it Olivia has wanted to cut it's hair, even when it didn't have any. Yesterday it was long enough to cut. So we got out the kid scissors and Liv had a ball.

Posing with it before the haircut. Don't mind Liv's dirty face, she had just finished lunch.

Cutting it

Loving it.

Giving it a bath

The finished cut. Actually it's hair is even shorter today, Liv insisted on cutting it some more!!

Different this time

I don't know why but the paperchase seems different this time. It seems like there is so much more. I'm also less focused. Things I should be able to get done in a day, take me a week. Of course I have Liv to distract me, but it's more than that. Am I not diving in because I fear the pain of waiting at the end? Like being somehow detached from this adoption will save my heart from ups and downs of an international adoption.
I guess I now understand when a woman, pregnant for second time, describes the pregnancy as different. Her body is the same, the hormones are the same. It's just the child inside that makes that particular pregnancy different.

Liv and her Akka

"Akka" Aunt Vaishu is one of Olivia's favorite people in the whole world. Since we all live busy lives we don't get to see her too much. But Liv did help Akka celebrate her birthday. Of course we had to celebrate Liv's birthday again!!!

Questions about her past.

This picture is in a frame on a table in our house. The other day Liv was looking at the pictures and I told her that was her when she was a little baby. She then asked me Who's hand that was in the picture. I said that it was" Anna Maria the lady who took care of her until mommy could come and get you". Liv got a little upset and said "no Mommy stay". Which is what she says when I have to leave her with someone even Vinay. Olivia is very attached to me, even still. I just held Olivia in my lap and said "no Olivia your with Mommy now and I will always be your Mommy". I didn't know what else to say but to reassure her that she will always be with me. We have always been open with Olivia that she was adopted, but how much does she understand now at 3? And how much should I try to explain to her?
Guess it's time to start reading my adoption books