In My Daughter's Eyes

In My Daughter's Eyes... I am a Hero

This morning started at 7:45 am AGAIN...lol

Little Miss Sunshine woke Mommy up... actually Daddy did.

"OH.. Mommy.. your daughter's awake"

So like every other morning I roll out of bed... pick up my arms stretched cutie pie out of her crib who is already giggling and we head for the potty.

We wash , change, brush and get her ready for breakfast.

Here we are... barely awake.

The morning was spent playing of course.

Then a early nap and we got ready for some running around.

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Our adoption judgement was signed this morning so off we go to get the Official Georgian Adoption decree which will be translated into English as well.

We got it... actually our facilitator has it for translation. ;o)

Tomorrow we will hopefully get her original Birth certificate. Our facilitator is trying to get someone from the region of her birth to get it for us as it normally takes 10 days for it to reach Tbilisi via snail mail. I know what your thinking... FedEx it?.. not an option here.

Once we have her original Birth Certificate we can have the new one issued. Her birth family is stricken from the original and we're added as her parents. Amazing isn't it?

Once we have that... we get her passport and then it's off to the US Embassy for her Visa to the good ol US of A .. ;o)

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Below Tamara is all dolled up ready for today's adventure. Still sleepy from her nap.

Waiting for the "Go" call we had a few minutes so Mommy feeds Tamara a fruit yogurt.

She loves Yogurt... perhaps it's because they give the babies a yogurt concoction at the baby house instead of the traditional formula / baby food we're used to?

Anna looks on. Hey guys... she's single. ;o) lol ... yeah I know always the match maker... lol

After dinner Tamara plays and finally starts to settle down a bit.

She was pretty pooped out by now.

Hide your remotes... Tamara likes to be in charge.

Mobile phones are also a big hit with her.

You've been warned ;o)

In my daughters eyes... I am a hero.

Several of you have posted & emailed concerns about bonding. Suggesting that perhaps Tamara has bonded more to her Daddy? Concerns about the lack of photos of Mommy?

There are several things going on here. First off I am the author of this blog and the blog is through my eyes. 99% of the pictures tell the story of what I see during this amazing journey. The blog is about #1 Tamara, #2 the international adoption journey, #3 Mommy, Daddy and sharing this with friends, family and other members of the adoption world.

My hope is to document this part of Tamara's life for her. She will always know who much we truly wanted her. How many people helped and followed along. She will be able to relive the excitement we experienced even before she had any idea something was about to happen. She will be able to relive the Baby Showers, the years of shopping, decorating and redecorating. The months of intense screening we went through and the years of research that went into finding her. She will know that Mom & Dad never faltered... never gave up. Even through 7 country changes there was no doubt we would eventually find her. She will know that we hired the best Doctors in the world to advise us and purchased millions of dollars worth of medical insurance just in case until we were all arrive home safely. There will be no question in my daughters eyes where Mommy was... Mommy was working on bringing her home ... silly.

Regarding our bonding. When Tamara gets a boo boo she looks for Mommy, Mommy is the first thing she sees in the morning and the last person she sees at night. Mommy knows how to make the perfect bubble bath. Mommy feeds her, dresses her and protects her. When we're out she only lets Mom hold her. In the car she's in my lap (no car seats here yet) a little scary. :ol When we come home Tamara runs to me. Mommy and Tamara put on makeup together. Mommy lets her wear a little perfume. Mommy knows how to play dolls. And I can turn tears into giggles with in seconds. There is no doubt in my mind & heart that Tamara is my little girl. The one who was meant to be my daughter. And there is no doubt in my mind that Tamara knows and understands that we are her parents.

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Daddy's little girl. Yes... she is and it's something I encouraged from day one. It is, was and always will be important to me that Tamara and her Daddy have that special Daddy / Daughter bond. It's very good for both of their development. ;o) Seriously... little girls that have good daddies tend to pick better husbands. Are more secure emotionally and thus have better relationships. I also need to know that Daddy and Tamara could not only survive but thrive in the event something ever happen to me.

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Thanks to all those who have left comments offering advice regarding sleep issues, bonding issues and such. It is very much appreciated. And I have been trying out some of your suggestions... so far so good. ;o) Keep em coming... very helpful.

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Special thanks to Bruce's boss Stephen and the rest of the Agilent team. You've all been very supportive through out our Journey to Tamara. It has not gone unnoticed and is so very much appreciated. From advice on car seats and child development. Encouragement, reference letters, to redoing employment letters when they mysteriously disappeared in Tbilisi... to covering for Bruce while we're away.

We are both very grateful to you all.

You're the Best! ;o)

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