The One Who Waited

Someone asked me the other day how Hannah got her name. When I looked at the calendar , I realized it was exactly one year ago today that I chose the name.  It was actually suggested to me by my then 7 year old cousin Jacob, who was a big Hannah Montana fan at the time.  I looked it up, and it means "Gift of God's Grace."  It is derived from the Hebrew word Hannah which means "beautiful and passionate."  Which in fact, describes my daughter perfectly.  The biblical Hannah was childless until late in life, and she was actually known as "the one who waited."  Just as my daughter did.  Hannah prayed to God and was rewarded with a son, Samuel.  Hannah’s story is a picture of how God’s grace is given to those who trust in him.  I think it is a beautiful story of patience and faith, and that is how my daughter got her name.

We have had a busy few weeks as has become the norm.  I hosted a NYE party at my house for a few neighbors and friends.  We had a blast eating appetizers, drinking copious amounts of champagne, and playing games.  Hannie of course didn't make it till midnight (or anywhere close) but she DID get to have her first sleepover.  Her BFF Isabella spent the night because Isabella and Hannie's mommies were both too...let's just say tired (wink wink) to drive anywhere.  The only resolution I made this year is to Laugh More and Stress Less.

We had the unique opportunity this month (thanks to my wonderful friend Jennie, and her fiance Noah), to visit The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was truly amazing.  70,000 square feet of the bible brought to life, including a Garden of Eden, the Ark, a Planetarium, Special Effects Theater, and unbelievable dinosaur animatronics.  It was very EPCOT-ish and even after all those years of Catholic School religious education, I still learned a lot.  I spent a lot of time in the Natural Selection is NOT Evolution section reading about antibiotic resistant bacteria.  Hannie's favorite part was the exotic animal petting zoo. We got to see a Zonkey and a Zorse and they even have camel rides!  All in all, a very enlightening and enjoyable day trip. Here are some highlights:

 Hannie continues to grow up way too fast.  Her new obsession is dressing and undressing herself.  She can take off all her clothes and she can put on her pants and sometimes her shirt by herself, and she ONLY wants to do it herself.  This takes a tremendous amount of time and patience, and typically results in inside out and backwards clothing and two legs in one hole, but I am happy for her that she has the motor skills to do this.  It drives me up the wall though, the minute we get in the car, she takes her shoes and socks off! Her other new thing is refusing to eat something by telling me "No. HOT." And it doesn't matter what it is. It could be a popsicle. You're killin me, smalls.

We are excited to attend our 2nd annual Kazapalooza this year, in St. Petersburg Florida.  Hannie and I went last year, we had only been home six weeks but we really enjoyed getting to see all the Kaz Kuties and their parents. It will be nice not to have to bring bottles and formula and baby food this year!!  She won't be 2 yet, but my mom says she can even potty train her before then.  I have my doubts, but time will tell :-)  We are also looking forward to extending the trip by a few days and enjoying Orlando with my Kaz friend Laurie and her son.  Can I say for the millionth time how much I love the Kaz family?! And speaking of which...

A few months ago, I wrote an article for my adoption agency's blog.  It was called Zen and The Art of Single Parenting  and a woman  named Helen, who is a PAP and has a WAY cooler blog and writing style than mine, liked my article so much that she wrote a super cool response to it on her website. Here is the link. She got a few things wrong. I DEFINITELY only have one kid. Although sometimes it feels like more. Much, much more.  But I digress.  Here is her blog link and response:   http://momslifeupsidedown.blogspot.com/2010/11/reply-to-zen-and-art-of-single.html

A friend of mine posted on facebook recently that she was missing Kazakhstan.  I have that feeling a lot, and most people can't understand that.  It's surreal.  How can you miss the land of smog, open sewers and squatter toilets?!  I mean, Disney World, it was not.  Jodi said it best.  It was really cold, there was literally nothing to watch on TV, you can't drink the water, internet is spotty at best, my clothes never really got clean, it was hard to communicate with everyone.

BUT.
It's where I became a Mama.  It's where I met my very best girl, and where I hope to someday return for my joy boy.  It's where I learned how strong I was, because I really had to be.  It's where a judge said "DA" and changed my life forever. It's where my best friend and I grew even closer than we ever thought possible.  It was the hardest trip of my life.  Hardest and most beautiful. It's where I finally figured out what unconditional love was.  It's where I met forever friends and made a million memories.  It was the experience of a lifetime, and my heart twists in all sorts of amazing ways just thinking about it. No, Kazakhstan is not Disney World, but for me, it's the most magical place on earth. 

If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches of the same tree.
W.B. Yeats