After leaving Gyumri, the three of us spent two weeks in Yerevan. We stayed in a large apartment on Tumanyan Street which was very close to the center of the city. In between applying for a passport, a visa and trying to secure a flight home, we walked all over the city. It was my […]
Adoption
Through the blue gate
Two days after we became family in the eyes of the court, we went to take our daughter out of the orphanage. Other than a few weeks in the hospital as a newborn, this was the only home she’d ever had. The eight nannies who tended to her every need were the only “moms” she’d […]
Our first Family Day!
March 22, 2012. Gyumri, Armenia. Our translator picked us up and drove us to the courthouse in Gyumri where, two days earlier we attended court and were given the opportunity to state our case as to why we wanted to adopt a child from Armenia. The judge was a stern looking woman who sat stiffly […]
Six months in a baby’s life
When we first met Baby Bird, in October 2011, she was a little baby: five-and-a-half months old and around 10 pounds. During our registration trip, we spent a week getting to know each other. Then we had to leave her behind. Over the next six months, while we waited for both the U.S. and Armenian […]
On the road to Gyumri
“You’re in good hands,” our agency’s attorney told as we climbed into the back of a black sedan idling in the airport parking lot. It was midnight, Yerevan time, and the moon was new which meant it was so dark outside that I wouldn’t have been able to make out the taxi if the headlights […]
48 hours in London
How much can you see if you have 48 hours in London? A lot as it turns out. <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811874109/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0811874109&linkCode=as2&tag=pampeandpakhl-20″><img border=”0″ src=”http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0811874109&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=pampeandpakhl-20″ ></a><img src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=pampeandpakhl-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0811874109″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” /> Last March, en route to Armenia, Big Papa and I spent two days and two nights in London. Armed with our copy […]
Plane ride to parenthood
One year ago, on March 12, we received a call from our adoption agency with the date we were to appear in court to finalize the adoption of our daughter. Less than 24 hours later (yes, less than 24 HOURS LATER!), Big Papa and I boarded a plane headed to London, where we would stay […]
Love me, feed me
Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate. ~ Alan D. Wolfelt Want to fall in love with more deliciousness? Check out Wanderfood Wednesday!
Half her life
We recently crossed a very important milestone. Baby Bird has spent half her life with us: ten months as a member of our family following ten months living in an orphanage. I’ve heard that adoptive parents should expect to see the biggest jumps in growth when a child has been with their family longer than […]
The Gift of the Magi
As many of you know, I like birds. Big Papa and I have created a backyard habitat to entice them with feeders, birdhouses and an old birdbath. I spend a lot of time (or at least I used to pre-parenthood) taking pictures of birds. And, bird nerd that I am, I even named my daughter […]