Ava was a great traveler!!! The only snag we had was the issue of feeding. She has been used to getting her food pureed in a blender. Since we didn't had the luxury of a blender, we compromised with baby food and milk/formula in a bottle. If it wasn't exactly the right consistency she would get choked (too watery, or too many "chunks"). Thankfully John hunted down chicken noodle soup on our Denver layover and asked them to puree it for us. Yum. More than one person on our flights commented on what a great traveler she was.
We noticed a big difference in the responses she got from the public between Ukraine and the U.S. In Ukraine, "these children" are locked away in mental institutions. I am hopeful that attitude will begin to change as more and more Americans are adopting children with special needs. Our own country dealt with the "problem" of disability the same way just 50 years ago. Our facilitator said that now Americans are far more likely than any other nationality to adopt a child with a disability. Once we got to the U.S., so many people talked to Ava, told us she was beautiful, etc. One man commented he had a little sister "just like her", youngest of 8 kids, and said what a special girl she was to their family. (she died at the age of 38). He got tears in his eyes when we told him we had just adopted her.
I had wondered what it would be like to be the parent of a child who is special, unique, I wondered if people would stare and point, or whisper. Yesterday I found out you get a little more looks, a little more attention, but not necessarily in a negative way (unless you are in Ukraine!)
8 comments:
Congratulations. I've been following your trip for Miss Ava with great interest! Looks like you've gotten your days and nights all messed up. Pray y'all get all settled in to the new normal quick!
Markay
Ha ha. More because we had a family sleepover. 3 kids in our bed, the newest one in the crib beside us, and one on the floor between the crib and the bed. I kept getting elbowed and hearing, "I'm squished." Not to mention checking on Ava to see how she is adjusting to her environment. She was so tired and so overstimulated, I was a little worried about her.
she will bring so much love from SO many people, that is the magic of DS. Im so excited, welcome to the sisterhood!
Ok, now you got me crying already this morning. I am sooo happy to hear that you are getting such positive reactions in the US. I think you will find that is common (for us anyway) ... I hope her siblings don't get jealous! :) So happy you are home!
Wow! I am so encouraged by this post. Glad she was a great traveler. What are you going to do about her feedings? Are you planning on letting her stay on a bottle or are you going to try and get her to eat from just a spoon? What size diapers is she in? Does she try to stand if you hold her up? What age would you say she is developmentally? If she doesn't sit up yet, I would imagine the 4 moth age? Yes/no? Sorry for such personal questions, but I am just trying to plan what to expect.
She's yours! She's yours!
You will meet the most incredible people through Ava. Just like the man who approached you and told you about his sister. I also noticed a difference as soon as we landed in London, the people smiling at Caleb felt so good after being in a country where we were just stared at. I'm so glad you are HOME!
Amy
What a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing with everyone. It's very encouraging to the rest of us. God Bless All of You!
Martha S. (from RR)
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