Fate and an Anniversary...

It's Saturday night. Alex, Tatiana and I are in a hotel, celebrating a weekend of adoption with the annual Lighthouse Adoptions picnic. I LOVE this gathering. Wouldn't miss it for the world. And this weekend, it's even more of a celebration for Tatiana and I. Tomorrow marks the EQUAL point of days spent IN the baby home/hospital and days with mama. This is always milestone in adoption as it's nice to think that time can heal some of the wounds that were opened in those early days, alone without a mama.

I can't believe how time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was just making contact with Lighthouse. Just yesterday I was thinking about the little one I'd bring home. And tonight? I am getting ready to celebrate my daughter's equal time out of the baby home mark. Hard to fathom!

The road to this moment wasn't always smooth, and it wasn't always picture perfect. However, I truly believe that fate took a hand in putting Tati and I together. Three years ago this summer, I was waiting for a little boy referral from Moscow. In my heart I always wanted a little girl, but I also have the patience of a gnat. When first speaking with Lighthouse, the wait for a little girl was long. Russia was just slowly getting back up to speed with adoptions after the "Great Re-accrediation" of 2008, and there were LOTS of families in line for little girls. For little boys? Not so much. So knowing that I couldn't control gender if I was giving birth, I figured, sure, why not! A little boy would be dandy.

Suddenly that summer Moscow City closed to singles -- and another door opened. Vladivostok. FAR, far away from Moscow. Heck -- I couldn't even pronounce it correctly for about the first 3 weeks. While out to dinner one night, my mom brought me a magazine she received in the mail. The magazine had NOTHING to do with adoption or travel, but had a map inside with 1 major city highlighted - VLADIVOSTOK. Surely, it was a sign.

So off to Vlad it was. My referral for a little guy came in and I traveled in October of 2008. All the gorey details are in the blog from during that time -- and I don't hide anything that happened, but suffice it to say, the sweet face that came in my referral was not meant to be. The IA doc who analyzed his file pointed out a "yellow flag" that could turn into a "red flag" but unfortunately more information was needed to judge that. The kind of information that you'd likely need to find out in person. And I did. Heartsick, I was told there was another child at the same baby home that I could see if I was willing to consider a girl. Willing? Ummm sure! Before I knew who she was, I saw her on the playground and fell in love instantly. When I was told that was her, I think my friend Rhonda cried harder than I did, but I knew instantly that we were a match. Without that sweet "yellow flag" referral, I never would have gotten to Vladivostok to meet my little T. Some say circumstance. I say fate.

While we've our bumps and bruises along the way, I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you fate!

The "house" (or family) that Lighthouse built!!

Tatiana - playing at the Lighthouse picnic

Party in the hotel! New jammies from Gramma and Grampa!!