Ukraine Adoption

First day and last time

Tara was dressed and ready for school before I could even get to her this morning. She is always so brave. Walking into the school, she clutched my hand tight while the older kids swirled around her. She has never gone to a school with such big kids, some as even as old as fifth-graders!

The kindergarteners lined up on the left next to the wall, and the parents anxiously chatted away while the children were mostly silent.

When it was our turn to bustle into the classroom, we dropped off our bag of supplies by the door and shuffled in the crowd to find Tara's cubby. There, we carefully hung her backpack. I asked her to pose for a picture in front of her cubby; her flowered hair band pushed her bangs off of her face.It was then that I realized how big she looked to me. Suddenly.

Her new classmates were gathering on the rug as parents took pictures and lingered much too long. The teacher, a smiling, patient woman who also taught Tara's big brother 7 years ago, finally asked parents, gently, to say goodbye to their children and leave. I called out to Tara one more time to get a photo of my little princess on her special day. She obliged with a smile. Thankfully she is still too young to be embarrassed by her parents. I walked to my car feeling a little choked up.

It's been more than 3 years since little Tara Vika left an orphanage in Ukraine and joined our family forever. A few weeks ago at her pre-school, she told me that her friends didn't know that she wasn't in my tummy as a baby. And she said, "They don't know, so I don't tell them."

I have decided to end the story here about the adoption that started in November 2003, spilled into 2004, and ended in April 2005.

I will leave this blog up for a while for us to read about other families that are adopting, especially in Ukraine.

Thank you to all who have followed our story, especially my Mom, sister Karen and cousin Sally. Your comments along the way have been so supportive and awesome, words cannot express our gratitude.

But now, this is Tara's story to tell. Or not. It is her life, it is her choice.

Kindergarten already?

Her pink flowered backpack is filled with required school supplies that anyone would envy: Play-doh, glue sticks, crayons, thick markers, tennis shoes for gym class. Our little Tara Vika is ready for her first day of kindergarten on Tuesday. But am I?