Middle pictures. Court Day... Hanging with Mama and Papa Days..I can not believe that it has been 9 months since Olya and Nadya have become our forever daughters.
I could tell you that things have been just wonderful,since the first day.But I would be lying. When the girls first got home we had a lot of drama. Lets see....they pierced their belly buttons.. Would not talk to us. Lots of I want to go back to Ukraine. Lots of crying,yelling. Most of this came from Nadya. Olya has always been a very sweet spirit. Realizing that she had no life in Ukraine.
Nadya seems to think that life was just perfect. You know. No family, no rules. Just do whatever you want. So she had to learn what it was like to be in a family. To have siblings. She was not in the orphanage anymore. She did not need to hoard things. She did not need to worry that things would disappear. She is learning, she is adjusting and she is attaching. I am proud to say. They both are adjusting well.
I am still adjusting myself. It seems harder for me to adjust to Nadya since she was so vocal on going back. I guess you would call it Fear, Fear that she will go back, Fear that she is not attaching to us. Just plain Fear. I have since realized, that whatever choice she makes. I will gladly support her in it and just love her the way she needs to be loved. She is a very sweet girl, still very immature. Thank God..
I know that they left so much of their lives back in Ukraine. I know that they miss it. I know that they have so much to adjust too. I am proud that they have been able to do this. I am proud that they are survivors. They are such strong girls. To have lived the way they did before the orphanage. Now if they could just realize that they can be children/teenagers. They are learning.
God told me that I needed to spend some one on time with her. So I listened, it seems to be working. I see her changing daily. I am still amazed, how much she keeps in. I pray that someday she will be able to let all the past hurts go and let God heal her heart.
I see this heart that seems to be changing. She wants to help in the kitchen every night. She is smiling more. She is learning to enjoy having siblings. She is learning that a family protects. She is realizing that she matters to us.
Olya on the other hand, she really has not given us many issues. She loves her Papa, she loves her Mama. The biggest issue we had with her was lying. She is not good at this, at all. She would lie to keep herself out of trouble. So one day, we made her write a page of scripture verses that talked about lying. This was pretty easy for her to do. Those thinking that her English was not very well. She did well. She still has these verses to remind her. Then we talked to her why it was not good. She still lies sometimes. We always catch her in it. She fixes it fast, by saying "Oh I forgot" Then smiles her sweet smile.
I love to watch her and Mike BBQ, they have the best relationship. It is sweet to watch her just love her Papa. They will be putting the cheese on the hamburgers and he will sneak her a piece and then put his finger over his mouth as to say Shhh.... Don't tell our little secret. It has helped with the bonding of the two of them. They girls are not used to having men around, that care for them. I still remember, the first day that we saw Olya after she had to return to Ukraine from hosting. She saw us and just leaped into Mike's arms. He got the biggest hug ever.. What a welcoming.
I continue to pray that as each day comes. These girls will know that even though we did not give birth to them. That the love we feel for them is real. That nothing will change that. NOT EVEN THE TEENAGE ATTITUDE!!! We are not perfect parents. We will do our best to provide a safe place for them. To love them, to let them grow. Most importantly show them God's love.
We are so blessed.
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