Happy Birthday, Angelina! Happy New Year! 5 Months Home...3 Posts in 1!

We have had 3 major happenings while on vacation in North Carolina, so here is the three-in-one blog post. And, just to note, Angelina did wonderfully on the 16 hour car ride down and back from NC. We drove through the night, and she slept relatively well in her car seat. This made her parents very, very happy!

The day we arrived in NC was also Angelina's birthday. We celebrated with a cake and a small party. She loved the new baby and stroller she received, as well as her cookie monster book. Nothing warmed my heart more to see my daughter opening her birthday gifts, I am so honored to be her mother and though it was her birthday, it was I who received the best gift. My wish for you, Angelina, is that you always are happy and feel loved by your Mama and Papa.

Here are a few pictures of our birthday celebration on her actual birthday and some pictures of when we celebrated Angelina's birthday with her grandparents.

I learned so much about how Russia celebrates New Year from our friend that we visited while in NC. I thought I'd share it for all of you who read this blog who also has a child adopted from Russia. Our friend, T, when she moved to America was surprised that, to Americans, New Year was basically an excuse to have a party. In Russia, it is more symbolic and meaningful. They follow the Chinese New Year system that assigns an animal to each year. So, 2009 is the year of the bull. On New Year's Eve, parties are centered around trying to please the animal of that year. This means wearing colors that are assigned to that animal, etc.... So, for the party that T threw, she asked all of her guests to wear yellows and oranges, earthy colors that represent the bull. Also, she did not serve red meat, as that would obviously upset the bull! The superstition goes that if you please the animal, you will have good fortune and prosperity through the year. We had a wonderful party, everyone had shades of orange and yellow, and as a centerpiece, we had a toy bull. We rang in the new year with wonderful tradition Russian food (no red meat!) And, of course, we had plenty of new year's hats, confetti and glitter! What a fun way to bring in 2009. I think that we made the bull happy!

In the morning, Angelina got to open up her gift bag that Father Frost left under the New Year's tree. In the bag was a stuffed animal, oranges, and Russian candy. Here are some pictures of Angelina seeing what Father Frost left her.

Last Friday marked 5 months as a family for us. I think that I will do a detailed update on her progress on another post, but watching Angelina grow and change has been such a joy for Ken and I. After 5 months, I finally feel that we are making excellent attachment strides and are starting down the road of building a secure attachment.

Here are a few pictures of 5 months home: