February 7, 2008 was the first day we held our daughter at an orphanage in the small town of Pavolvsk, Russia. We shared three hours together and knew that we would be a family forever. One of the hardest things we ever had to do was to give her back to the orphanage caregivers. But four months later, we returned to the orphanage and brought her home with us.
Below are pictures of Natalie on the day we met in 2008 and now in 2009. What remarkable growth and progress she has made in only seven months. We were at the adoption specialist today and Natalie is finally on the charts for weight and head circumference. Praise God! Her milestones for motor and verbal skills are right on target for her age group. We are beyond blessed.
Some of her new words include: morning, oh man!, dude, what's that?, and no way! She has also learned that she can climb out of her crib (such fun for mommy and daddy!). Natalie also loves to imitate animal sounds. Her favorite is the lion, but her monkey imitation is too cute (oo oo ahh ahh).
Thanks for all your continued outpouring of love and prayers over our little princess. Take a look now for yourself at how much she has changed.
