Saturday, December 6, 2008


Liana and I have passed a milestone of sorts. When she was 13 months and 4 days old, I took custody of her forever. Now, she is 26 months and more than 8 days old. Which means that from this point forward, more than half of her life has been with me.

I feel in love with the beautiful pictures of her at 3 months old, and I met her at 9 months and really really really fell in love. (There we are in that picture the first week we spent together when she was 9 months old.) But we did not start living together until she was 13 months old. And we moved to NY when she was 15 months old.

The first two months of our lives together were in Guatemala. At first, locked in the Marriott as we awaited the election results, hoping that violence would not take over the streets. After the successful, peaceful elections, we moved to a small apartment in the beautiful city of Antigua, around a central courtyard, with hummingbirds and lush plants greeting us as we walked out the door. A majestic volcano greeted us as we walked out the front gate of the complex.

It was a good two months.

The first half of Liana’s life was spent with a marvelous extended foster family, who showered her with love and support and nurtured her curiosity. I am so lucky. Liana is so lucky. During these 13 months, Liana learned what it is to love and be loved. She learned to crave cuddles. She learned to share!!!! She learned to laugh. Everything that I have taught Liana is building upon the strong foundation that she developed with this loving family.