Update

Found Miss Spider's Sunny Patch story "Family Tree" on DVD format. Will be ordering it today or tomorrow.

Adoption as seen through "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch"

There are a few shows Katerina really likes on Nick Jr.: Ni Hao, Kai Lan, Yo Gabba Gabba, Jack's Big Music Show, and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch. They had a great episode on Miss Spider's the other day about family trees which necessarily included the topic of family creation by adoption. Three of Miss Spider's children are adopted (a firefly, beetle and bed bug). While Katerina is only 15 months old and does not understand the topic whether from Kelly and me or a cartoon, I want to find this on DVD for her to have later on in life. It is a cute cartoon without the added benefit of the adoption topic.

Our First Mother's Day

We had a nice little mother's day today: Our first together.

Kelly had a surgery to perform early then had the rest of the day off. It was a cold windy day but we went to Wolfe Park any way. Katerina went on her first swing. Then Kat and mom napped while dad started a nice roast dinner. The cake tasted a bit weird but was cute nonetheless.

This little girl has made our lives much, much better. I know it is cliche but, it is weird thinking about things just a few months ago before we brought her home.

Moving to Northampton, Massachusetts

This week saw Katerina get out a little more. She has taken car trips of a couple of hours now a couple of times.

Kelly has accepted a new position in Western Massachusetts which means we are moving. It is a great position for us now that we have our little Katerina. Kelly's call schedule will be significantly reduced. Meaning working only 1 out of every 6 weekends rather than working 3 of 6. And, basically 4 week days a month rather than every other weekday every week. Katerina will get to see her Mommy much much more. And I'll get to do more work and bill more hours because of it.

It is also home for us. I grew up about 15 miles from the town Kelly will be working in and Kelly grew up just a little further away from the town. We are looking forward to it. The moving part will suck of course.

So Katerina will became a citizen while we lived in Connecticut but will grow up in Massachusetts just like her parents did. She will also be much closer to all of her grand parents, and her aunts and uncles who reside in the area (one aunt lives in Dallas). With the extra weekends off for Kelly, Katerina will get to see her family more.

Social Security Number

Katerina now has a social security number. The only remaining things for us are the periodic updates for the Russian Government and the registering with the Russian Consulate which has already been taken care of. We are just awaiting the return of the deposit check.

The social security number adds a bit of citizenship in my eyes. Obviously the passport tamp and then the Certificate of Citizenship were proof but there is just something about the number itself. Now she can work :) legally haha.