Mothers

WITH ATTITUDE

Also from our
contributors

The Misunderstood Child
A poem about children with hidden disabilities.

Could You?
A mother's challenge.

Meet "Halinka"
A great read for parents
of older Eastern European
adoptees and their children.

Why the silence?
A mother's reaction to
child abuse in the
Archdiocese of Boston.

Keeping Christmas sane.
A mom of 18 tells all.

Reading list.
Adoption books for kids.

MAY 8, 2003

What's Happened in Five Years
Celebrating the little and big things kids bring

by Chrystal Ziliotto

To commemorate my daughter's fifth "Gotcha Day" anniversary, I started counting up all the things that have happened to our family in the five years since we brought her home from Ekaterinburg, Russia, at the age of 21 months.

1 trip to Russia
7,300 diapers
42,150 (and counting) wipes
3,152 (and counting) Pull-ups
7,305 (counting still) loads of laundry
20 baby teeth
15 ear infections
2 ear operations
1000s of SMILES
Countless "I love you's"
4 Mother's Days
Learning the ABCs
1 move to the Midwest
100s of Gray Hairs
1,825 Bedtime stories
Asthma
10 family vacations
T-ball
4 trips to Disneyland
86 sessions of Speech Therapy
ADHD
5 Christmases
3 "Big Girl" teeth
5 loose teeth
4 new cousins
Gymnastics
1 EEG
Countless sleepless nights (parents & child)
Learning to ride a bike
1 younger brother born in South Korea
4 Father's Days
Therapeutic riding
5 birthday parties
Epilepsy
1 Brain MRI
Swimming lessons
Kindergarten
32 IEP meetings
Countless hugs & kisses
ONE COMPLETED FAMILY!

[Chrystal Ziliotto, a mother of two, is also a Disability Rights Advocate for families in Indiana.]

copyright © 2003 by Chrystal Ziliotto