Four Feet More

When I opened my e-mail yesterday morning, I saw another message with "Re: Birth Family Search" in the subject line, and this had attachments. With my heart in my throat, I opened the message and scrolled down to the bottom. There, I saw my kids' Russian Mama (T) staring back at me. Interestingly enough, I didn't really feel anything when I saw her face. Not anger, not gratitude...nothing. I mostly felt curious about her, and began searching for a resemblance to Vika and Eamon. There were 5 pictures of her in all, and she looked just the way Vika described her, even down to the hairstyle. Vika certainly takes after her in looks. They share the same dark hair, olive skin and black eyes, and in some of the photos, T is even making goofy facial expressions similar to Vika's. I guess that's where my daughter got her flair for the dramatic. Interestingly enough, I can see a slight resemblance to Eamon as well, mostly in the eyes. His coloring is entirely different though, and I'm hoping that the final report we receive includes some information about the birth father (or possibly even a photo). I think Eamon must take after him, especially since Vika says she remembers a "Papa with yellow hair."

As I scrolled down past the pictures of T, I came to some more photos which definitely caused an emotional reaction. The first was of an uncle, whom we had been unaware of until yesterday, named Nikolai. He seems like a happy guy, with a warm smile, and the same dark coloring as Vika. What was really special about this uncle though is that he has Eamon's Russian name. Could Eamon have been named after him? I really hope so, because until now, we had always thought that Eamon was completely neglected by his family. But if he was named after his uncle, then perhaps Eamon (Nikolay) was cared for more than we previously suspected. It will be interesting to learn more about this.

The next pictures were of the kids' Great Grandmother, M. M was the one who took care of Vika and Eamon, and she's the one who made sure Vika was baptized. She gave her consent for the adoption because at the age of 70, she was too old to look after the kids. In one photo, M is holding some pieces of paper and pointing to them with a look of wonder on her face. In another, she is holding the papers and smiling slightly. As I examined the photos more closely, it appeared that the papers were print-outs of the pictures I sent to Russia of Vika and Eamon and our family. As this realization hit me, my heart began pounding and I became teary eyed. By all accounts, this Russian Babushka loved our kids very much, and I hope that the knowledge that Vika and Eamon are well-cared for and loved by their new family gave her some peace of mind.

The final photo of the group was the most touching of all. It is a shot of Nikolai, M (still clutching the photos in her hands), and T standing together, posing for the camera and smiling. Smiling for Vika and Eamon. Maybe even smiling a bit for us. It is so amazing to think that a world away, there is another family, thinking of us, and caring for our kids. It is a strange connection we share, but a beautiful one too.

I cannot wait to get the full report and video from our contact in Russia. I look forward to learning more about this family and our children's beginnings.