The McBrides-One Year Later

Last year we met the McBride family.  They agreed to update on how their year has been with their sweet girl:

What a year it's been! In September, we celebrated a year of having Zinashi in our lives, and now we're nearly at a year and a half. It feels like it's gone so fast, but at the same time it feels like Zinashi has been with us forever. One huge difference is that Zinashi can now speak English fluently. The little girl who was silent at the transition home now talks my ear off for hours at a time, telling intricate stories and asking more questions than any kid I've ever met. She wants to know everything, as soon as possible. She has gone from being our baby to being a kid, able to do things like pour her own milk and scan my card for me on public transit.

My favorite part about Zinashi getting older and being able to communicate better is that she is able to share so much more about what she thinks and feels. She remembers her life in Ethiopia and what happened that brought her to us, and we talk a lot about it. This is such an amazing gift; we are able to talk through things that she has questions about and be sensitive to things we know will make her feel afraid or alone. Her understanding and acceptance of what happened is remarkable. There is such grace to her story, and we feel so blessed and lucky that this is so. We have plans to visit her family in Ethiopia in the fall, and we are so excited to see the people that she talks about and to get to know the region where she spent her first three years of life. I can't wait to hug the necks of the people who made her who she is.

As much as we have always felt a firm connection to Zinashi, we have also worked hard this year and a half in order to deepen that connection and help Zinashi work through her grief. When I look back on our first months with her, I understand how intense it was for all of us. It feels so good to know that the hard work we did has paid off. In fact, we are so confident of our abilities to wade through those hard times again that we are beginning the paper chase for our second adoption. Zinashi is thrilled with the idea of a little sister, and so are we. We can't wait to do the hard work to reap the joy of family again. It is so worth it.

Mary McBride
http://www.findingmagnolia.com/

Interested in helping Zinashi become a big sister?!  Find out how you can help here: http://www.findingmagnolia.com/p/give-it-forward.html