During the 5 months that we waited for a successful court date we received quite a few updates and photos of Ella Furtuna. Over and over we saw a scared and sad little girl. The stories we received backed up the photos. Our updates would say things like:
She is afraid of white people.
She is afraid in general.
She screamed to death the whole time I was there.
She seems like a very unhappy girl.
You will have a difficult time with her.
Ella has been home with us for 6 weeks and has become a confident, happy, goofy and fun little girl. I saw a dramatic change at about the 3 week mark. It seemed like a switch was flipped and suddenly there was nothing but “sugar” in her whole personality. After a few weeks of that “honeymoon” behavior things seem to be stabilizing and I see a more natural balance between happiness and normal crabby or frustrated behavior. Of course, we also have the occasional very bad day with all sorts of the old behaviors showing up.
Things may change by next week or next month, but for now, Ella looks more like this:
January 19, 2009 at 5:34 am |
What a beautiful testimony in pictures!
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Blessings,
Kristy Tapper
January 19, 2009 at 8:42 am |
Oh, I am so happy!!! I have been praying for this! God is so GOOD!!!
January 19, 2009 at 3:52 pm |
Miss Ella is oh-so happy indeed! Who wouldn’t be happy to become a Hutchinson kid?
I praise God for all that He is doing in your family, and I pray that He gives you strength, peace, rest, and everything else you need this week.
Love,
Diana
January 19, 2009 at 4:42 pm |
Praise God! She’s gorgeous!
Kim
January 19, 2009 at 5:25 pm |
YYAAAYYY Ella!! You look so beautiful!!
Thanks for the adorable & honest update.
Love you lots,
Kari
January 19, 2009 at 8:50 pm |
This is so precious! What a beautiful testimony! It makes my heart happy!
January 19, 2009 at 9:42 pm |
So happy for you guys. Hang in there. Everything just keeps getting better. We’ve been home 5 months now and it is night and day different. Ella is beautiful! I’m so happy to see her happy. I remember the frightened girl at the TH and she was very sad. There is light in her eyes now and it’s great to see.
Kathleen
January 20, 2009 at 10:06 am |
love reading… keep up the beautiful words & photos
January 20, 2009 at 11:21 am |
I remember sad Ella at the TH and specifically praying for her and her new family, though I didn’t know who you were. It’s so great to see pictures of her smiling! What a beautiful girl! It looks like all she needed was the love of her family.
January 26, 2009 at 12:35 am |
those words are very encouraging. After you were so brutally honest about the transition period, i really took a serious look at the possibility of a real tough season ahead. Thank you for sharing the rough and the beautiful side of this amazing journey of adoption.
February 11, 2009 at 2:28 pm |
Please post again soon (though I know you must be busy)! I am so touched by your words and by what you’re doing and feel very grateful for your honesty. I have two children and we are contemplating adopting a child now. We are both very open to the idea of adoption (my husband was adopted himself as an infant) but wonder about the struggles of (1) adopting a toddler or preschooler rather than a newborn and of (2) integrating an adopted child into a family with a 4 yr old and a 6 yr old and I am learning a lot from you.