Eight months

Eight months ago today, we arrived home from India with Niranjana. When I bragged about it this afternoon at Kiwanis, several folks could not believe how the time has flown by.

From my perspective, India is a distant memory. I think it's that way for Niranjana, too. Over the past several weeks, everything in our family has felt cohesive.

Six months ago, in an email exchange around our company about launching a parenting Web site, I mentioned I was a new parent via adoption. A co-worker from one of our papers in the South replied that she, too, was an adoptive parent, but it had been long enough that she no longer thought about the "adoptive" part. At the time, I wondered how long it would take me to think that way.

In many ways, I'm most of the way there. In others, I'm not even close.

For example, Niranjana still sleeps between us. After Melissa gets up, Niranjana tends to shift in her sleep against me. I'll often wake up looking into her sleeping face and have difficulty fathoming that this little angel really is here with us, that she's all ours - and always will be. The rest of the time, however, everything in our little family feels natural and complete.

I got home this evening, and Niranjana and Melissa were in the back with Cate and Vanessa. When the girls finished playing and Cate went in for dinner, Niranjana wanted to play baseball with me. As evidenced by the video we posted back in March, Niranjana is really good at baseball. Today, she sent the first pitch straight up the middle and into my gut. The second whistled past my ear, and the third nailed my knee. I quickly employed the "pitch and duck" method. Eventually, she dropped the bat and wanted to play catch. Turns out she's gotten good at catching the ball, especially when she concentrates on keeping her eye on it. Throwing it overhand - on target - also is no problem. Finally, she was pitching the ball to me so I could hit it onto the roof of the house for her.

We had a great time, and Niranjana didn't want to come in for dinner. I came in and took some garbage out, during which time Niranjana came in and said to Melissa, "I miss Daddy!" I got a big, long hug when I came in.

All of this brought back floods of thoughts about my dad. He coached my brother and me in baseball, basketball and golf, so we all spent a lot of time together. My favorite childhood memories are from Pee-Wees and Babe Ruth baseball.

Eight months ago, Niranjana wanted very little to do with her daddy. Today, she happily gives me hugs and kisses. She smiles when I come into a room or pick her up from school. I can feel the beginnings of a special bond between us.

It's nearly impossible to remember how I felt eight months ago. Patience and love took care of that.