бабушка: Babushka

Babushka, strong emphasis on the opening syllable (BAH-boosh-kah), is the Russian word for grandmother. I've been wanting to write a small tribute to Daniil's baba, my Mom Judy, for a while now. Here's my chance.

First off, the above photo was shot by none other than Daniil himself. If you've viewed the video embedded in "Daniil's Voice" (May 28, 2010), you know that Daniil enjoyed messing around with my Mom's camera on the day we first met at the orphanage. This is one of the photos he snapped. Sophisticated (inadvertent) framing, huh?

My mom has been my #1 supporter through these 3 years of my adoption journey. (My dad's been right there too, but I'll save him for another time.) When I get down and demoralized, she helps me regain perspective; for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Judy, she's remarkably grounded and practical, and nearly unflappable when it comes to big things like an adoption emergency. When I get good news, she lets down her hair, figuratively speaking, and joins in celebration. She's taken it upon herself to drive back and forth to Connecticut and Fall River to get my documents apostilled in the most timely way. And she's insisted on travelling alongside me to Russia, where we've literally found our way together.

My mom had me at the tender age of 20. So she's still agile and youthful and up to the rigors of international travel. More importantly, she's alive to love and delight in her grandson. I worry, of course, about my own age and whether Daniil will still have a mom when he hits his 40s. With God's grace, my mind will hold up, as well as my body, for many decades to come. This late-to-come-to-motherhood sure gives me extra incentive to take the best possible care of myself. Step up the sleep and speed walking. Step down the heavy cream.

Back to Mom. My psychic friend says that she and Daniil are destined for a very special relationship. I didn't need Vittorio to tell me that: take a look at the two of them in the otherwise unremarkable video. Babushka and Daniil, nestled side by side, calmly enjoying their Barnum's animal crackers. They look like a couple of old pals, bonded from the first.

Я тебя люблю, мать. I love you, Mom.