Monday, February 25, 2008

Dantes HUGE Surprise!!!!

This April 27 it will be 25 years that Dante and I are together......My amazing Husband has planned a Romantic vacation for just the "2" of us!!!!!!!!!!! He is flying my Aunt in from New Mexico to watch our 3 children for "5" day so that he and I can go to the " DOMINICAN REPUBLIC" We a re staying in Punta cana at the Excellence resort and Spa!!!!!! He booked the ocean view Suite, we are going to have couple spa treatments, and horseback ride on the beach! the resort is only for ADULTS : )
Now don't get me wrong LOVE my kids....however, 5 days alone with my amazing husband sounds GREAT!!!!!
I am so Happy and proud of our being together for 25 years...I love this man so much!!!!!! he has given me everything.......I am truly a lucky girl! So Thank You Dante for planning such an amazing trip for the 2 of us!!!!!! I Love You with all that I am!

ONE LUCKY LADY
Carmen Pagano

Friday, February 22, 2008

Reflecting on my Daughter

As the months pass by, I am amazed at just how much JIanna has grown, and changed....She is so funny....loves to dance. she is so loving.....gives tons of hugs and kisses eveyday...even when we are shopping and leaving the store, she yells goodbye to everyone and throws kisses....to complete strangers, She Loves to sing with me....funny thing, is that I have the worst voice EVER, and yet she always is asking me to sing to her....and while I sing she sings with me......She loves to help...always saying " I HELP U" She is our house nurse, if anyone is hurt or sick, nurse Jia is there to care for you....She smiles and she just makes me smile too. She has brought so much to not only my life , but to all that meet her.... this weekend was her baptism, her Godfather Peter said a toast.....and It nearly brought tears to my eyes.....my brother in law is not one of many words, but when he talks he speaks the truth and speaks from the heart.....he said....That he is proud of us, and that Jianna has brought so much to ALL of our lives...and that we all have learned so much from her...He adores her so much.....I see how he looks at her and it just makes me want to melt. I agree with him, she has brought so much to our lives, and she has shown so many people in our lives that you don't have to give birth to a child, or share the same blood lines to Love a child ...I am so proud to say that not one person in my family or our friends have ever treated Jianna differently ...my Mother and Father in law adore this child...she has pushed her little way in all our hearts and she is our hero, our teacher, our brave little girl. Life is beautiful when you open your mind and your hearts....Love can been found all over the world....Our Jianna was so meant to be our daughter, when she looks up at her Italian grandparents and call them NONNA AND NONNO there faces just light up, when she sees pictures of her family around the house and she names them all and kisses their pictures, too cute....when she tries to eat nonnas pasta with a spoon and a fork like we all do....cracks me up. when we pull up in our drive way and she says " HOME MOMMY, HOME" I get teary...yes my love this is your home, we are your family and you will never be without ever again......Everything does happen for a reason....it truly does....I am so happy and will forever be thankful that my lifes journey brought me to My Angel....It was a heck of a ride....and had its ups and downs, but in the end....I would not have changed it for anything in the world.

Thank you Jjianna for enriching our lives
Thank you for being the wonderful Daughter, sister, granddaughter , Niece and friend that you are to all that know you.
WE ARE SO IN LOVE WITH YOU

MOMMY AND DADDY

Thursday, February 14, 2008

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

I just wanted to wish my sweet children Michael, Steven and Jianna a Happy Valentines Day....I am truly a very fortunate women to have three Beautiful, Loving, caring, giving children. Everyday I get to see these 3 amazing individuals....they are everything I live for , they make my life so wonderful.....Michael is my rock, he is everything that I wish I could have been as a teenager, heis telented, funny, creative, he is someone I look up to ( being 6 feet tall, I have to look up to him ) He and I both have the same disabilities.....we are both dyslexic...and I must say that Mike has never once allowed his disability from getting great grades....he get A's and B's and just last week he was given a academic achievement award for MATH.....I idolize this young man.....he is and will always be my hero.

And then there is my Beautiful, cute as heck Steven...my miracle child....you see after I had mike, I had 2 miscarriages and my doctor thought that I would not have another bio child....boy was he wrong....Steven is my miracle...he's my warm, loving , strong willed little athlete....he's the kind of son that would make any man proud.....he loves just to sit with his dad and watch any kind of sports......he has the sweetest laugh.....and no matter how big he sometimes thinks he is, at the end of each day he wants his mommy and daddy to tuck him in. He is adorable, and he knows it : ) but most of all he's my little man and I just adore him.

And my Angel Jianna, oh what can I say about my sweet little girl....she lights up my world, she makes me want to be the best that I can be.....shes my sugar and spice and everything nice. Shes her daddys biggest fan....she has opened my heart to so many different things....she has gone through so much in her little life...she is strong, she is smart, she is affectionate , and she is so mushy even more than I am ....she may be little , but she leaves an impression on all who meet her. She has taught Dante, Me and the boys that if you open your heart and you open your mind, you can find love all aroud this beautiful world....she is my daughter , she is my dreams come true, she is my little girl.....and its always music to my ears when she looks up at me kisses my leg and says " Jia love you mommy" Or when the kid are in bed and you hear the boys say goodnight Jia and she says goodnight mike and steve " love you" Night dada Love you....what better way to end the day then hearing the voices of your children saying they love eachother....

And last but not least my Husband......What can I say about Dante....he's my rock, he's my love of my life....He has never , ever gone to sleep in 25 years without telling me he loves me.....he saved me from a horibble life and he has shown me the true meaning of what being a family is...He allows me to always just be me....and for some reason he still loves me : ) he never fails me....now sure we have our differences.....what marriage doesn't ....and yes we have had our share of problems, but, there has not been one day in the last 25 years that he has left me ... from 17 years of age to now we have always been together....he is such a commited humanbeing,,,,he is a wonderful dad, my best friend, my everything.....And He's kinda nice to look at : )

so with all of that being said, I guess everyday is valentines day for me ........
Happy Valentines day to my family and wonderful friends

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Thinking back

Feb 1 was our referral anniversary...this is when you are matched with your forever child and the adoption agency calls you with info such as her name, age, DOB, and province....I can't believe that its been a year since we first got the call about our Jianna. although Jia has been home with us for only 9 months, it feels as she has always been with us.....It amazes me how well she fits in with us ...How can I explain it......or even put into words what Jianna means to our family...This little person, this Angel.....she brings so much joy into all of our lives.....she completes us...and she was so meant to be our child. I look at her ...and I have to pinch myself...how can we be so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter.....Adoption has been a blessing for our family.....The boys just adore her....her dad is one of her biggest fans , ( besides me of course}

I will be forever greatful to her Bio mom and dad for giving our daughter a chance....and for loving her so much so, that they put her in a place where they knew she would be safe ...and for giving her a chance and for giving us a chance to be " HER FAMILY"
I could never imagine, how it must have felt, to have carried a child for 9 mo nths and then have to give her away....My only wish , is that Jia's Bio mom would some day know that we took very good care of her and that we Loved her enough for all of us her Bio parents and her adoptive Parents. Its hard not to be able to thank someone for giving you such a precious gift as your child...we thank people everyday for everything.....but yet, I will never have the opportunity to look in this womens eyes and say Thank You....thank you for loving Jia , thank you for giving her life, and thank you for so much for all that is you in her.....she is beautiful , she is funny, she loves music and loves to dance, she is caring, she is amazing....she is you and she is me.

2 women from different parts of the world, will forever be bonded by one amazing child......
Thank you