Our daughter, Surya (age 8). Includes photographs and some background on our adopting her from Bangalore, India.
Our daughter, Surya |
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Surya was born at St. Michael's Home, a home for unwed mothers in Bangalore, India on 10/26/94. We found out that we were going to be her parents on Thanksgiving Day, 1994. We met her in Bangalore on 3/27/95, and after several postponed court dates, we were finally declared her legal guardians (India doesn't technically have adoptions ).
Due to additional difficulties obtaining her Indian passport, Mark needed to return to work and came back to the States after five weeks. Michelle remained with Surya, and left India with her two weeks later on Mother's Day, arriving home in Columbus on 5/15/95. Her U.S. visa listed her profession as "infant", which we found amusing. She was quite good at being an infant, and it was appropriate that the government recognised her professional status. We adopted Surya under Ohio law, and she has U.S. citizenship. She is officially and forever ours and we hers.
"Surya" is Hindi for "sun". We named her that because she is the light of our lives and our world revolves around her. Also because it is similar to my maternal grandmother's name of Sylvia. Her middle name is Margaret, which is Michelle's maternal grandmother's name.
The Sisters at St. Michael's told us that Surya talked from Day 1, although it took a while longer before anyone but she understood what she said. Her "talking" had so much of the right rhythm and inflection that it never sounded like "baby-talk". We were convinced that she knew exactly what she was trying to say but just didn't have the hang of enunciation yet. We read to her from the day we met, and her favorite book was about animal sounds. Her first word was "quack"! She always loved ducks and stories about ducks, and still does. (Even now, going to feed ducks and geese is one of her favorite activities.) It didn't take long for her to move from single words to word pairs to phrases to sentences. By age two she spoke in full paragraphs.
According to the child rearing books, many children begin using made-up words at around three years old. Surya named a new doll with lots of long black hair "Kangi". She began adding the extension "Leeli" to her friend's names, and called Michelle "Mama-nini". We assumed she just made these "words" up. We later found out that "kangi" is the Hindi word for "comb", one of her ayahs (nursury caregiver) was named "Leeli", and that "nini" is the Hindi word for "sleep". Along with "Mama", it is found in lullabyes in most south Indian languages. It seems Surya remembered and was using words spoken to her in St. Michael's nursery when she was less than four months old!
She began crawling at eight months of age, but tired of that after just two weeks and started "cruising" around with one hand on the furniture or holding my hand or my wife's. After about a week of that, she just started walking as if she'd been doing it for months. We never did the stereotypical scene where one of us would call to her from a few feet away while the other one encouraged her to try walking over.
Surya learned how to do somersaults from a girl about 18 months older than her, and was so proud of herself that she would "flip" to show off whenever she met someone new. Her other favorite trick was to stand facing me, hold my hands, and walk up my legs until she fliped over backward. She evolved that trick into doing backflips on the rings at a neighborhood playground. She is stronger and more coordinated than I ever was.
Although petite (35 inches and 30 pounds), she is extremely strong and agile. I like to joke that as she gets older, she doesn't get any bigger -- she just keeps getting faster!
Surya was enrolled in gymnastics in Spring 1998 and within 3 months was already promoted to a class with children up to three years older than her. She also enjoys live music, books, computer games, television, basketball, soccer, and street hockey, and making friends wherever she goes.
Before reaching age 3-1/2, she managed to complain both that "You always make me do everything" and "You never let me do anything" within a span of five minutes. Her teenage years should be very interesting, and are obviously fast approaching!
Surya began preschool in Fall 1998. As expected, she made friends quickly, including a Tamil girl from Sri Lanka who happened to be in her class.
She is still petite (37 inches and 38 pounds), and does keep getting stronger and faster.
Surya took swimming lessons instead of gymnastics during the summer, and loves spending time at our local water park, Wyandot Lake. She was the only child in her swimming class to earn a Red Cross card. She still enjoys live music, books, computer games, television, soccer, and making friends wherever she goes.
Surya continued in preschool this year, with a new goal. She wants to be a Jedi Knight when she grows up.
She is still petite (40 inches and 40 pounds), and does keep getting stronger and faster. Surya's first "baby tooth" fell out on Arpil 8, 2000.
Surya continued gymnastics until April, when she decided that she just wasn't interested enough to keep going. She still enjoys television, movies, live music, books, computer games, and making friends wherever she goes.
Surya turned 6 on 10/26/00 and had a bowling party with ten friends to celebrate. The cake featured Scooby-Doo. She received mainly art supplies and Barbies. Everyone had a great time!
Surya is enrolled in an alternative elementary school. She is in a classroom which has 12 kindergartners (including Surya), and 12 first graders. Next year, she will stay in the same classroom with the same teacher.
There are many advantages to combined classes. Teachers know each student and their individual abilities better. Children are grouped and taught according to their skill level rather than their age. Children more adept at reading, math, etc. help their less skilled peers, thus developing and reinforcing their own abilities in that area. Runners go faster when practicing with a partner instead of alone. The less skilled are similarly provided with the needed encouragement to catch up to the more advanced kids in their class. They see someone else doing it, and they naturally want to be able to do it too.
Surya has completed some special testing which has helped determine that she is academically gifted. Her verbal skills are far above average, and she is also showing a strong aptitude for math. She has many friends at school, and is very athletic. At recess, she loves to play on the monkey bars. (These are horizontal steel ladders set high enough above the ground that the children can hang from them, and swing across them hand-to-hand). She's developed calluses on her hands which rival those of a professional athlete, and can swing forward, backward, and even with her eyes closed.
Surya brought home her very first elementary school report card on 12/1. She had check marks in the yes column for each of the skills on the first grading period report form in all three categories: personal achievement, literacy, and mathematics. The only comment was in mathematics, where her teacher wrote Wow! in the area about counting. The only numerical scores were 54 of 54 for letter identification and 35 of 37 for hearing and recording sounds in words. On the Special Area Progress Report, she received top marks of exceptional/distinguished in both art and music, and a grade of successful in physical education. Needless to say, we are very proud of her for this as well as for hundreds of other reasons!
During the year, we went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and many movies.
Surya turned 7 in October 2001 and had a party at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. The cake was Halloween themed at her request. She received mainly art supplies and Barbies. Everyone had a great time!
Surya is enrolled in an alternative elementary school. She is in a classroom which has 12 kindergartners and 12 first graders (including Surya) and the same teacher she had last year. Next year, she move on to a new teacher and a second and third grade mixed class.
Since her birthday, we've seen Disney on Ice and numerous movies. We've been reading her a chapter of Harry Potter every night. We're currently on the 4th book!
Surya turned 8 in October 2002 and again had a party at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. She received mainly art supplies and Barbies. Everyone had a great time!
Surya is enrolled in an alternative elementary school. She is in a classroom which has 12 first graders and 12 second graders (including Surya). Next year, she will stay with the same teacher and kids at her grade and be joined by a new group of younger kids.
Surya has continued her Tae Kwon Do and piano lessons and is doing quite well at both.
Click on one of the small images to see a larger version.
 Surya in Sr. Shoba's arms at St. Michael's Home. December 1994 (age 6 weeks). |
 Michelle and Surya on Surya's first day away from St. Michael's, April 1995. |
 Surya at 1 year old. |
 Surya at 2 years old. |
 Surya at the CompuServe company picnic, Summer 1996 (age 1). |
 Surya on a carousel at the Franklin County Fair, Summer 1997 (age 2). |
 Surya in our living room, Summer 1997 (age 2). |
 Surya in our backyard, Summer 1997 (age 2). |
 Surya at Manhattan beach, September 1997 (age 2). |
 Surya at almost 3 years old, September 1997. |
 Mark and Surya with Tinker Toy swing they built, Fall 1997 (age 3). |
 Surya at the mall, October 1997 (age 3). |
 Surya and Mark at Hannukah, December 1997 (age 3). |
 Surya at the gym, June 1998 (age 3). |
 Surya buried in her sandbox, Summer 1998 (age 3). |
 Surya dressed as a butterfly for a school pageant, May 1999 (age 4). |
 Surya in a salwar-kameez with chunni, October 1999 (age 4). |
 Surya with a day-friend at the Buccleuch Park playground in New Brunswick, NJ, October 1999 (age 4). |
 Surya and Mark at the Buccleuch Park playground in New Brunswick, NJ, October 1999 (age 4). |
 Surya jumping in the ocean at Manhattan Beach, October 1999 (age 4). |
 Surya at Manhattan Beach, October 1999 (age 4). |
 Surya with our menorah on the 5th night of Hannukah, December 1999 (age 5). |
 Surya with her favorite Hanukkah present, Bart Jr. from her Uncle Lee, December 1999 (age 5). |
 Surya bowling at a friend's birthday party, February 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya in circus garb at the circus, May 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya at the circus, May 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya in a dress, a truly rare occurance, May 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya on lion at Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick, NJ, June 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya upside-down at the Buccleuch Park playground in New Brunswick, NJ, June 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya's school portrait, September 2000 (age 5). |
 Surya playing in our backyard leaves, October 2000 (age 6). |
 Surya playing in our backyard leaves, October 2000 (age 6). |
 Surya playing in our backyard leaves, October 2000 (age 6). |
 Surya (middle) and friends dancing at her 8th birthday party, October 2002. |
 Surya as a Hogwarts student for Halloween, October 2002 (age 8). |
 Surya as a Hogwarts student for Halloween, October 2002 (age 8). |
 Surya (left) and fellow camper doing arts & crafts at summer camp, July 2003. |
 Surya (middle), a fellow camper, and a councelor at the Chiller Ice Skating Rink on a summer camp field trip, July 2003. |
 Surya (left) and some fellow campers at a skating rink on a summer camp field trip, July 2003. |
 Surya (front left), fellow campers, and a counselor at Wyandot Lake on a summer camp field trip, July 2003. |
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