"Emily, I Miss You..."

Message from Christopher:



"I miss you Emily!"

Visit in Milan (November 2008)

Emily and I had got to spend 10 days together in Milan. We had such a wonderful time! Initially the weather was quite warm for November, but then it got really cold! It even snowed one of the days. My sister was in Italy at the same time which meant she got to see Emily as well!

If you watch the slide show, Emily took all the pictures of the flowers - they are gorgeous! She's a real photographer!!

Toothless contest

"Emily I just lost my front teeth and they're already growing back!"

Fall at home in Greensboro

Here's a video I took of the beautful leaves and fall scenery at our home in Greensboro. I hope you enjoy it!!

This is the Tree right in front of Anne's house. Last week it was completely Golden. It's already lost most of it's leaves now...

Michael, Tucker, Shelby & Gavin have been working hard collecting all the leaves that have fallen on the ground into one big pile right in front of our house. You can see how Michael is enjoying "his" pile here!

A message to Emily: "We Love Your Little Miss Sunshine Dance!"

Tucker, Shelby & Gavin after having seen Emily's Little Miss Sunshine Dance. They Loved it!!

First Trip to Milan

This is a slideshow of the pictures I took when I was in Milan visiting Emily for the first time after she left the US and for the first time as the non-custodial parent.

Upon my return, many people wanted to know how Emily was. And the fact is, Emily was Emily. Yes, you could tell she had cried a lot, but she was still able to laugh, cry, giggle, play jokes, get angry, be silly… Be Emily, in her way. I'm convinced Emily will bring Sunshine to the people she meets in Milan, her new home.

Thank You Greensboro

Thank you Greensboro for being Our Home. Thank you for the Love, Support, Companionship you have given me in the most difficult weeks of my life. Thank you for being our neighbor, friend and co-worker. Most of all, Thank You Greensboro for Loving Emily!

Emily and myself came to Greensboro at the end of January 2005, when she was only two. We came from Italy knowing one person. In almost four years, we have grown to love this city and become an integral part of the community.

When I moved here, my wish for my daughter was to provide her with a Happy and Stable Environment. Here, she learned to be confident, make friends and establish friendships, speak in complete sentences and use complicated words, distinguish right from left, ride a bicycle, twist her teeth out of her mouth, read, swim, go to school, do her homework, ride horses, but most importantly, BE Emily. This wouldn't have been possible without You, so Thank You.

Last time I saw Emily in the US was at 10 am, September 25, 2008 at the Guildford Courthouse in Greensboro. The day before, I had been subpoenaed to bring her to Court with her travel documents, since her father, a French citizen living in Italy, had just registered a 2½ yr-old Italian order, giving him full and exclusive custody over Emily, and was requesting its immediate execution.

Emily came to Court excited, because many of our friends were there to give support and bear witness to how she had touched their lives. As people arrived to the courtroom, Emily noticed that everyone had "We Love Emily" stickers on them. Emily asked if she could have a sticker, since "I Love Emily too," she said.

Emily is now in Italy. When I speak to her, she talks to me about her Home in Greensboro. Last Saturday on the phone, she reminded me that Monday was "Maia's Birthday." Emily remembers everyone's Birthday. She asked me to send Maia an email wishing her a Happy Birthday, "but tell her that on October 6th I turned six and a half". Maia just turned six on Monday.

She recently told me: "Next time I go to Court I won't be excited." I understand her.