Come to the Window Life with Daniela - Our Child from Romania By Christina Goldstone

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Reviewed by Allison Martin

Come to the Window by Christina Goldstone is the moving personal story of her daughter's adoption as a toddler from Romania and subsequent growth and development. To her sorrow, Christina Goldstone finds that although she appears "normal" (indeed, adorable) in appearance, Daniella has significant sensory, attention, learning and motor issues. Raising a child with "invisible" special needs creates added stress, as the impact is obvious to the world but the cause is not. Indeed, the Goldstones' realization that Daniela has significant special needs changes their lives as much as her adoption.

The love Christina Goldstone has for her daughter rings out in the accompanying photographs and in her mediations, as she chronicles Daniela's adjustment to family life and school up through first grade. She describes the process of coping with her daughter's needs with clarity, compassion and honesty, as can be seen in this quote from her book.

"The most rewarding moment of the whole summer came early one morning as I entered Daniela's bedroom. As soon as I stuck my head through the door I heard a loud and ecstatic "Ma-Ma!". Her arms reached out to me and I covered her with kisses. Marcy cam rushing in to see what the commotion was about and rolled her eyeballs when I told her why I was so thrilled. Only another mother can appreciate what it is like to hear your child call you by name for the first time."

To put her family's experiences into the larger context of adoption from Romania, Dr. Victor Groza's Follow-up Study of Adopted Children from Romania is included in the appendix.

I recommend this book to anyone who is considering adopting a child with special needs, as well as families who have or wish to adopt from Romania. In recounting the emotional and educational journey the Goldstone family experience as Daniela grows up, Come to the Window prepares other families starting on the same journey.

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