Ten Months - Forever Our Daughter

Today another month slips by, so quickly, ten months since Forever Family Day. Ten months since AA has had a Mommy, a Daddy, Brother and Sister. Plus all the loving family we have surrounding us, near and far.
We weren't the typical adoptive couple. We waited in the "referral/LID" line for 31 months; we weren't nervous holding AA for the first time, we were just so incredibly happy. We had "waited" 23 years to be exact; always talking about our next child, our first together; or about another child; when would the timing be right..... Somehow God had a sense of humor, waiting until we were both over 50.

I promised DH that after the 12 month mark, I would stop celebrating each month we have had AA; yes, it has been ten months to the day that we first held AA. Then I had to promise that after she turned 3 years old, I would stop counting her age in months (she's almost 34 months old now!). I thought that was what Mommy's did?

We will celebrate our Forever Family Day Anniversary's. Each one will be a new level of understanding for AA. Maybe we will talk about how much she means to us, to our family. Maybe we will ask family members to take one year of her life and be that special mentor, special connection to help her learn more about herself. Maybe we will help her write a journal of her favorite memories. Maybe we will ask her what she would like to learn about her homeland, her culture. Maybe we will light a candle for her birth parents and discuss that difficult subject.

We celebrate each day, in amazement that AA is our daughter, we celebrate each giggle, each new word, each successful step in her growth of language, we celebrate her laughter and how easy it is for her to love playing.
Daddy is home with her everyday, making sure she is cared for; fed, clothed, loved and hugged (and some dancing in the Publix aisles every other day, too).

We praise her each day, giving kisses and hugs and smiles.
We have such joy in our home.
All children deserve love and fun; a childhood.
We do know that having AA has given us less time to spend with our grown children and our granddaughters. We know that will change soon. But for now, it is all about AA's security, attachment, bonding, language development; it is her time to have all the attention and love she missed in the first 24 months of her life.

She deserves it.
Happy Ten Month Forever Family Day Anniversary AA!