☀

Eight months ago, Addie spent her very last night in an orphanage.  Her Daddy picked her up the following day and so began her life as part of our family.  A few days later, we were finally all together in one place.  I will never forget how good it felt to hold her in my arms again after being separated for almost three months.  It was pure bliss.  Arriving home with Addie was a little bit different than it was with Sena because now we had two little ones who, because of their ages, required a lot from us.  The first few weeks were a bit bumpy as we figured out how to navigate our new normal.  The death of John's dad just two weeks after her arrival made an already challenging period even harder.  It just seemed like too much to handle all at once.  But, we got through it and all these months later, I feel like we have figured out how to do this family of seven business.  It certainly isn't easy, but it is so worth it and I am thankful for each of the five blessings that God has entrusted to us.

I also feel like we have turned a corner in the attachment department.  In the past couple of months, we have tried to be more intentional when it comes to matters of attachment and I think we are seeing the fruit of that.  While Addie is still incredibly friendly, she is showing more and more that she knows we are her special people.  We were at Ethan's basketball game on Friday night and John had Addie in the Ergo.  He was standing near the entrance to the gym watching the game while I took Sena to the bathroom.  As soon as I was out of sight, Addie flipped out and wanted her mama!  SWEET!  It is hard to explain it, but I just feel like something has clicked and we are right where we need to be.

We have come a long way since this day:

 

We discovered pretty early on that this girl is fairly easy going.  She is incredibly good natured and that was clear from the moment we first met her.  She is also spunky and silly and she brings a smile to our faces each and every day.  She is busy - I mean really BUSY - and she has a knack for finding things to get into, but she is the only one of our children who goes to bed with a smile on her face and wakes up with a smile on her face.  She is so full of life and I love that about her. 

As she is approaching two years old, Addie is changing from a baby girl to a toddler.  I'm not gonna lie - that is a wee bit hard for me.  We missed the first 15 months of her life and sometimes my mama's heart just grieves that I didn't get to hold her when she was tiny or see her roll over for the first time or take her first steps.  But, sometimes, I am surprised with moments that help to ease the pain of what we missed.  Today, I experienced one of those.  Addie had been sleeping for almost three hours this afternoon (thank you, Jesus!) and I went in to wake her up.  She was sound asleep, so I carefully picked her up and sat in the rocking chair.  She snuggled for a bit and then I shifted her body so that I could cradle her in my arms.  My sweet angel went back to sleep for a few minutes in my arms and I savored every second!  Getting to hold her while she slept peacefully was a gift to me today.  It is so often the little things that mean the most.

I love this little ray of sunshine!