Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

Today you are two. Happy Birthday little one.

I'm posting this a "day" early because you are 11 hours ahead, so you're already two now.

Part of this tears my heart out. I've missed two years of your development: the first time you held your head up, the first time you rolled over, your first smile, your first giggle, sitting up all by yourself, crawling, your first step, your first word (even if it is in a language I don't understand), cutting teeth, etc. You've had two years of no one special loving you, just you and taking pride in all your accomplishments. No one to rock you to sleep or comfort you when you just needed it.

I take joy, though in knowing that it will ONLY be two years of your life. You will have many many more years, God willing, to recieve wonderful attention, to be held, to be loved on and played with, to have special people be impressed with you and find joy in who you are. I'm baking you a cake today in honor of you and your big accomplishment of turning two. Your family will sing "Happy Birthday to You" tonight and pray you can feel it in your heart half-a-world away. Next year, you can blow out the candles yourself and have fun knowing you have us all wrapped around your little finger.

My how you've grown!


The youngest picture I have of you.


Learning to crawl!


First taste of watermellon (or anything with flavor!)


The day we met, you were 14 months old. I rocked you on the swing with Madeline too.





This t-shirt cracks me up!




August 2006. What a big girl you are!

I'm so blessed to at least have so many pictures of you throughout your stages, and I think I'm probably one of the few people that gets to adopt a child half-a-world away and have so many friends be able to go and check on you. God's the BIG God and He's watching out over you little gal! And me too!