Happy Gotcha Day!
It is hard to believe that a year ago at this time we were in China, anxiously awaiting September 1st to come so we could finally meet our daughter. We have been such pathetic bloggers, but all the emotion of our one year anniversary has inspired me to summarize the incredible journey we have been on since Lizzie joined our family.
This year has been quite a roller coaster ride with lots of ups and downs. So much joy and laughter but also lots of screaming (on Lizzie’s part) and frustration (my part). We realized early on that Lizzie was every bit as strong willed as the rest of us and that parenting her wasn’t going to be easy but a blessing none the less. I have stopped to thank God for our life more times in this past year than I think I ever have before. I feel so honored that we were picked to be Lizzie’s parents. I marvel at how God put things together.
At the same time that I marvel at the beauty of adoption and the honor that I feel being Lizzie’s mommy, I ache for her birth parents and grieve all that they lost when they gave her up. I wasn’t prepared for how tied to them I would feel. I think of them often and wonder if they let themselves think or dream about their daughter. I wish somehow I could let them know what a fantastic little girl she is and that she is well loved.
So after a year of being a Kedl, I would say that Lizzie fits right into our family and is doing GREAT. She is full of life, energy, and enthusiasm. She loves to laugh, read books, do puzzles, jump on the trampoline, chase her brothers, and boss us all around. The boys are incredible big brothers to her. They are very patient with her and still delight in all her antics. Of course we all think that she is so ridiculously cute and “off the charts” beautiful. We often wonder what we did without her. I guess we must have been pretty boring before she entered our lives.
The big challenge for Lizzie is language. She is working really hard at learning to talk. She hasn’t figured out how to control her palate yet and struggles with forming words but she certainly understands everything and is determined to talk to all of us. I know it will come eventually. We are doing speech therapy twice a week and hoping that the words come soon because she is really eager to communicate better.
I guess the way I would sum up the last year has been BEAUTIFUL. It is amazing that this little girl who was born so far away and was such a mystery to us a year ago could come and fill our lives with so much hope, joy, promise, and anticipation for all God has in store us. My heart is so full and I am truly thankful.
And so the journey continues…
