Guess Who's One????

If there's any advice people like to pass on to me, it would be:

"Enjoy these years. They go by so fast".

It's so true. I can't believe that Ellie is 1! It feels just like yesterday that Jeff and I were anxiously awaiting news of her birth. I remember getting a text from her birth mom at 10 in the morning saying she was at the hospital and had gotten her medicine to start the process. That afternoon Jeff, Sydney, and I were in the car driving up to the Salt Lake area. We got a phone call from her birth father saying she had been born. 8 lbs., 2 oz., 20 1/2 inches long. I could hear her screaming in the background. It was a surreal experience. The two days before she was actually placed with Jeff and I were sacred. Not necessarily for us, but for our birth family. They deserved to have that special time to themselves, and both Jeff and I are glad they had that time to meet, and spend time with just her. They had to have time to say their I love yous, to get all the kisses and hugs in they could, and say their good-byes. We felt fortunate to see her the day after her birth, but she wasn't ours--yet.

Her life with us began two days after her birth--when she was placed with us. I look back on pictures of that day and have so many mixed feelings. I wish all of you reading this could be a part of an adoption. I really do. It's difficult to describe the feelings of a placement day. All I know is how I felt. As an adoptive mom I felt humbled by the gift of love I was receiving. I felt nervous, overwhelmed, sad, and happy all at the same time. I won't try to even articulate what kind of emotions the birth family was having because I've never been in that position. The best way to describe a placement day, is extremely emotionally charged. However, although all of our feelings are all over the place, the major underlying emotion is one of love. Love for a child. And that is how an adoptive couple/birth family can do what they do. Today, as I look back on pictures, all I can think about is what I should have done, what gifts I should have given, what I should have said, pictures I should have taken. I know it doesn't change anything, but it would be nice to go back--to make it perfect--because our birth family deserved that. Perfection. After all, that's what they gave to us.

And perfection Ellie is! I've been working on a project for the last few weeks and remembering this past year with her. Six days after she was born my grandmother passed away--so we packed up our one week old and took her to a funeral. She seemed to give hope to all of us during that time of sorrow and loss. There is nothing more heavenly than a newborn. I remember just a few weeks later taking her to Disneyland. I know, call us crazy. In fairness to us, our trip was actually planned before she was born--so there was no going back. To date, I think that trip to Disneyland was the best yet! Christmas was extra magical with a newborn, as was each holiday. With her finalization, we eagerly awaited the blessing of taking her to the Temple. What a special day that was for us as a family! Later that month we visited Yellowstone National Park. :) We have been able to spend time with not only our extended family on numerous occasions, but her birth family as well. Yes, this year has been full of lots of good memories for us!

Today she is a very happy, healthy baby girl! She loves music, balls, dogs, lights, and her daddy. :) She loves to eat peas, cuties, grapes, raspberries, peanut butter sandwiches, potatoes, tomatoes, and anything with frosting! She can say "uh-oh", "mama", and "dada". She loves to play with Sydney and the dog. We love her very much and have loved seeing her personality start to appear. She can be pretty determined and feisty at times, but is overall a very easy-going and happy baby!

We had her little birthday party last night and thought we'd share just a few pictures. We had a nice time celebrating her first year, and look forward to many more years to come!!

If there's one thing about Ellie, it's really hard to resist kissing her cheeks! She is so kissable!!!

This was a fun cake to make! And Ellie had fun eating it!!

We love you Ellie Belle! Happy, Happy Birthday! We are so glad you are a part of our family!