3!

Little AJ is officially 3! Can you believe it! I cannot imagine how the time went so fast! I feel like just yesterday she was a tiny little baby!

Yesterday was her official birthday. The kids and I went to the mall to see Santa (again), stopped at Old Mc Donalds for dinner (AJ's choice), and then went home to hang out with Lindsy and Jared.

I tried to think of what we may have been doing that day that she was born three years ago. We were waiting in the Domestic Infant program and in the Ethiopia program. I had anticipated recieving a referal for Ethiopia in March and we had just decided that we would do more outreach for the domestic program and start actively doing something. We had no idea that our baby was being born! It was a hard time and an exciting time. We celebrated Christmas with our families and had hopes that it would be our last Christmas as just the two of us. The unknowns with adoption of not knowing when or if we would be picked, when we would get a referal for Ethiopia and if the Ethiopian government would let us adopt or not, the excitement of dreaming about our future family. Low and behold everything works out exactly as it is supposed to. Through the ups and downs of adoption we matched with an amazing birthmom and brought home the most beautiful wonderful amazing little girl.
After matching, I knew that she was 12 pounds and would be 8 weeks when we brought her home. For some reason in my head this sounded like a big baby...toddler sized... then at my last day at work some friends took me out to lunch and we ran into another CNS who was at the same restaurant with her little new baby... how old is she? I asked...8 weeks, how much does she weigh? 12 pounds... HOLY COW, she's tiny... it hit me that I would be bringing home a baby... tiny little baby! She was an amazing little baby and still is!

She has changed so much over the past three years. She's always been very motivated, independent, and a problem solver. I keep telling myself that these qualities will serve her well in the future!

She is my sweet little girl, a little bit of feisty, and a little bit of cuddles... She's perfectly Addy. I cannot imagine our lives without her and had no idea I could love someone SO insanely much until I had a daughter. She has become a naturally good big sister, watching out for her brother, sharing with him, teaching him, and loving him.

She's amazing... She's my Addybell.

10 weeks old 1 year old
2 years old
3 glorious 3!