Angie graduates from 5th grade next month and she may be the only kid at the ceremony without a baby picture in the slideshow. These are the kind of things adopted kiddos miss out on. But sometimes we make up for it by celebrating random days that other children don't have, like the day I brought her home from the orphanage, Talita Cumi, or the day six months later when we had the audience with the judge and the adoption became final. Yesterday, was our second anniversary of our "Adoption Day" and we celebrated with a family favorite--Papa John's pizza, we even splurged for cheese sticks!
Many of you remember Angie's terror at coming to live in the U.S. and how she acted out for more than six months at the thought of this change. Yesterday, on the way to pick up the pizza she said in perfect Spanglish, "I'm used to living in the United States now." I smiled and replied, "You should've trusted us, huh?" To which she answered with a sheepish grin, "Yeah, I'm sorry."
Later, after we prayed for the pizza and for our little family on this special day she said, "Mommy, thank you for adopting me." ...cue heart melts...
We may not have photos from her infancy, but here are a couple you probably haven't seen of the first day we met her, December 24th, 2009, her third day in Talita Cumi. Sorry, they're a little out of focus, we didn't know she was going to change our lives forever, at first sight.
What a difference a few years, a lot of food, and a lot of love makes.
Thank you each who have helped us love her for these three and a half years. We'll be needing your help for the next many decades as well.
1 comment:
Wow, great to read this update.
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