Looking Back

Five months ago we walked into Baby Home #16 in St. Petersburg, full of hopes, fears, and questions. We sat in the head doctor's office listening to the sad story of a mom and a baby. A baby that would be ours. I concentrated on everything they said knowing it was our one and only chance to gather information about our daughter. I was struck by the similarities between the birth mom and myself. We are both the same age, and each started our families 12 years ago, her with a boy and I with a girl. My focus was lost however, when the door opened and the tiniest little girl walked in. This was her, the girl in our picture with the beautiful big, brown, blank eyes. Eventually we went to the playroom and she was EXACTLY what we thought she would be. Timid, apprehensive, and smart. She never made a sound that visit nor cracked a smile, but we left full of the love of her. Even we could not have imagined how this child would blossom before our eyes.

Tomorrow marks 10 weeks since we walked out of the Baby Home with our Sofia. Since being home she has learned so much! She knows to come to her mommy to kiss a boo boo, to go to her daddy to play outside, to go to her middle sis for breakfast, and her big sis to dance! She knows how to "take care" of her babies and stuffed animals. She can go down stairs on her bottom, kick a ball, scoot on her bike, and run, run, run! She has learned to love her extended family. She knows what Emmy's house looks like and that there is a baby there(squeals!). She has favorite books and songs. She loves gymnastics and now allows her teachers to help her. Her eyes know how to sparkle and heart knows how to smile.

Tomorrow I will get up and go to work. A job I love and have missed. I should clarify, I teach Kindergarten part-time and there are only 13 days left of the school year. Teaching part-time is the PERFECT situation. It's the best of both worlds. Mark will be staying home the next 2 days, my sister will be watching Sof next week, and Grandma is coming the week after that. Then I'll be back home with all 3 of my girlies! I can't lie, I'm sad thinking about it. Going to work tomorrow feels like moving on with the rest of our lives. It feels like an ending to this 18 month process we've been on. Never again will it be just me and Sof getting to know each other, dropping the big girls at school, hanging out at Starbucks and Target! It's the end of a period in our lives, but the beginning of our family norm. I will be sad leaving Sof in the morning, but I'll be back in 4 short hours just in time for nap:)