One Year!

One year ago today we stumbled off of an airplane and drove through the throng of people that is a street in Addis Ababa. We sat on a couch, numb with exhaustion and disbelief and watched a nanny with tears in her eyes bring our scared, confused baby into the room. We became. We became three... an us... a family.
I have watched this montage maybe a hundred times, and I have yet to successfully make it through without crying. Yet, I don't think I can put into words how I feel about my daughter, and how her presence in my life has altered it in such a fundamental, earth shattering way. There have been so many struggles ( one of which was last night when she fought sleep for 2 and 1/2 hours ) and frustrations and tears, but the love, light and joy she brings to the world is beyond my capacity to understand, let alone articulate. I am just so very, very grateful that she is mine... and that I am hers.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Meron's Artistic Side....

What she lacks in hearing tone, she makes up for with enthusiasm, don't you think?

Random Cuteness...

There hasn't been much time for blogging lately... Plus our camera is broken and we can only take pictures that require no flash. Here is some random cuteness to prove we're all still alive...

Okay...

Yeah, yeah. She's been getting bigger. But when did she get THIS big. Since when does my baby climb the steps of the playground, walk across the platform, sit down and slide down the slide all by herself? When did this happen? And does it make me a bad person that I wish she would just slow down just a little bit? I really didn't anticipate how conflicted I would feel about Meron growing up. At first, it was so fun. She was really behind on things, so seeing her catch up and then surpass all expectations was wonderful. I really am so excited to see her grow, hear her talk, watch her gain independence and become a girl. I love this Meron. She is so fun and exciting and amazing. But... on the other hand, I miss baby Meron so much. That sweet little bundle of cuddliness? Milk breath, baby smell, no bitey teeth, sweet gurgles and coos instead of "NO!", wanting me and only me..... sigh.... melt...

We did solve a big mystery yesterday, which amuses me to no end. For about a week now, Meron has been grabbing two objects, saying 2,2,3 (she won't say 1 for some reason) GO! and throwing them as far as she could. At first, I blamed Nathan. Thinking, "Seriously, who teaches a baby to throw things?" Nathan swore it wasn't him. After I discovered her tossing a tambourine and a maraca (which, let me tell you, make a delightful crash when thrown together) I decided to investigate a little further. I called my mom and asked casually, "Did you by any chance play a game with Meron in which you counted 1,2,3 GO! and threw two objects." Mom incriminated herself immediately by exclaiming, "Oh holy hell!" and advising me to be careful, as the game had evolved to include throwing small rocks at Grandma's feet. As I said, I find this highly amusing. Plus, I'm a little impressed that Mer remembered it almost a week after she played it. Learning new things all the time....

Last Post Placement Visit

Some of the pictures we sent to Mer's Ethiopian mom:

We had our last social worker visit, which means Meron has been home for almost a year. I can't believe how long it has been... or maybe that there was ever a time when she wasn't here. I just really wish we could send more to her birth mom. A video, a painting done by Meron, a lock of hair... I don't know. It seems weird to me that we can't talk to someone who is such an important part of our family. Meron knows who she is by her picture and can call her "amaye" (mommy). We talk about her frequently. The only two things she asked of us were to make sure that Meron stayed healthy and to make sure she didn't forget about her amaye. I wish I could let her know that we're doing our best to honor both of her requests, and a thousand little things about the incredibly interesting person Meron is becoming.