Travel Call...Life One Year Later

It was one year ago today that we received our travel call from our agency telling us Ava was ready to come home to her forever family! What great thoughts, feelings and memories it brings back. The feeling of finally getting to meet our daughter we had been waiting for, booking airfare, packing, the kindness of our friends, support of families, then actually boarding the plane and arriving in Seoul, sightseeing over the weekend, and finally meeting Ava!! One year later we are as happy as we were that day, maybe even more so...if that is possible. One year later and Ava is such a beautiful, smart, kind, generous, fun, happy toddler. She just turned 22 months old. On her way to being a big two year old. My, my how time does fly. It was only yesterday, well, one year ago, that I held her tiny body in my arms and we stared eye to eye, starting our mother daughter bond. Now I hold in her in my arms and her body is so much bigger, (she has grown 6 inches this past year),she weighs a ton more and she is losing her baby like features and growing into this beautiful toddler/child like person. I watch her sleep so peacefully and all grown-up in her day bed. She can get out of bed herself and run into our bedroom in the mornings. Her cute smiling face is such a pleasure to wake up to!!! She is communicating her desires, she is able to express her feelings and has quite a demanding personality when she wants something. I wouldn't say she is in the terrible twos like everyone talks about. She is defiantly growing up but not in a "terrible" way at all. It is awesome to watch her grow and learn so much. I still can't believe it is coming up on a year that we have all been together. It has been such a wonderful time, but gone by so fast. If anything, I wish for time to slow down so it could stop, and we cherish these moments forever...my sister always says she wants to bottle her up. I know what she means. I must kiss Ava's cheeks a million times a day, squeeze her and hug her a few hundred times a day and always tell her I love her!

Thinking back on this time actually makes me think about how much we don't think of Ava as being adopted, but just about being our daughter. After awhile the "adopted" part starts to disappear and she is just our daughter as if we had her biologically. I don't mean to say we don't think adoption is not part of our family equation just not the focus any more. It is strangers on the street who bring it up more than we do, asking the obvious questions. I think about this because we are attending Korean Heritage Camp in Winter Park next week and we will be surrounded by nothing but forever families. Even at this sort of event it is not just about adoption but about families, togetherness, love, and heritage. I am proud my daughter was born in South Korea, I want her to be too.

In the beginning, when we first got home and were out and about some people said "oh, she is so lucky"...like we "saved" her or something. I must say, it is the exact opposite... Adam and I are the lucky ones who were "saved"...if there was any saving that needed done to anyone by anyone...

So to report...one year later from travel call all is well. June 11 is our Forever Family Day! Stay tuned as the blogs will be more and more this month as there is a lot to rejoice and remember!!!