one year

Little A's birthday is fast approaching. I know that every mother/father says this, but I really can't believe it's been a year already. She is becoming more and more of a toddler each day.

In the past few days I've been really thinking about where I was last year at this time and what I was doing. On the afternoon that little A was born, Mr. P and I went to a then-new restaurant nearby for an afternoon snack before heading to the grocery store. At the moment that little A was born we were probably walking home from our shopping trip. When she was two days old, I went to my last photography class and then went with a friend to that same restaurant for pizza and a glass of wine. Little A was one week old when we first knew of her existence.

I'm thinking about K as well, and how she was feeling exactly a year ago. I am wondering how she felt as she went to the hospital. I am wondering, as ever, how she is doing now, what she is feeling and thinking.

We have a party planned for little A's first birthday. Of course she won't know it as different than any other day, but my family is really rallying around this happy anniversary, and I'm happy that we'll be able to share the day with them. I've ordered her some gifts from this place and I'm happy with those.

Also coming up, of course, is the anniversary of little A's placement with us (we still don't have an "adoption day" since we haven't finalized the adoption yet). I am stumped with how to celebrate the placement day. I want to start a tradition - something that we'll do a version of each year. But I can't really think of what that should be. I've thought about maybe something that celebrates each of our cultures - Ecuadorian, Chilean, American - maybe a meal? I have also thought about a trip to a local zoo that we visited on the day that we decided to start the adoption process.

If people are still reading, how do you celebrate the day that your child was placed with you?