The Cake has Arrived!

One would think the president was coming for dinner tomorrow the way my mind has been whirling lately! Brats and burgers on the grill or bacon-wrapped filet mignon?  Field greens and berries or hot onion dip and pita chips?  This afternoon I was still seeking that perfect inspiration as I wandered the grocery store isles...

Yes, tomorrow we celebrate our precious daughter turning two with her first real birthday party! It will be a small affair with family and godparents, but  I know Jason and I both want every detail to be just right! We want to show our daughter that a lot of love and care was put into her special day, because she is so special to us. (Although I must admit if Bereket got any say in the party, we would be having Cheezits and banana slices for appetizers and graham crackers and strawberry yogurt for the main course!)

So on that note, small heart attack this morning when the bakery called just a few hours before we were to pick up the most important part of the party: the Angelina Ballerina birthday cake! The cake designer just couldn't get the frosting art to look like Angelina. Was there another design they could do instead?  My heart sank. Bereket just loves that little dancing mouse on PBS! Having an Angelina theme was the only part of the party Jason and I had no trouble deciding on..Jason even helped to pick out all the coordinating pink princess paper products! "Can you just try your best?" I asked the designer. A very hesitant baker agreed...and I think she did an amazing job!

 

We love you, Bereket!  You will always be our princess and we can't wait for all the adventures a new year with you will bring! How we can't wait to watch you blow out your two little candles tomorrow!

So Much More than Shoes

It never fails in our family, when it is time for church, we are always running 5 minutes behind. Such was the case this morning. I was at my parents' house trying to shove on Bereket's little pink "baby doll" shoes so we could get out the door. The first shoe just would not go on...and Bereket looked at me with those pleading eyes that simply said, "Mommy, I know you love these little shoes so very much, but the last time I squeezed into them..was the last time."   I said, "O.K. Baby" and reached into her safari travel bag for another pair.

But I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. Those little pink and white shoes were the first shoes I had bought for Bereket. An emergency purchase at the consignment shop just a few days before we made the flight to Ethiopia to bring her home. I remember how darling she looked in them when she wore them with her pretty sundress to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa.  I remember on our long trip home, how after 17 hours in the airplane, we put those little shoes on her and she took off like a bullet through the halls of Dulles Airport. It was her first big space to run and she giggled like crazy seeing the things her body could do for the very first time! How I loved the little "clip, clop" of those shoes through the airport terminals.  Now, those precious shoes will be put in a storage bin for some other little girl to wear. Will she or her mother know that these special shoes have been half way around the world and back...that these shoes were worn by a little girl starting a brand new life in such a different place?

Bereket waiting in our room in Addis Ababa for our Embassy Appointment. We had been a family for just a few hours.

Now, this isn't the first time I have been emotional over a tiny pair of shoes. Another precious pair went to the storage bin a few months ago. These shoes were bought long before we had even heard the name, "Bereket."  These were Terefech's little cloth shoes. So adorable and covered with flowers, I fell in love with them at the Carter's Outlet store on our first shopping spree for our first child. Every time I think of those sweet little shoes, I sadly think of the little baby we never got to hold. But I am thankful that sweet Bereket was able to wear them if only for a month or so.  After writing this, I am going down to the storage bin and pulling those little shoes out.  They will be staying in the family... a reminder of the girl I love so much and the one I hope to meet in heaven one day.        

The Tale of the Toddler Bed

When we were preparing to become parents, Jason and I read several chapters of the "must read" adoption books...but in the end, we decided to simply follow Bereket's lead from day to day. She would let us know what she needed.   And what she made very clear she didn't need was her crib.  It terrorized her to be in a room alone behind those wooden bars. So we listened to her cries, and our first big purchase as parents was a king-sized bed (which Jason had been lobbying for for years!).  Bereket got the reassurance she needed that the Mommy and Daddy she so desperately wanted were not going to disappear and leave her in the middle of the night, and we got some awesome cuddle bonding time that I will never regret.

But six months into her new life, Baby knows we're not going any where...and it is time....to introduce the Toddler Bed!  Jason modified her crib last Saturday and it was amazing how simply lowering the bed to her level and taking away some of  the bars made it into a fun, inviting place to be. She jumped right in with no encouragement and began to play with the pillows and stuffed animals she once threw across the room in despair. 

Holding up Mr. Monkey

Interesting Pillow

B's room after night #1!

Night #1 she made it three hours in there sleeping by herself. We are so proud of Bereket! Our little toddler in her own little bed!











One week into the this new adventure / experience, We've had three successful half-nights in the toddler bed and we couldn't be more pleased with how she's doing! And I must admit, we still love finding her with us in the morning! 

I am always the first one up, and it is so hard not to stay and cuddle with these two!