Sweet 16

Bereket lived in Ethiopia for 16 months before she joined our family. On Saturday, October 8, 2011 Bereket spent her first night with us in our home.

Today is February 8, 2013. That means Bereket has now lived in her new life in Minnesota for 16 months, exactly as long as she lived her first life in Ethiopia.

So, so much has happened in our time together, I really don't remember what life was like before Bereket.  But today I am struck with the fact that not only did we have a life before October, 2011, but she did too.

My very favorite purchase in Africa was a beautiful painting we found in a market in Addis.  It sits in on the mantel of our fireplace, the most prominent place in our home. The painting is of a small village in Ethiopia.

In my mind, this picture is Bereket's birth village.  Perhaps the Ethiopian woman and the child in the painting are going into this hut to see Baby Bereket just after she was born!

While Jason and I have done special things to celebrate Bereket's culture, we haven't talked a lot about Ethiopia with her yet. But one day soon, we'll move beyond conversations about milk, puppies, Elmo and the potty.  When that day comes, we'll talk about the Land of 13 Months of Sunshine.  We'll talk about Bereket's first 16 months of life. We'll talk about why she is such a special little girl and we will tell her how very much is she loved...on two different continents.

Happy Sweet Sixteen, my sweet child.