On July 5, 2009, Briana turned 2 years, 11 months old. She's one month shy of being 3 years old. I almost can't wrap my head around it. My baby became a toddler so quickly, and my toddler is now becoming a little girl. In the last several months, I can really see the change. She talks like a little girl. She walks like a little girl. She is becoming more independent. The diapers are gone. The baby gates are gone. Most of the baby toys are gone. Soon, the crib will be gone. She starts preschool in the fall. All of this growing is happening, but I'm not sure I am ready to let go of my baby girl.
I waited six years for her to arrive. I love watching her grow and at the same time, I wish it wasn't happening so fast. Over these last two years, I have soaked in every little thing Briana has done. Everything she has experienced. Everything she has learned. I've tried to capture as much of her as I could in pictures and video and in words on this blog. I did it because I knew that she wasn't going to stay a baby forever.
I want to remember everything.
Tonight, when Doug and I were doing our bedtime routine with Bri, she turned to us and said, "Mommy, rock me?" And I told her "Absolutely, I will rock you." And I did. I love that she still has a part of her that still wants to be my baby.
This is the baby I met in China...




This is my little girl now...

As Briana grows, she will start to have questions about her past. She will begin to realize her life story is very different than most of her peers. Right now, she is just enjoying life. Footloose and fancy free. She still doesn't understand yet how she came to be with us. When that time comes, I hope I can provide her with some answers, some comfort, some reassurance and lots of love. And I hope I can help her handle her realizations and grief. I want her to know that Doug and I will ALWAYS be her mommy and daddy. I am trying to prepare myself for what lies ahead.So, I will take each day one at a time. Enjoy every second I still have my little girl with me. And I will watch her each day blossom into a beautiful, young lady.
But deep down, a little piece of me will always miss the baby girl that I met and fell in love with in China.























































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