It’s the 1 year anniversary of Lainey Day! One year ago today, we were given a wonderful gift…one year ago, a child was born – not to this world – but to us…one year ago, a baby girl was taken from the only life she knew and given to two people she’d never seen before…one year ago, we began building a relationship with that baby girl that today has blossomed as beautifully as the flower she holds. We are more in awe of God’s gift everyday.Â
Let’s take a step back and see where this all started…
This picture was taken exactly one year ago today…it was our “Gotcha Day”, February 18, 2008. We’d just gotten back to our hotel room…I LOVE this picture, she looks like a porcelain doll, but there is also a sadness to it that breaks my heart. So much change to handle for such a little one.Â
Indulge me just a little, and take a look at the pictures we’ve taken on each 18th of the month since that day…
One month
Two months
Three months
Four months
Five months
Six months
Seven months
Eight months
Nine months
Ten months
Eleven months
Twelve months!
Here are the rest of the pics I took of her, on her special day…
After getting some ideas from other adoptive moms, and how they celebrate Forever Family days, we decided on these. We’ll give her a book each year, with an inscription from us AND we bought a beautiful journal for Randy and I to add to each year. Hopefully, it’ll be a wonderful keepsake for her to read as she gets older. We don’t “do cards” (have you seen the price of those things?), so this will be a place where we can record our thoughts and feelings on each anniversary.Â
We love you, Lainey Q…you were well worth the wait.Â
February 18th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Congratulations — what a wonderful anniversary to get to celebrate! Just think back two years, when we were both still so patiently (ha!) waiting. Or three years, when we hadn’t even submitted our application yet! Life goes by so fast, and you do such a fine job of celebrating the small moments & the big occasions.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Oh Donna
I can not believe it has been a year already. Where did the time go.
I love every single picture of her. She just keeps getting prettier by the day!
Happy Lainey Day
Peggy
February 18th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Happy Lainey Day!!!!! Such a special day! I have loved watching how Lainey has grown into your lives and into your hearts! She is a true treasure! :)
February 18th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Happy anniversary! Its amazing how much she has changed in this past year. I love the pictures Donna!
February 19th, 2009 at 12:47 am
What a great idea to celebrate your special day!
February 19th, 2009 at 1:46 am
If I can quit crying I am going to try to type this. Thank you for taking us on a “look back” over each month. Lainey seemed so scared and fragile at first, but she has blossomed into such a vital part of this family. The trip has been so exciting and thank you for letting me (us) share it with you all. I couldn’t love Lainey any greater had she been born to you and Randy on July 4, 2006 instead of your giving her “birth” on Feb. 18, 2008. Lainey is indeed my 11th grandchild.
The pictures are all beautiful, but especially those for today. Your pictures and your writing should be made into a book so more people can share this journey made possible by God.
I love you all…. Gram
February 19th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Indulge you? Thanks for indulging us! LOve looking at the pictures. That first picture tells such a story. Congrats on one amazing year!
You don’t do cards? That is SUCH a good idea!
February 19th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
You chose such a perfect color for Lainey to wear on her (and your) special day…she looks so beautiful in pink!! Love the pictures of her holding the flower…it melts your heart!
This just shows you how fast a year goes by!! What a night that was when your dad rode with Jon to the Jax airport while I was back at the house TRYING to keep 4 kids and myself awake! (Marley fell asleep first!) Then, one by one, the rest of my grandkids fell asleep, even Abbey. I paced the floors looking and LOOKING for car head lights to come around the corner…it seemed soooo long before I finally heard a car in the driveway! I woke Abbey up first and she and I woke the others up, and we were so excited we didn’t know what to do! The next thing we knew, you (Donna) came thru the front door and the look on your eyes showed me just how much you truly missed your kids all of those days away!! Then, we finally saw an adorable little girl with black hair wearing a pink outfit be taken out of her car seat…she was most definitely love at first sight!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ALL OF YOU…it’s been a wonderful year…and on to many more even better years!! Love ya, Granma
February 25th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Hope you had a very special time together! It’s hard to believe that the time has gone by so fast. Lainey looks great in that color. :) I love the idea of the journal and adding to it each year. While we have been Emma’s family to two years, we will celebrate her joining the whole family on the 10th of March. We just have too many things in Feb.
Anyway, happy 1 year home Lainey!