First Birthday and Last Post

Natalie turned one year old today! We celebrated with a korean-inspired meal of beef bulgogi, rice, and broccoli. Natalie loved it. When she saw me giving Andrew rice, she started making excited noises and waving her arms so I wouldn't forget to give her rice too. It was very cute. Natalie had her first taste of cake last Friday when we celebrated with family. She liked moving the frosting and cake around on her tray, but wasn't too interested in eating it. I'm not too worried - she's my daughter so I'm convinced that she is destined to love chocolate.



We are quite amazed that she has been home for three months already and by how much she has changed in that time. We are also very aware that we have only had her with us for one-third of her life. And while we are so very grateful for each day that we have had with her, we are also sad that we missed so much. We also find ourselves thinking about Natalie's birth parents on this special day. They gave us an amazing gift and we are so thankful for that. But our gain was their loss, so we hope they know that Natalie is loved so very much and is a very special, amazing little girl.

When we started this blog, we titled it "our journey to Natalie" to document the steps from learning about our daughter, to waiting for our daughter, to meeting her and getting to know her. When we started, I didn't know when we would end the blog, but it seems that we are no longer on a journey to Natalie, but instead with Natalie. I have loved having this outlet to share with all of you and to bring you along on this journey. Thank you for joining us and supporting us through every step, and most of all, for welcoming Natalie home. We are still amazed that she is ours and so very grateful too.