Happy Birthday, little one

Well, our baby girl turns 1 today. While we feel very fortunate to legally be her mommy and daddy and to have met her, it is a little sad that we're not with her today. We do plan to celebrate with her once we get her home and she'll never know the difference (especially since they won't celebrate this day at all in Ethiopia), but it sure would have been nice to just have her home by her first birthday. We've missed so many milestones already, so it's a little tough to miss this big one.

Our solution to overcoming the sadness has been a 3 day trip to Chicago! We have ridden a train, visited the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Children's Museum, the Field Museum, Medieval Times, there's been some swimming in the hotel pool (and maybe a little shopping) and today, we're having lunch with my aunt and uncle, I'm going to the mall and the boys get to go to Legoland. Talk about avoidance!

I haven't decided whether or not we'll figure out a way to mark this day or if we'll just let it pass and celebrate with Kayla once she's home. I suppose I'll just go with my mood when the moment hits. For now, Happy Birthday, little one. You are very present on our minds and in our hearts today (and every day). We hope to see you again soon!