a first anniversary

It was a year ago yesterday that we got a random email from a girl I used to work with. I totally loved her - for the minute or so we worked together. She reminded me of Meg Ryan in her glory days. Perky, and bright and someone you want to be around. I'm not even sure how she got my email address but I'm glad she did! I remember reading, with shock, that she had a niece who was pregnant and wanted to place the baby for adoption. Since she knew we'd been through it, did I have any advice for her niece? Uh, yeah! Give that baby to us! We had literally just met with an adoption agency a week before and didn't really like them but we were starting the process. How weird is this?! Fate, anyone? So I tried to be helpful and let her know we were interested without being too, well, too greedy.

Sure enough that weekend I spoke with Bella's grandmother over the phone and she was amazing and had lovely things to say about her granddaughter and how bright and responsible and incredible she was. Before you knew it we had a first "date" scheduled. We met at Starbucks at the Gateway on February 8th. I had just flown back in from running the Surf City half marathon in California with Natalie and I was a little tired, a little sore, and completely nervous about meeting Bella and her mom. What would they be like? What if they thought we were dorks or obnoxious or something? What do you wear? What do you say? What do you order? (come on, you know a coffee order says a lot about you!) How do you even know if it's them? Do you just walk up to someone who looks pregnant and hope you're not about to make a horribly awkward mistake? It's literally like smashing a first date, job interview, meeting the parents for the first time all into one and then ratcheting up the pressure just a little bit more.

Well, the meeting ended up being wonderful. Bella and her mom were just darling and it almost immediately felt like we'd known them forever. We showed them the books we make for Tagg's birth family and talking about...I don't even remember what. I just hope I was making actual sentences that made sense. I remember walking away from that Starbucks, holding Scott's hand, with this overwhelming sense of...right. It's like a warm feeling that fills your heart, that teeters between the most hopeful hope and a twinge of fear that this amazingness you want so badly won't materialize.

fast-forward one year...

Today we went to meet Bella and her mom for lunch to kind of celebrate the one-year anniversary of our first meeting. They hadn't seen Sloane in almost 3 months and after a little rocky start where she burst into tears when we first walked into the restaurant, she was really good, as was Tagg. Sloane chewed on Sierra's necklace, ate a whole piece of corn bread and showed off her new teeth.

It was a beautiful day considering it's January in Utah, so we walked down to the Starbucks where we first met and had a coffee and took some photos to commemorate the event. Amazing to think that just a year ago, we were so full of hope and nerves and today it was like seeing family. We have this joyous, lovely little girl to adore every day and this special relationship. Pretty special.


Tagg made the most of the trip...in the water fountain. In January. In his clothes. He had a BALL! I guess I can no longer mock those parents who pack up a cooler and sit and watch their kids play in the fountain at the mall in the summer. After we said our good-byes, we headed straight down to Baby Gap and bought him some new, DRY clothes, all the way down to his shoes and socks. I'll bet that place makes a fortune off of water fountain-suckers like us.

The water damage is done. Tagg's new threads...cute and on sale!