One Year Ago...

Today is a very special day!  On this day last year, after many, many months of waiting, we finally got to meet the precious little girl who would become our daughter.  It felt like we were in slow motion as our bus pulled up in front of the orphanage.  I will never forget the first glimpse I had of her, as I realized that she recognized me too. (We had sent her a photo album of our family when we received her as a referral. Our agency doesn't let families do that until after passing court now.)

Our first glimpse of Lemlem (Aubree)

She loved the headbands and hair clips we brought to share with all the kids

We were soon sitting on the floor with her, and soaking up every second we had together.  I remember studying all her features. Sizing her up so I could start buying her clothes and shoes when we returned home.  I remember touching her beautiful curly hair for the first time, and feeling overwhelmed by whether or not I would be able to do it justice with my limited styling experience.

She sat on our laps, played with our camera, sunglasses, and anything else we would let her have. We had a photo album with us that was filled with pictures of her.  We brought it so we could show the other adoptive families who our daughter was, but Aubree loved seeing the pictures of herself in it.  She showed it to all her friends.

Showing off the photo album full of her pictures

Such a happy day!

I didn't want to let go

One of the best things we did that day was making a tracing of her hands and foot on a piece of paper.  My original thought was to trace her foot so that I would know what size shoes to buy for her.  Naturally, after we traced her foot, she wanted to trace her hands too.  That little piece of paper has become one of my most treasured keepsakes.  She grew so much, even in the time between our court and embassy trips.  I love seeing how small her hands and feet were on the day we met her.

Aubree has changed so much since that day.  The shy, scared little girl we met a year ago has blossomed into a confident, outgoing, and smart preschooler.  Here are some pictures of her over the past year...

First week home, and the first time I did her hair

I can't wait to see what the next year holds for her!