Oh my heart! I celebrate when all my kiddos have a birthday, but Britt turning two was extra special. {We had a super low-key celebration yesterday. We’ll throw a big party next year when she gets it. I’ll share pictures with you tomorrow.} Every other birthday a Slaughter has celebrated, I’ve taken the fact that I’m there for granted. This birthday there wasn’t a minute of that happening. I was so very thankful to be there celebrating as her mama.
Like the majority of international adoptions, we don’t have a birth certificate and know her exact birth date, but November 12th is the date the orphanage estimated as her day. It’s the day we’ll party and celebrate her every single year.
I think I mentioned that after we got Britt every single one of us had “Grinch” moments. We experienced our hearts growing bigger. It really felt like mine grew three sizes that day.
Prior to getting my hands on her, I didn’t understand the feelings I would have toward her birth mom. But just thinking about her this week brings me to tears. I’m so thankful for the life she gave. Oh, how I hope and pray she has a peace that passes all understanding this week when it comes to Britt. She is safe. She is happy. And she is oh, so loved. I pray she can feel that.
This sweet baby has come out of her shell in big ways. She is starting to jabber a lot, but in the mean time she’s managed to get all five of us to do exactly what she wants with just a couple sounds! {Can you say spoiled?-ha!} #wrappedaroundherlittlefinger
This past week she’s started singing and she’ll close her eyes and sing. It’s just random sounds but they are the sweetest little sounds.
Tomorrow we’ve had our girl six months. I’m still in awe at how far we’ve come in a mere one hundred-eightyish days.
This verse comes to mind, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” Ephesians 3:20 MSG
If I’d imagined how everything would look six months from the day we got her, I couldn’t have even imagined this. Britt has gone from a quiet, majorly introverted girl to a fun-loving kid with personality!
You guys I had no idea how much the love of a family could change a child. Six months ago, I saw tons of therapies, doctor’s appointments, and more in our future. In 2018, we’ll be down to just speech therapy once a week and random check-ups. {With more surgeries in our future for cleft related things later.}
She can still be shy in larger crowds, but around the house she is loud, crazy, and constantly has us all laughing.
Just like adding any child to your family, I had moments of-WHAT ARE WE DOING-prior to getting her. We could have missed this, but I’m so very glad we didn’t.
I’ll never begin to describe how blessed we are to have this girl in our family.
So we celebrate her sweet life, the six months we’ve had with her, and the future of birthdays we’ll get to celebrate in the future!
A little update…
*She’s eating anything and everything. She can’t drink from a regular sippy cup yet. We’re working on this. {If you’re a cleft mama with ideas on how to get her to suck, please comment!} The cups she uses I’ve cut so she basically just tips it up and it comes right out.
*She’s sleeping all night long. {HALLELUJAH!}
*Lots more jabbering is happening this month. Along with that pretend singing {which happens to be the cutest thing ever}.
*She’s figured all the names out so if you ask where Bowen is, she instantly looks for him or points at him.
*Thanks to speech therapy, she’s attempting sounds. For instance, she can’t say, “please”, but she’ll say, “p, p, p” and we get the idea.
I wish you could all meet her. I promise you, she’d steal your heart.
This past week in therapy, the therapist came out and recapped their session like she does every week. She told me they worked on color matching. I wish I could have seen my face when she said that…SAY WHAT?! Color matching? hahaha! She’s a little sponge soaking it all up!
We’re looking forward to celebrating many more firsts with this sweet girl…first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first New Year, and more.
We’re so very thankful God chose her for us and us for her.
Happy Birthday, Britt Bradford Slaughter! We love you more than you’ll ever know sweet girl. XO
A laid back birthday FULL OF CELEBRATION pics are coming tomorrow!
