To my Sweet Baby Girl

Dear Sophie,

Oh, my sweet Bug, do you have a clue in this world how very much we love you? Do you feel it when we greet you in the morning with "good morning beautiful!"? Do you know that we love you when we change you and dress you for the day and feed you breakfast? Do you have any idea what you are to us when we are playing and singing and laughing with you through the day? And when we put you to bed at night - do you know that the prayers that we say over you are because we know that the only One in the world who loves you more than we do is the One who brought you to us? Can you feel how much you are loved? I hope so, because there are not words to even begin to tell you what you mean to us.

One year ago today I got to be in the room when your mama Kim brought you into the world. She let me hold you first, and I got to help them clean off your tiny body and wrap you in your first blanket and watch you take your first breaths and your first cries. I held you in my arms, totally unable to see your sweet face through my tears, and told you how very much I loved you. And I could not imagine how much more I would love you a year later. Oh, Sophie, How could I have known?

And your mama Kim - Oh Baby Girl, how she loves you too. I want you to know, and never EVER doubt, her love. I can't imagine how hard it was to let you go. She did what she felt was best for you when she let us be your mommy and daddy - and I pray that we never let her down! She was the one who felt your first movements and carried you beneath her heart while you were being developed. She chose adoption for you, because she wanted more for you than she could have given. She chose us because she felt led by God that we were "the ones". She let me meet you before you were born. I went to doctor visits and heard your heartbeat and your hiccups and watched you on a computer screen and fell in love with you, long before that day a year ago. When you were placed in my arms, it was like meeting someone I already knew and loved. And Mama Kim, she was so happy to meet you to. She loves you so much. She sends me messages asking me to tell you so all the time. And I do. And I will. Because I do too, and I want you to know that the choices made, were for your benefit. We were only Blessed to be chosen to participate. Thank you Mama Kim. And Thank You Abba Father.

Sophie, watching you grow has been such a joy. You were such a sweet, peaceful baby. You needed us for everything and we happily obliged. And now, you are becoming your own little person. You are funny and love to make people smile and laugh. You are sweet, you love to cuddle and snuggle and hug. You are energetic - you went from bouncing in your exersaucer (and I do mean BOUNCING!!!!) to crawling at record speeds overnight. I have never seen a faster baby than you. You keep mommy and daddy on their toes, that's for sure. You love to dance - and you got rhythm baby! All along, if you are bouncing to a tune, you bounce on beat. And laughing and smiling the whole time! And you do a shoulder shimmy thing that is the cutest thing EVER!!! Even now I am watching you dance to a song on the TV - after a rough beginning, you finally LOVE Sesame Street (proving that God cares about even the smal things for this mommy!!!). And oh, my love, when you smile!!! When you were brand new I knew you would be a smiler, because even then, when you smile you smile with your entire body! Your face lights up, your body even smiles!!! And seeing that smile first thing in the morning makes my day!!!! You LOVE your daddy and your sister. You have a special smile and snuggle that is only for daddy. I love to watch the two of you together. And you think that Hattie is the best thing since sliced bread. All she has to do is look your way and you light up. Seeing you play together and love on each other is pure Heaven to me. You are the first person that she has ever really interacted with (except daddy and i) in a real way. I love that you are already one of her best friends. She needed you as much as we did, I think. You have so very much to teach, and learn from, each other. I can't wait to watch it happen!

Sophie, I want you to know, that being your mommy is one of the greatest joys I have ever, or will ever, know. You are more than I could ever have imagined in a daughter. I love getting to know you and loving on you and spending my days watching you grow. You are one of my truest joys and Blessings. I hope you know that. I hope that you FEEL that.

Oh, baby girl, I love you so!!!!!

Love you FOREVER,
Mommy

PS - here are your first moments as a one year old.


I love that you are such a morning person!!!