Remember this "Life With Ella" post I wrote when we had been home just 6 months?!?!?! Six months! Oh my goodness, that seems like yesterday and an eternity ago all at the same time. We’re approaching our first Family Day, and three weeks from then will mark the day that Ella first came home. I’ll be able to post a “Home for a Year” post! That is just incredible.

The three of us have been through so much since we all met in a little baby center in Bac Giang. The joys and frustrations of parenting and family life were new to all of us. Now that so much time has passed, we’ve all relaxed a bit as we’ve assumed our familial roles and gotten so comfortable with one another. The fact that we’re all completely smitten with each other helps, too!

It’s really amazing to sit back and realize that now she has been with us; a member of this family, longer than anywhere else, with anyone else since she was born. Ella turned eighteen months old this week, too, so it’s a month full of milestones. I’m looking forward to that official day when we’ll get to say that we’ve been together for one whole year, and I must say that we are all absolutely thriving. The wonder and joy of this little girl is still as fresh as the first day we met, and the attachment is even stronger-from all sides.

Next week will be the big day. It’ll be a day for celebration; more poignant and meaningful than any other holiday that I can think of. Before we left for Viet Nam, I read about a family who purchased gifts while in country to give their child every year until they reached adulthood. My husband and I loved this idea and did that for Ella. She’ll have a special, age appropriate trinket to open every Family Day that we chose for her while in Viet Nam, going through the process to bring her home. I'll be sure to capture the day and share the details with you :)

More Reading:
Daddy and Ella
The Everyday
Not a Baby Anymore

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