One year at home!

Dee has been home for one year! It's pretty amazing. In some ways, it seems like it has gone fast. In other ways, it has been long just based on the number of things that have happened.

I remember rushing from work telling everyone my water broke. I had to get home to meet Dee and her foster family who were going to spend the night. Of course, Dee had been living with me half-weeks for a couple of months, but she was coming with no respite in between. We had a great time. Our neighborhood resembled a sitcom. People were running in and out of my house -- something that doesn't usually happen.

I'm glad her foster mother made the sacrifice to actually drive the 3 hours so Dee wouldn't feel pulled. She seems to hold it against the foster mom, but that was a big sacrifice she made for me.

Everyone who knows Dee agree that she has made HUGE improvements in a year. We don't have broken things flying in the house anymore. She feels "at home" and I could tell when that started to happen. She and I are finally spending time away from each other in small increments.

Since I'm nearly 50, I've had to adjust my view. I know I have a daughter, and I love her. But I forget all of the time that I don't fit in the single with no children category. You'd think having this child in the house would be my reminder...but no!

While going through the adoption process, I had to keep saying that I was the only who chose to adopt. But I don't know what I would do without my friends from adoption.com, church, my neighborhood and work! It takes so many people to keep me sane and to raise this child.

We are not celebrating this day today. We acknowledged it, and that's it. I can't wait to see what kind of positive impact it will have once it passes.

Next year this time, I will have had my child longer than the amount of time I spent trying to get her. Cool!

I'm very happy to have my little Dee!