Hello friends. I am sorry that I haven't been able to post much lately (or since we have been home). Bella doesn't go to bed until we do, so I have very little free time. I am not complaining; I can't think of a better way to be busy.As you can see from the pictures, Arabella likes to cheese for the camera. She is very photogenic. She did very well for the lady who took her Christmas pictures. It was hard to pick our favorites because there were so many good ones to choose from.
Since the last post, Bella has celebrated her first Thanksgiving with both sides of our family. Everyone loved her and kept making over her; she was definitely the star of the show. She has been walking for a little while, but has done so independently now for about the past 4 weeks. She loves to play with her daddy when he gets home from work in the evenings and on Friday's (Daddy Day). She now has a FAVORITE book that we have to read over and over and over...... We can "read" it without looking now. She loves her baths, she loves to eat, she loves to dance and sing.
The only thing she doesn't love is sleeping in her bed and/or in her room. So for now, she is in between hubby and me. She loves to snuggle. She rubs my face and holds my hand when she is going to sleep; I will actually miss all that when she does sleep in her own bed. We are redoing her room now with a toddler bed since it was more than obvious that she absolutely hated her crib and was never going to sleep in it.
Since Thanksgiving, I have spent a lot of time reflecting over the past year. I have so many reasons to be thankful that it is hard to put it all into words. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the day we found out about Bella. We were told there was a 4 month old baby girl that we could adopt. Wednesday is Happy Referral Day. That is the day a year ago that we first saw Bella's pictures and read all about her. The past year has been a roller coaster, but I would do it all over again a thousand times to have Bella in my life. She brings such joy to our lives; I can't remember what my life was like before her and don't know what I would do without her now. I love being a mom and so thankful God saw fit for us to be Bella's parents.
I don't take for granted how easy our adoption process was compared to others whose road has been much bumpier and longer than ours (although when you are going through it feels like eternity). We were told when we started that the process to bring Arabella home would likely take 8 - 10 months or longer. My heart's longing and specific prayer was to have Bella home by her first birthday. I asked everyone I knew to pray for that (to be home before her birthday) and to pray for no previos from PGN. People who didn't even understand what PGN was and the process prayed for that specifically and diligently. After 15 years of marriage and 10 years of "waiting" for a baby, the Lord answered our prayers specifically. I am unworthy to be loved so much by my Heavenly Father; thank you dear Jesus for having perfect timing and a perfect answer to our prayers. Please keep praying, there are still a lot of babies in Guatemala that aren't home with their forever families yet.
Christmas will be more fun than ever this year. I love this time of year, but it will be extra special to see how Bella's face lights up on Christmas morning. Having Bella home with us this year at Christmas is the perfect gift. I don't need anything else.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families. I am thankful for all your encouragement and prayers over the past year. I hope that you can feel Christ's love for you and celebrate His birth with us at this time of year!
Love and blessings,
The Boster family
