Out of the Everywhere...Into the Here

October 4, 2007, my mom and I flew to Guatemala and were shocked when Brayden showed up two hours early, six pounds heavier, many inches taller, much more active and into everything! All of the waiting culminated in a moment--one when I was really his mommy and he was really my son. I won't say I doubted that Brayden would become ours; it just felt so surreal to show pictures of him, calling him "my baby." I sometimes felt like a little girl playing Mommy.

October 4, 2009 has been a normal day in our lives. We went to church and spent time with family. We played with trains and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. We put him to bed, and only now do I have time to remember. I held up his newborn outfit. I looked back at pictures of our little one (whose hair had never been touched by scissors, whose face dripped with sweat, whose fingers helped new teeth come through).

We love you, Brayden, and we are looking forward to October 19th,
our second celebration of your arrival home.