A Onesie

When my little Averie (my niece) was born, I remember being all worked up because I wasn't right there. That second. I needed something to do as I waited to fly down to see her. 

I worked on this onesie and liked the yellow/green with the purple stitches. When I did finally arrive at my sisters, I realized I had forgotten it and was bummed. I said oh I'll send it. Ha, famous last words right. Fast forward two years to today as I was shifting through fabric and found it tucked away. 

It's amazing how something so tiny and, to others may seem insignificant, is able to catapult you into deep thought and reflection. If you had told me two years ago that all this would be happening to us, to our family... I don't know what my reaction would have been. Disbelief? Anger at being taunted? Joy that it would 'only' be another 2 years? I'm not sure.

What I am taking away from this is how incredibly fast time goes. I'm sure parenthood will be like a lot of hard/fun/rewarding/hair pulling/awesome/struggles where the days go slow and the years fly by. Well these two years watching my Averie grow has gone by so very fast. I feel grateful for Brad helping us keep our priorities in check and allowing me to stay home and raise our children as long as that's possible. I actually like to work and will work if needed but my first place is in the home. I can't wait to cherish every minute with Amelia. I know the time will just fly by.

A lot of the students and people here in Iowa are always saying, but the midwest pays better! The residents make more money! You can get this extra or that perk. And they're right. But the thing is, we want to be near our families who are in Oregon. We want them to know Amelia and for her to grow up having that security in a family network that can be incredibly strong if nurtured. 

I guess I'm writing all this because I'm grateful Meri understands all this....that she agrees... and supports us moving to Oregon. Surprisingly a lot of people have been asking us that. Meri will also be traveling a lot in the next year or so and doesn't expect us to stay in one place while she moves around haha. I guess that's yet another great thing about open adoptions- we can see each other any time we want! We have family in the same state and even a nearby city where she is from so we will be using every opportunity possible to visit her in the future and she knows that. And thank goodness for Skype :)

Anyway I have been a tad reflective this morning about these upcoming months. I find myself getting more so as the time gets closer. I am loving these days as we prepare for our little one and as we get ready for our move back home to Oregon.