The Final Chapter

We finalized Elle's adoption on November 2, 2009. She is officially Elle Marie, our daughter, born in our hearts and forever with us.

It seems like yesterday we were driving all night to meet and see a little glimpse of who we hoped and prayed would be our daughter. That tiny baby girl stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on her and now I can’t imagine my life without her.

My heart still hurts for Elle's birth mom. Elle is an amazing little girl and there are no words I can express that would justify how thankful we are to her birth mom and how much we love her for the gift she gave our family. Elle's birth mom is truly a remarkable young lady and will always be a part of our family.

So, this is the end, the end of our journey to bring Elle home. The Final Chapter. The blog will continue but will focus more on the family rather than Elle. I plan on printing out the blog and saving it for Elle to read one day. It might take her a while, since there are 3+ years worth of writings. Poor girl is gonna learn all about Vietnam and Korea before being introduced to herself. A long journey... but TOTALLY WORTH THE WAIT!

The THANK YOU list is almost endless. A hugs THANKS to all my family, friends, and blogger buddies for your support and encouragement. My employer for creating an adoption benefit & being so flexible with my hours. Chris's employer for their adoption benefit, the amazing hospital staff in Georgia, the hotel & staff in Georgia, our attorney's in Georgia & Iowa, our agency, our social workers Roxanne and Robin, Katie who took care of our boys while we were gone, and all the unknown individuals who helped complete and sign what seemed like endless paperwork. It is becuase of you that we are holding our daughter.