Mia~one year later

Mia has been home with us for one year now and oh what a difference a year makes! She is a completely different child! A year ago she was a "baby" who was fragile, scared, and in desperate need of medical attention. When she was first handed to me she took my breathe away not because she was beautiful but because truthfully her appearance scared me. She was thin, malnourished, and bald. None of the pictures of those first few days truly captured how scared I was. In every picture I was hiding my fears behind my smiles. My fear continued to grow as Mia experienced "tet spells" due to her heart condition after breakfast almost every morning. By the second or third spell I was able to tell the signs that she was about to experience one and I would quickly put her knees to her chest and hold her while I walked up and down the hall trying to console her until she passed out in my arms. A blue coloring washed over her face, hands, and feet. I was scared and anxious to get home where medical attention was waiting for us. Sadly, because of my fears and all consuming desire to get home I wasn't able to enjoy China the way I wish I would have. Here are a few pictures from our first few days together.

Fast forward to a year later. The year certainly has not been easy and it has been full of numerous adjustments for all of us but it has been one of the most blessed and life changing years of my life! Mia is everything we could have hoped and prayed for in daughter! The little girl who was once so fragile is now healthy and full of life! She has overcome so many challenges both medically and in her development and it has been inspirational and a joy to watch her grow and blossom! It warms my heart to watch her play and hear her exclaim "I'm happy!" One year ago an empty place in my heart was filled when Mia was placed in my arms. I am forever blessed to call her my daughter! What an incredible gift she is!