Here comes goodbye

One year ago today, we were shopping at IKEA and putting the finishing touches on our Little Lady's bedroom. We didn't know then what was in store for us. 

Who would sleep in this bed? 

Who would flip through the pages of my books?

Who would giggle and laugh with her friends as they played with the Barbies and baby dolls in each drawer? 

Who would stare at the ceiling and feel comfort and loss simultaneously? Comfort because they'd quickly learn that they are safe in this room, and sorrow for the loss of their own material possessions and their family. 

Over the course of the year, these questions were answered. Our Little Lady's invisible fingerprints are all that remain of 176 days she spent making memories in this room. 

Fingerprints and glitter, I suppose.

Our morning started with ALL four of us in bed finishing watching The Parent Trap. 

Walking to CiCi's for LL's goodbye party.

I looked over at one point and she was doing Aubrey's makeup!

Can you see the blue and green friendship bracelets Aubrey got her? So sweet!

Looking through her gifts from Aunt C!

Goodbye kisses. 

After CiCi's, we walked to Bahama Bucks with her BFF. 

Best friend goodbyes are the hardest. 

More goodbye hugs back at the house. 

Something Bry wanted to do for her was take her to Toys R Us to let her pick anything out that cost less than $50. She decided to get a pair of roller skates. 

I love how playful he is with her. 

A spontaneous night out with the Merritt's! 

They are so sweet together. 

We stayed so busy today that I hadn't really had time to process everything that was happening. When we got home, I cried for a while on the couch. Bry was sneaky and took a few pics. She let me hold her for about 8 seconds and then she was up, laughing and clapping. She's really avoiding showing any hint of sadness right now, which is making this even more difficult for us. 

Here she is, pulling away from me. Literally and figuratively. 

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I finally got around to editing some of the pics from one of our (many) visits to Testa. 

Could there be a more fitting picture to explain her personality? This is so her. Climbing a tree in a dress and heels. 

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About Us: 

We began our foster journey in mid-August 2013. We finished our classes in October, had our home study in early January, and we were licensed on February 7, 2014. After seven calls from CPS, we received our first placement, a 7-year-old girl (our Little Lady, or LL for short) on April 3, 2014. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our journey through the craziness that is foster care. Most importantly, thanks for your prayers, love, and support. We hope to encourage fellow foster/adoptive parents as we document our ups and downs each day. 

Key Posts:

We are Facebook-Official!

Saying goodbye to someone I've never met

Will you get a white one?

Yup, it's gonna hurt.

Day 1 with our Little Lady

Oasis (post from Brian)

What we tried to build

Why I don't usually write (post from Brian)

Another night in the closet

LL...if you just stumbled upon this blog and you're freaking out because you see pictures of yourself, please START HERE.