SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

On Sunday we went for a day out with the G's - to celebrate a trio of birthdays - K was 32, R 30 and E 4!

We met mid morning and walked into Bath. Met up with more of the G's family and got on a boat for a trip up-stream. Alice ate lunch picnic style (until her sandwiches ended up in the river!) and spotted cows from the boat! We got off the boat at a local pub and had an excellent lunch.

It was a super day - great fun, lots of new experiences and giggles for Alice, relaxing and lovely company as well as a good meal - fabulous! But it was also surreal for me - reflecting on the last 12 months.

The same family celebrations last year were at Gloucester Docks. Read about it here. Another meal, a different boat trip, another lovely day but such a difference in 12 months. Last year I was still waiting, so uncertain, so tired of waiting, so worried - and yet on the other side of the world a baby was going to become my daughter, by then some people probably had made our match and put us together to become a family, but I was still stressed and uninformed - what changes were to come, I was on the brink of a wonderful roller-coaster of life changing, life enhancing, incredible, emotional events and the trip of a lifetime around the other side of the world, WOW.

Sunday - remembering the uncertainty's associated with last year's celebrations and the whirl-wind that was about to happen, holding my baby and marvelling at the last 12 months. Unbelievable - the changes over that year, the wonderful changes, the miracle that is Alice, the joy of motherhood, an incredible trip to China.

Days like Sunday make me step back and consider what's happened - the pain and uncertainty of the process - would I do it again? In a heartbeat, she's brought so much to my life and I believe that she's in a better situation too - what an incredible and wonderful process. I'm still in awe of what has happened to us both and I feel so privileged.