Twenty-Nine And Three

I've celebrated my birthdays in several different places, doing several different things, and actually during several different months of the year.

When I was young, my Mum never wanted people to forget my birthday or to "blend" it in with the Christmas festivities. I had birthday parties when I was young during almost every single month of the year. I was looking at pictures the other day of a birthday party that must have taken place in the summer, as we were all out in the yard in our pretty little sundresses playing Red Rover. Very sweet.

I've celebrated my birthday in Hong Kong, only a day before we flew to Thailand and felt the shake of the headline making, life changing, South Asian, Tsunami.

I've spent one birthday engaged, six married, two pregnant, four as a mother, and every single one of them, I been surrounded by my family. There's nothing I would change about "my" day. I wouldn't even change the fact that it falls two days before Christmas. Selfishly, I have never had to share it with anything or anyone else.

This year, however, is special. This year I am sharing it. I'm sharing with another landmark of a day...this 23rd of December marks the 3rd month our dossier has been in Ethiopia.

And, to celebrate this "occasion" only a couple days ago we received this.

This document will stay with us until we send it to Nairobi, Kenya to apply for our daughter's Canadian citizenship and new birth certificate.

We will send it only once we know her name. We will send it when we have a picture of her face. We will send it when we know as much as is humanly possible to know about her. We will send it with the knowledge that this will be the last step we will legally have to take before picking her up and bringing her home with us.

Forever.

What a perfect day to share.