Marking time

Hi everyone,

Well, it's strange to be marking time like this, but instead of marking the months, or each new "waitaversary", we're now marking time according to Brooklyn.  Our little baby is already 2 weeks old!!  Wow.  Two weeks and a day to be exact.  How'd this happen?  She's filling out, growing like a weed, developing a double chin and some awesome cheeks.  She's such a joy, though she doesn't do much yet of course.  Just being in her presense is a joy, though.  A true blessing.  Stefani stopped in today for our first "post placement" visit, of which we'll have 4 before we can finalize the adoption this coming summer.  She was barely in the door and there were tears already... she actually was the first to tear up, rather than me this time.  I think she was overwhelmed to be coming to do a post placement visit rather than a home study or home study update.  She gets such joy out of helping families come together that to see it actually happen, and happen so well, is emotional for her.  Of course, I see someone in tears and I just have to join in.  She looked around and said how amazing it was to see our house with baby stuff... a glider, a swing, bottles,  and a baby in our arms.  It's a bit surreal at times for us, too.  Though it feels so normal and so natural to me, we're both hit with it sometimes... that "Oh, MY GOD!  We're parents, and this is our daughter!"  It absolutely blows us away at times, takes our breath away.  Just looking at her can create such strong emotion.  We're finding that we're a really, really great team, though we did know this already.  We're just confirming that despite what's going on, we're a team.  We're able to read each other so well that we know if the other is getting frazzled or stressed, and we don't have to express it at all.  We just know.  And we're right there to jump in.  It's been a very equal partnership, this parenting thing, and it's another reason for me to celebrate and feel like I've got the greatest thing going.  I can't say it enough... I feel so blessed.  Brooklyn is just perfect.  She's a sweetheart... very easy going, though she does have what every other baby has... a fussy period in the evenings that can rattle our cages.  But, again, we're doing a great job of tag teaming and supporting each other.  We just have to remind ourselves that we're not doing something wrong, that we're meeting all of her needs, that we're not bad parents because our baby is crying.  Thankfully, these fussy periods are short lived.  Intense, but short.  She makes up for it by sleeping like a champ.  She's going 4 hours over night between feedings and has been doing that for maybe 4 days now.  Sweet!!  By a month old, she'll be sleeping through the night.  Right, moms out there?  Right?!
We find ourselves thinking about M. a lot.  Is she ok?  Is she sad?  Is she thinking of us and Brooklyn?  I have spoken to her twice, and she seems ok.  Of course, she's good at putting on a brave face.  She's the strongest woman I've met in a long time.  But I still find myself worrying.  We'll hopefully keep the communication going for Brooklyn's sake and see her from time to time. 
In the meantime, we continue to work on bonding with our beautiful little girl, loving and appreciating all of you who continue to support us.  Thank you.