In the mean time, we stare at the many faces of Noemi we have received from other families who have traveled to Addis to pick up their children. We have been blessed with many great photos of her to chronicle her growth. Thursday night Donovan and I received our first photo of a smiling Noemi. Up until that point all of the photos we had of her were of the same serene, content (albeit adorable) expression. But in this photo, she is giggling. Frankly, seeing this expression made me feel weak in the stomach—I had an immediate physical reaction. It was a true, instant and authentic connection to an image of her and I just wanted to reach into the photo and kiss her chubby little neck while she giggled. It made her come alive for me in a new way.
The next night I dreamt of Noemi for the first time. In the dream she giggled as I playfully chased her on the sidewalk in front of our house. She ran away from me with that silly toddler gait (can’t you picture in your minds’ eye that wide base, diaper butt wiggle??) while looking at me over her shoulder as she ran away laughing. I woke up happy, feeling like I am beginning to see my future with Noemi. And our future is looking bright. Very bright indeed.
My little mamma album that I don't leave home without--cute mugs of the girlie inside!
