I love...

... my life as a mother. For 6 years now I have been dreaming of this time. It has been the hardest, yet most rewarding month of my life. Aria is 1 month old today. She has influenced so many people in her short life already. And, so many people have been involved in the trek to where we are now. More people than I know Drew or I know of. So many people have prayed for us, written letters of recommendations for the agency, fasted for us, lended a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to vent to. So many people have said a kind word of encouragement when it was so needed. So many people stopped what they were doing just to see how we were doing. So many people doing more than we'll ever know. I can't help but feel like she isn't just ours - a piece of her belongs to everyone who has cared about her. We are just the ones lucky enough to raise her and see her every day. I wanted to share pics of her and tell about some of the things I just LOVE:

I love this face! She is so cute!

I love that she has such a sweet demeanor that she smiles so much in her sleep, and looks so peaceful!

I love that some of my friends were so quick to take pics of her! I will cherish these forever!

I love our caseworker Loni! She kept us sane and always had good advice and took care of things so well.

I love my friends! (have I mentioned that already?) They dropped what they were doing to help me with Jeff & Camille's quilt! They stayed up late and saved me from a breakdown.

I love my Mom. She's always been my best friend and someone I just love being around. She has taken so much time out of her busy life to spend with me to help me be a better mom. A few times she has saved me from tears too. I hope Aria and I have the same relationship that I am lucky enough to have with my mom.

I love Drew's Mom. I hate calling her "mother-in-law" because she is so much more to me than just "in-law" She too has spent a lot of time teaching me to be a better mom. She takes time out of her busy schedule and has also saved me from tears a few times.

I love all the cute things people have given us! Clothes, diapers, necessities, etc. It's made this so much easier!

I love her sweet little hands. She likes her arms crossed over her chest a lot. She is always moving her fingers around an holding onto things. She often frustrates herself by grabbing onto her pacifier and pulling it out before she was done with it. :)

I love her cute little feet and legs! She is always wiggling them and kicking!

I love the cute little looks she gives things. In this pic I think she is concerned about the bear-lion...

I love Aria's birth parents! Such a hard decision they had to make. I will forever be indebted to them for the happiness they have brought to our family. Aria will always know of the love they have for her.

I love when she falls asleep during tummy time. Something about being face-down on the blanket is so cute! Maybe because I don't get to see it often since she sleeps on her back (or in her bouncy chair because of acid reflux).

I even love this crying face! With the acid reflux we have seen a lot of this. My mom brought over an exercise ball for Drew and I to sit on and hold her and bounce. This has made us see less of this crying face. Her lungs must be very well developed, because she has been exercising them! She is doing better now though.

I love seeing Drew as a Dad. I picked this picture because of the burp cloth on his shoulder, and because of how tired his eyes look.

I lover Aria's eyes. They are my favorite feature of her's. She is awake a lot an those eyes are always so bright and looking around. She loves to look to look you right in the eyes when you are talking to her. Looking in those eyes makes me feel like there is so much knowledge in there already. I feel like she knows me.

I love the relationship Drew and Aria already have. He just loves holding her, and she always responds to his voice.

I love her quirkly little body movements like this stretching. She makes so many funny faces and squeaks!

I love holding her.

I love how sweet she looks. And how well she sports headbands. :)

Again, I love those eyes!

I love how much she smiles! She smiles a lot when she is first waking up, falling asleep, and when she is eating. I keep trying to catch more on camera, but the noise of the camera makes her stop. I usually get atleast one smile a day! I love it!

I love the way she smells right after a bath. She, however, does not love a bath.

Did I mention I love seeing her and Drew together? I love having my happy Drew back.

I love Aria. I love everything about her. I love every feature of that cute little face. I love the bond I feel to her. I just love her!