And just like that, with one little squeal our world was forever changed. Afterwards I lay, exhausted and emotional and a little bit in awe as Mr H slept and our new little bundle snuffled next to me. With her black hair and eyes dark pools of chocolate brown, she wasn't crumpled up one bit as newborns often are. Whilst most mothers say it, the nurses all agreed how stunning she was. We had a bit of trouble getting to know each other those first few days but we soon settled in and whilst we didn't realise it back then, she made it so easy for us.
She always loved her routine and in between sleeping she was a happy little lady, a smile at the ready and content to play. Back then it was just me and her and we lapped it up, going for walks and enjoying our time alone together. We had visitors and they all adored her completely. Pretty soon we flew the 10000 miles back home to the arms of our families and introduced our daughter to the UK life. Walks in the green countryside, lunches at our local garden centre and afternoons at the park all featured on our list, most of which were surrounded by friends.
Our little girl grew quickly and we soon learnt how fast she picked things up, from shapes to colours to counting and eventually writing, she blew everyone away. Whilst she revealed how much like mummy can be, with strong wills and a stubborn mind, she loves to joke around with daddy pulling silly faces and clowning around. She challenges us every day with that expanding kind of hers and often leaves us astounded - she still kicks our asses at pairs!
So here we are, breaths held, at the threshold of the next part of our journey with our little lady. She is ready, and so are we, and we're excited to watch her grow further. What will she love? What will she find more challenging? Who will her friends be? What kind of person will she become?
We've done the hard part - making sure she has the right foundations and strengths to help her on her way. But now is the time she steps and learns he way for herself, along with our continuing guidance. It's an exciting time, if not slightly emotional. But I cannot wait to see who that little girl who changed our lives fifty six months ago will become.
