Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so by the title of this post you might think I'm a huge fan of this holiday. Truth be told, I'm not. While I think it's nice in theory that you make a special effort to show those around you that you love them, in practice shouldn't we be doing this EVERY day? Do we need Hallmark to tell us when, and how, to show others we care? Sorry... getting off my soapbox now.

Valentine's Day will always hold a special day in my heart because this is the day that I boarded a plane in the United States for the last time as a "single woman." My mom and I left for St. Petersburg on February 14 of 2010 to go over one last time, finally pick up RP, and process all the paperwork to bring her home... finally. This signified the true light at the end of the tunnel - then ending of one journey, and the start of another. I still remember how nervous and excited I was to finally become "Mommy" to my little RP, and I packed and repacked that suitcase about 40 times in the 11 days I had between trips 2 and 3.

RP enjoyed Valentine's Day (or should we say "Valentine's Weekend?") immensely. Her godparents, along with Nana and Papa, brought her candy and presents, while Mommy was a bit more practical in providing presents (no candy - she's sugared up enough on the M&M's she's hoarding from potty training!), and she loved making Valentine's for everyone under the sun (including the puppies - yep, it was cute. Really cute...). We traveled to Wisconsin yesterday for her cousin's piano recital, and today we went to dinner with some close friends of ours, so our Valentine celebration lasted over the last few days.

As we approach our one year anniversaries - tomorrow, February 24, and February 27 - I am reminded how quickly time passes. It hardly seems possible that this is our first Valentine's Day together and that only a year ago I was making that final trek to Russia to finally bring my baby home. It hardly seems possible that a year ago I wasn't truly a "Mom" anywhere except on some paperwork in the Russian court system. It hardly seems possible that I have been blessed enough to become a Mom. Just goes to show you that anything truly is possible.

"Mommy! Look what I got from Nana and Papa!"

Mommy's sweet little Valentine!