Allena, the baby of the family, turned 12 yesterday. I thank God every day for putting her in my life. I remember my neighbor telling me when she was about 2 that she wasn’t a baby, does that mean she’s still not a baby at 12? Who knows?

Allena and I have a special relationship. We’re best buddies. We do very little without each other. We’ve shared a room for almost the whole 11 years we’ve been together. We love our cuddle time and she holds my hand everywhere we go. I know that won’t last forever so I cherish every moment.

Our journey together didn’t start out smoothly, it hit some major obstacles along the way that almost made it never happen. Allena went right from the hospital where she was born into a foster home. Her foster mother wanted to keep her and went to great lengths to sabotage my adoption of her, including calling the lawyer saying that I called her to tell her I didn’t want Allena, which obviously never happened. There was never a phone call at all much less one like she described. It was a long process and a heart wrenching one, but worth every tear shed and every sleepless night.

I was nervous about having a baby. I’m not a baby person and my original intent was to adopt children over the age of 5. So a 12 month old was stretching my comfort zone. It didn’t even take 24 hour to quench those fears; she was so loving and cuddly and the happiest little baby. She never went through the tough transition period for which I was prepared, especially for her being nonverbal. Everything went so smoothly from the minute she came home. It was meant to be.

Some of the things I love most about Allena are her creativity and her active imagination. She’s a dreamer. Give her 2 dolls or 2 stuffed animals and she can keep herself busy for hours at a time. She’s a night owl, just like her mama. Although she gets a little anxiety trying new things, she’s adventurous and puts herself out there through the fear whether it’s snorkeling or going on a new roller coaster. Allena is an animal lover and adores Midnight. He helps to tame her anxiety and comforts her. Somehow only weighing in at 60 pounds, Allena is a sugar addict. The girl could live on sweets.

So as she experiences 12 years old and grows from the adorable little girl she was into the beautiful young lady she’s becoming, my heart and my love for her grow as well. Happy birthday peanut butter!

*pic- probably not a baby anymore, Allena in line for a rollercoaster at Busch Gardens on her birthday