Thursday, September 17, 2009

Happy Birthday Eliza Inae!!

Yesterday, September 16th, we celebrated Eliza's 1st birthday. Since she has not even been home 2 weeks, it was a very small, informal celebration, but it was great.

I made bulgogi (korean bbq) and some other korean dishes. We had a small version of the tol table with rice cakes, orange candies, korean cookies and cupcakes. In Korean tradition, the child's first birthday is a very special celebration. The child is dressed in traditional korean clothing called a Hanbok, and during the birthday celebration, several items are placed in front of the child, each item being symbolic of the child's future. The first two items selected by the child are said to predict the kind of person the child will be as she grows up.The items are:

a book = the child will be a successful scholar
a spool of thread = the child will have a long life
a knife = the child will be a great cook
a jujube = the child will have many decendants
a ruler = the child will be good with his/her hands
money = the child will be wealthy

Eliza's beautiful Hanbok was given to her by her foster mother. It is quite big on her and should fit for several years. She was not too excited about having it on, so we just kept it on long enough for her to choose the jujube (many decendants) and the knife (great cook). Then we let her get comfortable again.

She enjoyed everyone singing happy birthday to her and she REALLY enjoyed her cupcake. At one point I had to lift her head up out of the cupcake, because she was so burried in it I was afraid she couldn't breathe.

We are so amazed each and every day by this precious gift God has granted us. We fall more in love with her every minute. She continues to show us more and more of her dazzling personality, which is so encouraging, because that means she is getting more comfortable with us. She is leaning in and giving her daddy kisses, and today, she looked me straight in they eyes and called me mama, then gave me a big hug. Blessed is the only word to describe how we are, completely and totally blessed.





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