Today is (one of) our special family celebration days. It’s the anniversary of the day our daughters came home (the day before Abbi’s 7th birthday). It was 8th October 2003. 16 years since our family of 2, doubled over night. These pictures are from the couple of weeks leading up to that day, as we spent time with them whilst they were still living with their amazing foster carers, Julia and Mick. This was time spent learning about their routines, likes and dislikes. This period was called “introductions” and was such a precious time of preparing to be a “forever family”. Obviously we are all missing Abbi even more today as we celebrate our family together without her here with us. Because this anniversary always fell on the day before her birthday, it didn’t usually get much recognition whilst we were busy getting ready for and spending our cash on celebrating Abbi’s various birthdays in a variety of ways. But Abbi always asked and wanted to do something, so there was usually a special dinner at home and maybe some candles. Today we’re marking this special event with Becky Higg releasing the song on Spotify, which she wrote about us getting to know our girls and remembering some of what was special about the precious girl we’re missing today. It’s called “Like the Tide” and was a surprise bonus track on the single “Abbi’s Song”, which was released on her birthday last year. The beginning of the track has Becky singing “Love is like a magic penny…..”. This was the song Debbie and Abbi sang to us, in Julia and Mick’s garden, on the very first day we met them. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was glad because I wore sunglasses to cover that I was so emotional, my eyes kept leaking uncontrollably with happy tears.
Link to “Like the Tide” by Becky Higg