Happy Birthday Abbi

Our little Abbi is 7 years old today and I seriously can't believe it. Her birth mom, Teressa, texted me today and said, "7 years ago today we were both freaking out with anticipation." And I texted her back saying, "And we both thought 'she' was a 'he.'" That's right, Abbi was going to be Cooper Jace Swenson right up until the day after she was born. When Teressa went into the hospital to have Abbi, our caseworker called us and told us the news. He then called back later saying that she had gone into have a c-section and he didn't have anymore information. We knew she was at the Provo hospital, so we took some flowers over, but had to promise that we would leave them at the front desk and not go any further. That KILLED me. Knowing my baby was in that hospital and not sneaking up to see him. The next morning I was at work (I went to work only because I knew if I sat home, I would go crazy) and my caseworker called and said he had a little surprise for me. He said, "Your baby boy is a baby girl!" I sat there stunned. I was so unprepared for a baby girl. I called Jeff and told him the news and we both cried with joy. I immediately left work and went shopping for baby girl clothes. I was so excited to hear that the baby was here and okay. We were told by our caseworker that Teressa and Ashton wanted us to come to the hospital the next day. When I walked into that hospital room, I was overwhelmed with complete joy. Abbi was so little and perfect. She had a full head of hair and she was wearing a blue onesie. We got to hold her and take pictures with her. It truly was one of the best days of my entire life. Teressa and Ashton placed her with us on July 19th, 2001.

So, in honor of Abbi on her 7th birthday I am going to list 7 things I LOVE about her.

1. She is SO unbelievably sweet.

2. She is such a great big sister. Honestly she helps out so much with Hallie and she loves her little sister so much.

3. She is such a Smarty McSmarty Pants. This kid amazes me with what she knows.

4. She comes up with AWESOME pet names. "Lisa" was the name she named my parents boy duck. "Sharon" was the name she wanted to name our black lab, also a boy. And the latest is "Black Mystery," the name she named my parents cat.
5. She is one of the most creative people I've ever met.

6. Her smile and laugh are extremely contagious. When she smiles, I can't help but smile. If she laughs, I can't help but laugh. She is so happy all of the time.

7. Abbi is so incredibly thoughtful. She is extremely aware of when someone needs something whether it be a hug or whatever. I swear she has a sixth sense about these kinds of things.