"So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!"

Another year another thanksgiving, Paul and I loaded up the car (with Ruby) and headed off to Ottawa to celebrate yet another holiday "sans child", and although we knew that this would probably be our LAST Childless thanksgiving we still wished that she was in the back seat making the drive with us...(Heck we wished we had a clue what she looked like). When we asked CAS if they could show us a picture of her they said they didn't have one but promised us she was beautiful. I mean GREAT SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!! BUT WHAT DOES OUR FUTURE DAUGHTER LOOK LIKE??? Until Friday at 4pm (after a long drive from Toronto) I decided to check my email and there it was shining like a beacon in my in-box "Sadie.jpeg" with a note attached that read "Here she is" signed CAS. My heart dropped...and then skipped a few beats. This was going to be a defining moment in our lives - we were about to see our daughter for the first time. I screamed for Paul who was outside enjoying a beer on the front porch with my dad and brother. He told me to wait a minute and I said "we have waited 10 months for this and I am not waiting one more second". He came into the office where I was sitting in anticipation in front of my open Hotmail account. I asked him if he was ready to see his new daughter? I clicked 'open' and there she was; the sweetest little girl I have every laid eyes on. I have to admit there was a moment of fear that she may have a third eye or a giant nose - but she was perfect. Smiling with the most sparkly eyes and gorgeous cheeks. So bloody cute she literally took our breath away. It was a surreal moment, staring at this picture of a baby - a baby that would forever be known as "Our Daughter".
As a new adoptive parent I often wondered if I would be able to love a strangers baby the same way I would love a baby born of my womb. I wondered if I would feel those same feelings a "natural mother" feels. But it doesn't matter if your "natural" or not, when you see your baby for the first time - whether in a delivery room or on a jpeg on your computer screen - the feeling of pride and joy is the same. We are about to become a forever family just like billions of others families in this world. A Mommy, a Daddy, a Puppy and our new beautiful baby girl. NOW I ASK YOU, WHAT COULD BE MORE NATURAL THEN THAT?