Continuing the story of our journey to Cj ...

In addition to debating the sex of our second child, we also had some thinking to do on birth country. Ethiopia looked good to us, being close geographically and with children looking much like the kids here in Seychelles. We looked into Madagascar, and contacted friends in Ghana, Morocco, South Africa and Mauritius and had them check out the situation in those countries.

In the end, however, we went back to Cambodia, partially because we knew the system and trusted the people we would be working with, but more because we love the country. We also decided that our kids, being at the time the only internationally adopted children in Seychelles, would benefit from a shared background.

Once the choice was made, we plowed ahead with our second adoption process, and since we're now getting into the part of Cj's story that is really hers, I'll leave it for her to tell or not tell someday in the future.

(I will divulge, though, that we found out on referral that the day we finally agreed on a girl's name was the day she was born. I'd noted our hard-won concurrence in my journal and eventually made the connection. That felt so perfect.)

Cut to the chase, and we mark one year this month since the first time we held her, kissed her, smelled her and cuddled her. We've had one full year of this darling little girl adding her charm, warmth, smiles, humor and hugs to our already happy, but incredibly now even happier, family.

When we think back about our debate about adding another child we wonder what could ever have been an objection. What joys we would have missed!

Of all of us, it's Sam who would have missed the most. Being a big brother is a role the comes so naturally to him, one that he revels in every moment of every day ... even when his baby sister is "dwiving me cwazy". She's his most enthusiastic audience, his biggest fan, most ardent student, greatest play pal and best friend. He is her hero, her personal comedian, teacher, protector and taker-awayer-of-toys-that-might-break-and-other-nasties.

As I've been writing on my International Adoption blog, relationships with sibs can teach us valuable life lessons.

I'm so very, very happy Sam and Cj have each other, and so very grateful we have them both. How lucky can one family get?