Our daughter turned two last week. We didn’t know her when she was born in the autumn of 2019 and it wasn’t until four months later when we learnt that she would in all likelihood become our daughter. My wife and I thought we’d go through life childless but then the idea of adoption crossed our minds.

Adopting a child in Japan was a straightforward process and one that I’ve written about here.

One day I’d like to write a thoroughly in-depth post about it but I’ll save that for another time. Besides, I honestly don’t know what I’d write about – once the wheels were set in motion we simply followed the process and now she’s part of our family. She is our family. As a result, our currently snotty-nosed bundle of joy is fast asleep downstairs with her mother as I write.

Life feels more complete, more fulfilling than ever before.

So happy birthday dear life-changing-best-thing-ever. Thanks for becoming part of our world. And thank you to her other family that so selflessly gave her up to brighten our lives.

If you’re in Japan and are interested in adopting a child, do it. It’s the best thing we’ve ever done.

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