An 8-year-old girl knows just what she wants and how to get it.
Alessandra wants the man who’s been in her life since she was a baby to make it official and become her legal guardian.
The little girl devised a plan to win over her future dad-to-be. But Leonardo Avila, Alessandra’s stepdad since 2012, didn’t know what she was planning and got the surprise of his life on September 21, reports ABC News.
The girl’s mother Angela Avila told CBS 42:
“She was like I want Papi to adopt me and she was really firm so I said ok.”
With the help of her mom, she arranged for Leonardo to be taken to a ballgame at a local baseball field in Shelby County, Alabama. At the field, Alessandra had a touching adoption proposal waiting for her stepdad at home plate.
The little girl held a sign that read:
“Papi, you are my forever home. Will you adopt me?”
In addition, she brought along her adoption paperwork. Leonardo said:
“We’ve always had this kind of bond, we’re daddy and daughter but it’s best frien
ds always, I tell her she’s my best friend and she says you’re my best friend too.”
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Watch them tell their story in the video below:
Alessandra’s mother told the station:
“He’s been her dad since she was seven-and-a-half to eight months old, like he knew her then and when we moved to North Carolina he snapped into that daddy role.”
Leonardo said he was shocked and didn’t see the proposal coming. He said:
“I had no idea at the time as I was walking with the glove over my face — I didn’t know what to expect.”
The family made the adoption official on January 10 after Alessandra popped the big question.
Her mother said her stepfather has been a part of her life since she was about 7-months-old.
Leonardo has pretty much always been in the “daddy role.”
Watch the video below: