The Sweetest 'Hi'!

We all say "Hi.".  And we all have people say "Hi." to us.  But I get to hear the sweetest "Hi!" every single morning now.  For the past few days, when I do my every morning routine of walking into Lilah's room, turning on the light, picking out an outfit and getting it situated on the changing table, that sweet little girl does the sweetest thing ever.  She starts waking up, then as soon as she sees me, she smiles so big and says, "Hi!"!  I love it!  She is the cutest little thing ever!
She will be a year old in one month and eleven days.  Yikes!  I'm not ready to start planning a first birthday party again!  Brian's mom suggested that we just have a little pool party for her at their house....but is it possible to have a pool party for a 1 year old? Will she really enjoy that or will she be scared of the pool?  Will the pool even be warm enough for her at the end of April?  That's just the beginning of trying to figure out how to make a 1 year old feel special on her first really big special day!

Brian and I went to court yesterday for Jr.  We decided to agree with everything IF (and that's a big if) Jr's mother can pass a drug test.  If not, Jr is to come live with us. Naturally, when we told the lawyer that we wanted Jr's mother drug tested, she snapped back and said she wanted Brian drug tested, so when we left court, we got Brian's drug test done.  Then it was on to do some fun stuff.  We picked up Lilah from daycare, then went shopping!  Brian got his new iPhone.  Then it was my turn....of course, we went to Hobby Lobby.  I got paint to make the boys Texans Name Blocks, and I got a ton of stuff to make Lilah things.  Brian and I (yes, he helped!) made her a night light last night.  Then I started making her personalized vases for some pretty fake flowers (of course they are pink!).  I got tired, so I'll be working on that when I get home today!  I love doing stuff like that for the kids.  I want them to know they are special...and I feel that a really good way of doing that is to MAKE them stuff from the heart.
I'm constantly showing my kid off.  I'm probably that annoying mom that won't shut up about her kids...but I don't care.  I love talking about them.  I love being around them.  I love seeing them smile.  I love seeing them sleep.  I love seeing them play.  I just love seeing them happy.  That's what I strive for--to have happy, well rounded, well behaved, polite, God-loving kids.  I think they are pretty amazing so far.  I was showing a guy at my work some pictures of the stuff I made for Lilah, and he made a comment that struck me.  He knows my background as far as being adopted at the age of 16 and all the things I went through before I was adopted.  He said he is happy that I have such a great bond with my children after all the things I went through.  As in, I grew up not knowing how to truly love because I was not truly loved.  I was just there.  I was a responsibility, and my 'sperm donors' did only what they had to do to get by.  People seem pretty amazed that I am so responsible when it comes to my kids and my work and family.  I tell them the same thing everytime--at some point in my life (I'm not sure when), I realized I had a choice to make.  I could CHOOSE to be the way my 'sperm donors' were to me, or I could CHOOSE to make a better life for myself and for my children.  To be the complete opposite of them. To treat my kids the way I wish I would have been treated.  To love my kids uncoditionally, no matter the circumstance.  To be willing to give up life as I knew it to live the life they need me to live. And I choose to give my children and those people around me the very best of me.  I'm not perfect.  I'm probably not the best mother in the world, but I am the best I know how to be.  And I'm not the best person in the world, but I'm the best person I know how to be.
I didn't intend to get on a soap box....it just really made me happy to hear someone say something like that to me!

Since I started following Kellie's blog and reading about what happened to her daughter and what she is going through, I have started making it a part of my morning to take pictures of Lilah everyday before she goes to school (daycare).  Here are a few pictures from this morning:

And here are some pictures of the night light Brian and I made Lilah:

Daddy's side

Mommy's side

Side View 1

Side View 2

Top View

I'm in love with this thing!  I can't wait to make some more for friends!

Lunchtime is calling.  Have a great day!

Acts 20:35    In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"