My, my! I cannot believe you've already been with us for a whole month, sweet girl. Your story is one worth telling, and I'm already praying over the day you begin to tell it yourself. It begins with fear, continues with faith, and abounds with hope. So many people (literally THOUSANDS) are the reason that you're here with us, snuggled safely in our arms, and I'd be a foolish mama if I hid that from you. You didn't grow in my belly, but you're my daughter. The weight behind that truth is astounding, but it's one I proudly bear. You've been grafted into our family by adoption, and you'll always be ours. Always.
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You've shown so much strength this past month, little one. From an unexpected nine-day stay in the NICU to learning to do so many things so young, you've inspired us in so many ways! Your lungs may have been a little under-developed when you were first born, but now they work perfectly -- we know that because you have no issue crying. Honestly, you don't cry all that much -- only when you're hungry, getting sleepy, or having your diaper changed. Otherwise, you are such a happy little thing! You looooooove to sleep, especially during the day (we're working on that), and you eat about every three hours. You're slowly gaining weight, and we're fully engulfed in the world of bottles. The cool part about feeding you is that you're being fully fed by breastmilk from about fifteen different mamas right now -- seriously SO COOL! We've been blown away by those who have selflessly donated their hard-earned milk so that you can eat liquid gold, but more than that we are THANKFUL. So very thankful! I tried to induce lactation for you, but sadly I wasn't able to keep up with the demand of trying to help you take a bottle (a hard-fought battle that sometimes took an hour), pump for thirty minutes, take care of your big (wild) brother, and somehow maintain our home. I am proud that you had the milk the small amount of milk I was producing while you were in the hospital, and I'll never forget the short time you nursed. It was so hard for me to give up this dream, but one thing I'm learning after so many things haven't gone the way I've prayed they would is that there is freedom in being flexible. Instead of being fed by me only, you're being fed by more than a dozen other mamas who have come to our rescue. What a testimony! In just the two weeks we've been collecting milk, we've already filled up an entire deep freezer of milk for you -- AMAZING!
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You've had two visits with your first mama since we left the hospital, and they've been so sweet. I can't wait to tell you all about her, and I really love that our open adoption will give you the blessing of getting to know her yourself. I know you'll have lots of questions one day, and I pray that this truth will always be at the forefront of your mind: you are so loved by her. She's an incredible woman who is worth more than she knows or believes, and I know that because I've seen in firsthand. We are so grateful to have a piece of her with us always because of you.
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And not that anyone is surprised, but you already have your daddy and big brother WRAPPED. Girlfriend, they are so in love with you! Braxton gives you hundreds of kisses every day, sings to you when you cry, and loves to sit beside you and hold your hand. And your daddy always steals you from me as soon as he gets home. Like I said -- WRAPPED!
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Being a stay-at-home-mom of two the past month has been the most difficult, most beautiful time of my life, baby girl. You have blessed us more than we ever thought you would, and you just simply make us happy. So happy! One of my friends said it so perfectly -- the bags under my eyes really are a badge of honor. I'm so proud to be your mommy! I look forward to watching you grow, try new things, reach new milestones, and more. And I really hope you never, ever stop wanting to be snuggled into my chest. Mmmm, it's the sweetest.
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