Dearest Liddy,
I find that the older I get, the faster time passes by. It seems to me that it was just yesterday, I was looking into your beautiful face for the very first time. It's incomprehensible that I have been blessed enough to stare at that same gorgeous face every day for 730 days.....
We've been through some rough times together, you and I. Some of those 730 days took every bit of the strength I could muster to make it through. But more often than not, our days are simply filled with hugs, and kisses, and smiles, and laughter. That is the greatest blessing that you have brought into my life....the ability to make me smile no matter how bad my day is, how tired I am, or how overwhelming life sometimes gets.
There have been other gifts you have given and lessons you have patiently taught over the last 2 years.
Love without reservation. Pray without ceasing. Dancing even when no one is watching. Persistence, grace, and God's infinite mercy. Determination. Patience. Faith in my own strength. There are so many more.....and I know that as you grow, you will continue to teach me with every passing day.
You greet each morning with a smile on your face....and a bubbly "hi". You dance in the car when the mood strikes you. You sing, loudly, without any thought or care for what others think. You laugh (a lot). You sometimes act crazy (which always makes ME laugh).
I'm mama to some pretty amazing kids but you are truly the most amazing of them all.
When we first heard the words Down syndrome, it broke my heart into a thousand pieces. Your birth, and being witness to your life, has knit those broken pieces back together.
I don't know why you chose me to be your mama. I don't know what I did to deserve it. But I am beyond grateful for every single day of the last two years....even the hard ones....
This year was full of changes for all of us. But it was also a year filled with less worry, less fear, and more thankfulness. This coming year is bringing even more changes. But I know that without a doubt, you will rise to the challenge, as you always do, with a beaming, beautiful smile on your face. You are going to be one amazing big sister! :)
I love you more than life, baby. Happy happy birthday!
XOXOXOXO,
Mommy
