20 years ago, a beautiful baby was born. She had the biggest eyes that seemed to take in your soul when she looked at you. When I sang to her, she would turn her head and look at me like she'd heard that voice before. For the few days I was with her in the hospital, she rarely cried, and sweetly tolerated my attempts to feed her, change her diaper, and dress her in new outfits. She had this tiny stork bite on her forhead that would darken if she was feeling upset. And even as I held her that last day in the hospital, crying tears all over her, she was calm, peacefully looking up at me as if to say..."I'm going to be okay; I know you love me; it's alright to let me go."
My precious birthdaughter, Addison, turned 20 this week. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. I've only known her for about 6 and 1/2 years, but during that short time she has grown and flourished into this beautiful young woman. In honor of her birthday, I'm going to list:
20 THINGS I ADORE ABOUT ADDISON
1. Her sense of style. This is one of the first things I noticed about Addi as I studied the picture I received of her prior to ever meeting. She knows what she likes, cares little about fads, and knows how to put it all together. Care to help me out there sistah?
2. Her gorgeous smile. Even when she had braces, it was big and beautiful.
3. Her heart for God. Wow, this one is huge. She loves God so much, and still clings to Him even in the most trying times. I love that she is honest about her struggles in faith, but never lets go of God's hand. Keep pressing on girl.
4. Her fingers. :-) I love her long slender fingers and soft hands. She did not get these things from me; I long for them. Her nails are naturally beautiful.
5. Her loyalty to her family. She loves them so deeply and will stand with them through anything. It's a tight bond that I hope my children will have with me when they are 20.
6. Her love for all things Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Yes, she loves Jane Austen as much (well, almost as much) as I do. She even named one of her cars Mr. Darcy. Yes, that's true devotion.
7. Her determination to complete college. People, I never even made it to my junior year! I'm so proud that she strives to make good grades, and even when it's been tough at school, she's hanging tough.
8. Her honesty. She's not afraid to look you in the eye and tell you what she thinks. Sometimes in a loving way, sometimes just straight up. This is a new character strength in Addi's life - it's been amazing to watch it grow from her heart.
9. Her love of swishy skirts. She's a romantic. She wants to live in Paris and open a coffee shop. She just bought a classic bicycle that's begging for a basket on the front and a bell on the handle. She loves chick flicks. And of course, Mr. Darcy.
10. Her strength. I don't know many 19/almost 20 year olds who would remain awake during a heart procedure. She faced fear dead on, and clung to God. That was incredible.
11. Her heart for the lost. Addi has a deep burden for those who don't know Jesus. She has members of her family and her birth family that are lost, and it breaks her heart. She is boldly developing relationships with some of them, praying and hoping to share Jesus' love with them.
12. Her relationship with her brother. They are so tight. She constantly looks out for him, encourages him, teases him, but KNOWS him. Even though he's much younger than her, their relationship is so sweet.
13. Her writing. Addi can express her heart so beautifully when she writes. Sometimes witty or silly, sometimes quite deep and moving. I love it all.
14. Her love for my mom. There's a connection there that I can't quite explain or understand. They see each other rarely, and talk just a bit more. But they love each other and it blesses me.
15. Her hair - it's HOT! :-) Seriously, it's thick with a slight natural curl to it. So stinking gorgeous and so NOT me!
16. Her love of all things Hilary Duff. HA! Not really, but she was so sweet to me as a young teen, to tolerate my desire to know all things Hilary. I figured Addi was a good excuse to go see every stinking movie she ever made. heh heh. So maybe this one should really be about how sweet you were to me during those silly days of duff. :-)
17. Her comfort items. Once, on her blog, Addi posted a picture of the things that really got her through the day; the things she couldn't live without. They were her iPod, cellphone, journal, Beth Moore bible study and her Bible. That says so much about her heart.
18. Her purity. She is commited to remaining morally pure until her wedding day. To Addi, that means not even kissing. That is incredible and so honorable. You go girl.
19. Her hip hop ways. Ah yeah. She keeps me in the know of everything ghetto. She knows the talk, the walk, and all the signs to go with it. Word.
20. Her openness to me. I am, undoubtedly, a very blessed birthmom. I know of no other birthmom who has such a sweet relationship with her birthchild. And it's because of Addi. She has come to me with open arms and an open heart - sharing a tender friendship with me that I hold so dear.
Addison, I love you so much. I pray this next year of life for you is filled with huge moments with God, adventure, good health, and good times. You are precious, and such a gift. I adore you!
Love,
Eliz
2. Her gorgeous smile. Even when she had braces, it was big and beautiful.
3. Her heart for God. Wow, this one is huge. She loves God so much, and still clings to Him even in the most trying times. I love that she is honest about her struggles in faith, but never lets go of God's hand. Keep pressing on girl.
4. Her fingers. :-) I love her long slender fingers and soft hands. She did not get these things from me; I long for them. Her nails are naturally beautiful.
5. Her loyalty to her family. She loves them so deeply and will stand with them through anything. It's a tight bond that I hope my children will have with me when they are 20.
6. Her love for all things Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Yes, she loves Jane Austen as much (well, almost as much) as I do. She even named one of her cars Mr. Darcy. Yes, that's true devotion.
7. Her determination to complete college. People, I never even made it to my junior year! I'm so proud that she strives to make good grades, and even when it's been tough at school, she's hanging tough.
8. Her honesty. She's not afraid to look you in the eye and tell you what she thinks. Sometimes in a loving way, sometimes just straight up. This is a new character strength in Addi's life - it's been amazing to watch it grow from her heart.
9. Her love of swishy skirts. She's a romantic. She wants to live in Paris and open a coffee shop. She just bought a classic bicycle that's begging for a basket on the front and a bell on the handle. She loves chick flicks. And of course, Mr. Darcy.
10. Her strength. I don't know many 19/almost 20 year olds who would remain awake during a heart procedure. She faced fear dead on, and clung to God. That was incredible.
11. Her heart for the lost. Addi has a deep burden for those who don't know Jesus. She has members of her family and her birth family that are lost, and it breaks her heart. She is boldly developing relationships with some of them, praying and hoping to share Jesus' love with them.
12. Her relationship with her brother. They are so tight. She constantly looks out for him, encourages him, teases him, but KNOWS him. Even though he's much younger than her, their relationship is so sweet.
13. Her writing. Addi can express her heart so beautifully when she writes. Sometimes witty or silly, sometimes quite deep and moving. I love it all.
14. Her love for my mom. There's a connection there that I can't quite explain or understand. They see each other rarely, and talk just a bit more. But they love each other and it blesses me.
15. Her hair - it's HOT! :-) Seriously, it's thick with a slight natural curl to it. So stinking gorgeous and so NOT me!
16. Her love of all things Hilary Duff. HA! Not really, but she was so sweet to me as a young teen, to tolerate my desire to know all things Hilary. I figured Addi was a good excuse to go see every stinking movie she ever made. heh heh. So maybe this one should really be about how sweet you were to me during those silly days of duff. :-)
17. Her comfort items. Once, on her blog, Addi posted a picture of the things that really got her through the day; the things she couldn't live without. They were her iPod, cellphone, journal, Beth Moore bible study and her Bible. That says so much about her heart.
18. Her purity. She is commited to remaining morally pure until her wedding day. To Addi, that means not even kissing. That is incredible and so honorable. You go girl.
19. Her hip hop ways. Ah yeah. She keeps me in the know of everything ghetto. She knows the talk, the walk, and all the signs to go with it. Word.
20. Her openness to me. I am, undoubtedly, a very blessed birthmom. I know of no other birthmom who has such a sweet relationship with her birthchild. And it's because of Addi. She has come to me with open arms and an open heart - sharing a tender friendship with me that I hold so dear.
Addison, I love you so much. I pray this next year of life for you is filled with huge moments with God, adventure, good health, and good times. You are precious, and such a gift. I adore you!
Love,
Eliz
8 comments:
Obviously, you are BOTH very special people. I've told you before, I'll tell you again... you amaze me. You are one of the most loving people I know, and Addi is blessed to have you in her life too!
That is just precious. God did protect her and it was ok. She must have great parents. I am so thankful for your sweet and loving spirit. So glad the two of you have a relationship.
Amazing how the 2 of you turned out so much alike! She obviously was raised in a wonderful family. What a true testament to God's faithfulness- even though you had to wait 15+ years to finally see it. You both have such a neat story!
This is such a sweet tribute to your birthdaughter. She is so blessed to have you in her life again. I loved hearing your first memories with her in the hopital, they are precious.
thank you........
That's awesome. You are both so blessed by your relationship and it's so evident that God intended to bring great things out of your lives. I loved reading that.
p.s. I meant to tell you on the phone earlier that I printed this out and put it in my journal to my future husband. :)
Hey, just wanted to alert you that it's now October ... a new post would be a great idea.
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