Nov 11
2
My Youngest is Ten!
Today, my little girl turns ten. I’ve only had five years with her and feel like I have been cheated in many ways. When she came to us she was scared, violent and very sad to have left the foster home she had believed would be her forever home. We have come a long way from those long drives for visits that were supposed to take 3 hours but often turned into 5 because of her tantrums.
Today, she is our little Willamina Rose Petal–Keeper of the Forest–hatching butterflies in her room and begging me to read to her from Little House on the Prairie. She has become a young lady in many ways but is also very much a little girl–making videos of her doll house and setting up corrals full of plastic horses. She asks the best questions–especially about science–and wants to work with animals one day.
Like I said in the beginning, I feel cheated to not have been there for her from the first. She asked me today if I knew the exact minute she was born and I had to tell her no. I hate that. Ezra’s birthday having been just two weeks ago, she has heard me recite what it was like the day he was born and she wants a story like that. I tell her everything I know and try to make it special but still…
So, in addition to being a little bummed that my YOUNGEST is ten–ARG!! I also have that niggling knowledge in the back of my mind that I missed out on some of the most fun parts of her life. I think her birthday will always be a little bitter sweet because of that.
Having said all that, I must say, my little girl is someone to be proud of. She is sensitive and kind, intrigued with the world around her. She has a great sense of humor and every day I can see her character growing and maturing. I’m so proud of who she is becoming!
I love you Willamina Rose Petal! Happy Birthday!
