Happy Mother's Day!

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day! I still can't believe I'm a MOM! Yes, I know I have this incredible, beautiful, loving, amazing daughter...yet I'm still stunned that I'm her mother! How lucky can one woman get?

This morning when we woke up Tony gave me two beautiful cards...one from him and one from Lily. In the card that Lily gave me Tony had stamped Lily's little hand prints on the inside of the card...too cute! Lily and Daddy also sent me a beautiful flower arrangement and gave me a gift certificate for a spa day! Do you think I can get a massage with a certain 10 month old glued to my hip??

Lily and I spent the day being very lazy because we were strictly forbidden from doing any work around the house! It was a beautiful day so we hung out on the patio and really enjoyed the beautiful day. Inside Tony was busy as a bee making a wonderful dinner. Everything was delicious and Tony's mother and sister joined us for dinner, too.

When we were waiting to meet Lily countless people said to us, "Just wait. Once you meet your daughter you'll forget all about the wait." Honestly, I wanted to strangle each and every one of these people. However, now I kind of understand what they meant. Have we forgotten the wait? No way!! Would we go through the wait again so we could meet our sweet Lily? ABSOLUTELY!!

Many people have a difficult time when they first meet their adopted children. Tony and I had been cautioned by our agency, friends that adopted before us, and countless books that we read about how difficult the transition to becoming a family can be. Some people have shared with us that when they first met their children they felt as if they were babysitting. You know, like their child was not really "theirs". With time, of course, this feeling subsides and a bond is formed. Thankfully for us there was an immediate connection between the 3 of us. From the first instant...we knew that Lily was our daughter...and we were her lucky parents.

Tomorrow it will be 4 weeks since we met our Lily. The past 4 weeks have been indescribable. Each day Lily opens up a little more and shows us even more of her sweet, loving, funny, rambunctious personality. We are so in love with this little one and so very, very happy!

This is also a really exciting Mother's Day for all of my October 2005 LID friends. As of May 1, 2007, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has referred babies to all families that were logged in through November 1, 2005. That means all my fellow October LIDers are either now recently home with their babies, in China right now to meet their little ones, or have pictures of their sweet little babies and are just waiting for approval to travel and bring them home in the next several weeks.

Not all that long ago when CCAA referred a group of babies they referred an entire LID month. In other words, all of October would have been referred together in one batch. With the incredible slow down that is now occurring it took CCAA 4 months to refer all of October. Some people received referrals in February, March, April, and May. I am so happy that all of us can now fully share in each other's joy without worrying about who will miss the cut off and have to wait another month!

On a more somber note, I really miss my mom this Mother's Day. Honestly, I've missed my mother every day since she died. However, today is one of those days where her death feels more recent...the pain from her loss more acute. This morning we went to the cemetery to place flowers on Mom's grave and it really hit me that Lily will not have the opportunity to meet her Mom Mom face to face. What a loss for both of them.

I'm also reminded today of Lily's First Mother and Foster Mother. Two woman who through incredible sacrifices made it possible for me to become Lily's mother. Lily's First Mother was faced with choices...and consequences for those choices...that I can't possibly fathom. Obviously she loved Lily and chose to place Lily in a location (at great risk to herself) that made it possible for Lily and I to find each other. For that I will be forever grateful.

Lily's Foster Mother knew that she would only be able to raise Lily for a short time. Yet her obvious love and caring for Lily is so apparent in the loving, happy child Tony and I have been blessed with. Again, I will be forever grateful.

I think the best way to honor these two special woman is to love Lily with my whole heart and cherish every minute I spend being her mother....that I can promise!