They say it's your birthday...

It's my birthday too :)  No, not really!

Today is Eli's Birthday (well, technically, it will be in one hour).  I feel....so many things.

 I am SO VERY excited to be celebrating this birthday, his first one since he joined our family, with him. 

I am SAD that we missed the last 5 birthdays.  I know they actually celebrated the kids birthday's in his orphanage, so i know he had a little celebration, just not with us.  We have pictures of him on his previous birthdays, and that is something awesome that i think most people don't get when they adopt an older child from an orphanage.

I wonder about his birth mother.  Is she thinking about him today, wondering how he is doing?  Is she remembering giving birth to him?  I wonder if there were happy feelings before they realized he had Down Syndrome.  I feel, sad that he was given up and left for 5 years in an orphanage, but at the same time, we wouldn't have him if that hadn't happened.  So, it's a mixture of feelings here :)

I hope, somehow, she knows he is loved, and wanted, and cherised.

We traveled around the world to bring this little guy home, safe and loved in our family, and he is worth every late night doing paperwork, fundraising, leaving the other children home, every doctor visit.  We would do it all over again for him.
 

I promise to love him every day for the rest of my life. 

I promise to do my absolute best to give him everything he needs, wants and desires.

 I promise to raise him the way we are raising our other children. 

I promise kiss his boo-boos, discipline him when needed, hug him daily and tickle him often.

Mostly, i promise to  keep this awe and joy i feel when i look at him, and realize he is ours, forever and always.

Happy Birthday baby boy, Mama loves you!

 



First Birthday

Second Birthday

Third Birthday



 

Fourth Birthday

 





We celebrated his 5th birthday without him