With my fourth Mother's Day just a pleasant memory, I cannot go without proclaiming my thankfulness for the precious gift I have in my daughter.
While I am always thankful for the opportunity to be able to adopt her as our own, I must give special thanks to her Birthmother. Without her and her selflessness, Alina Jayne would not be our daughter today. As I celebrate each Mother’s day, my joy is always tempered with the bittersweet truth that along with my happiness, is a sorrow for her Birthmother's tremendous loss. As I look at my daughter, I wonder if her Birthmother misses her. Does Alina Jayne look like her? Does she have her personality? Does she get her love of the outdoors from her? Does her Birthmother wonder the same thing about the baby girl she could not keep? Does she regret her decision? Does she have other children? I feel sorrow for all of the things her Birthmother is missing. Alina Jayne's spicy personality, her headstrong ways, her moods, her grace, the way she is blossoming into a beautiful young lady, the way she learns so many new things every day. While I am eternally grateful for each morning as she wakes up, kissing me, telling me "it's a sunny day Mama, I love you," and for each evening when she says "you always tuck me in don’t you Mama? It's because you love me so much, right?" I am saddened that her Birthmother cannot see how happy......and loved she is.
I am also eternally grateful for the Foster Family who raised her until Matt and I traveled to China to bring her home. They cared for her from the time she was one month old, until we arrived in China when she was 15 months old. The fact that she did not have to live in an institution, but rather with a family, consisting of a Mama, Daddy, their biological daughter and a Grandmother, meant that she was able to more easily have her needs met on a consistent basis. I believe that has helped her in immeasurable ways in terms of trust and bonding.
Alina Jayne's Foster Family
We may never know why her Birthmother could not raise her, or how she felt about her decision. I do know that we will be forever grateful for her Birthmother for giving her life, for her Foster Family who lovingly cared for her as their own, and for the Chinese Government, who entrusted us to raise one of their own children. All of these people helped make us into the family we are today.
Our first pics of Alina Jayne (from her referral Package)
Thank you..............
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