Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to K!

I can’t believe she is seven years old! I’m not sure where I first heard it – the saying that with kids, the days crawl but the years fly. When I was changing diapers and planning every day around naptime, I never envisioned this day. My toddler daughter seems so close, and yet so far away. How did this young lady get here so fast?

While today, January 20th, is the day on her birth certificate, we did the celebration yesterday. She had a party with friends and she had a great time. I also learned how rude some of her peers can be. I can only hope that my little angel does not behave similarly when out of my presence.

Also, while today is the birthday reflected on her birth certificate, the truth is, I don’t really know what day she was born. It could have been 7 years ago today, or 7 years ago yesterday or the day before. Or a few days from now. Only her birth mother knows for sure. I think about her at this time of year, wondering what she wonders. Sending my own thoughts across the world to her. Her baby girl is a person to be proud of. She is a thoughtful friend with a gorgeous smile. She can make you laugh with just a look, or a well-timed comment. She is bright, affectionate and athletic. I am indeed blessed to be her mom. My gain is a result of what I can only imagine is a heart-breaking loss for her birth mother.

K is still young enough that birthdays are a day to be completely happy. I know a lot of adoptees feel birthdays more as a source of sadness. It’s an annual reminder that they are not with their families of origin. I definitely understand this. Of course I want to make my kids’ birthdays happy, but I also recognize that there will likely come a day when they perhaps don’t want me to even partake in whatever celebrating, or non-celebrating, they choose to do. Either way is OK. Which I also  acknowledge is easy to say while they are young and their world still starts and ends with me.

Happy Birthday, K. You are a beautiful person, inside and out, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.