I had the most lovely, lazy day on Wednesday. I planned to get up at 6:30, but slept in until 7:15. I planned to cook a big breakfast for our house guests, but instead I just made a pan of muffins. I planned to work out, wash sheets, and balance the checkbook... yeah, none of that happened, either. Pretty much, I made a couple meals, went to the grocery store, and spoiled Libby up the rest of the day. Once 10:00 hit and I thought back on my day, I realized just how lazy it had been. It was like a "sick day"!
Which I think is okay, really. Wednesday was the first day we hadn't had company in over a week. Now, living over six hours from either family, I LOVE company, don't get me wrong. First we'd had one of my dear friends to visit for a few days, then Dede and Gene came for five. And we had the most wonderful time being reunited, showing where we live and our day-to-day life, introducing our California "family" to Jimmy John's, Culver's, and Minnesota wine (lol). Although we were exhausted, I didn't need this lazy day to "recover" from HAVING company... I needed a day to heal my heart, which broke a little when they left.
Because I had just spent five days witnessing the MOST beautiful relationship: I got to see someone else loving my little girl as a mom and as a dad. Not that her grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and her extensive fan club don't love her, too, lots and lots and lots. But there's nothing like the love a parent has for their child, and that's what she was to them for so many months. You can't just hit the "off-switch" on that parent-child bond after seven months of having her rely on you for her every need, and loving her more and more each day.
I can look at my mom or my grandma or my many friends who are moms and see the love in their eyes for their own children. Now that I have my Libby, I've begun to understand just how deep that love flows. But although certain parts of a "mother's love" apply across the board, other parts are different... because the child is different. Some of the things you love about your child are different than the things I love about mine. Each parent's love is unique, and probably a little different from child to child, too. Not that any one mama loves her child more than the next mama does, that's not what I'm getting at. It's just... different. That's okay; in fact, it's beautiful.
So here's what makes Dede and Gene so special to us: we have a bond with them that so few other people will ever get to experience. All FOUR of us love this ONE child as a parent... two couples experiencing the same love for the same child. Because of this, the bond we have with them is extremely unique, a little weird, and completely beautiful. Watching them stare at her with wonder and play with her for hours and laugh SO HARD at every little thing she does was simply amazing. What a precious reminder of how blessed we are to have her
So when they left on Wednesday and I was faced with the choice between a week's worth of chores (because I'd been playing too much with my company and not cleaning up after myself :) or a lazy day to heal my heart and give hours of undivided attention to my little sweetie... I chose the sweetie. They just couldn't get enough of her while they were here, and neither can I. She is growing SO fast, and I just want to soak up every moment. I can't even believe how much she had grown and changed in the three months since we left California and Dede and Gene said goodbye to us. Now it's going to be another SEVEN months until we likely travel out in early April for our next visit. I can't imagine how far she will have come by then.
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| Friday night we were "reunited" and they got to see just how big and strong she has gotten! |
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| Saturday we went for a walk to the beach and to the apple orchard for lunch. Then Saturday night Tim joined us for dinner (Libby asked to sit at the table) and a wine tasting. |
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| Sunday we went to Hudson, WI so my parents could meet them. Tim: "Don't get any closer in that jersey, you're jinxing us. See? SEE? We're playing awful and it's all your fault, Gene." |
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| Monday we took a walk along the river in Hudson, took them to the Mall of America, and came home for a follow-up visit with our adoption social worker. |
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| Tuesday Tim and I both had to work, so they took Libby for the morning and checked out the little shops in Litchfield. Later in the afternoon we all went to Libby's PT appointment together and then checked out downtown Hutchinson. |
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| Wednesday was goodbye day! They got to see Libby's first session with her special ed teachers, and then they had to take off for the airport. |
