Six!

A dear friend reminded me last night that I do in fact have a blog.  (Whether or not I still have readers remains to be seen.) But since this really is the only journal or scrapbook I maintain for my family at this point, I suppose I ought to at least keep up birthday posts.  My biggest baby is nearly a decade old, but I neglected to blog my bitty-baby’s big day last month.  So Reagan, sweet girl, happy 6^th birthday… 20 days late!    

Reagan’s birthdays always strike me a little differently than Alyssa and Parker’s.  Obviously, I was not there for her birth.  I can’t recount to her the stories of holding her in my tummy, going to the hospital, hearing those first raspy cries.  But I can tell her of the woman who loved her enough to give her life.  The women who loved her enough to give her a comfortable home.  And the mom and dad who loved her enough to find her in a little fishing village half-way around the world.  

We talk about Vietnam frequently.  Reagan is beginning to grasp what adoption is all about, and she seems to take great pride in her Vietnamese features.  (It’s crazy how quickly she can scout out the dolls with black hair!).   Not too long ago she started talking about her “other mama.”  We try to be both sensitive and matter-of-fact about adoption issues, yet I was still taken aback by what came next.  She said “Mama, I’m so glad you’re my mama.”  Of course I responded that I’m even more glad, but given the context, I asked her why.  She said, “well, my other mama doesn’t know the Lord.  If I lived with her I wouldn’t know Jesus.”  Then she proceeded to tell me how someday she wants to go back to Vietnam so she can tell her other mama how to worship the True God.  Needless to say, I think I could have melted into a puddle at that point.  Reagan is a joy in so many senses of the word, but our greatest joy in parenting this sweet little bundle is the joy she seems to find in our Savior.  Though the finer points of reading, arithmetic and holding still are still just out of her grasp, she can so clearly articulate the truths of the gospel.  She may not ever surpass 5 feet in height, but it is our prayer that she will continue to grow in the ways that really matter and continue to bring glory to our Lord.