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Elyse’s First Birthday
Today Elyse asked me if she could write about her birthday. I told her she could tell me all about it and I would type it up for her. I wanted to give a little background to the day and why it affected her so.
Elyse will turn 10 years old on Tuesday. She is very excited about having her “first” birthday. She has been counting down the days for quite a while now. To say she is excited, would be a massive understatement. She will be 10 but this will be the first time someone has celebrated the day of her birth. The first time she has had a cake. The first time she has had a family celebrate her life.
This morning we went to church and the church sang Happy Birthday to her and another little girl named Grace. As we left to head home, many of the congregation stopped and hugged her and wished her a very happy birthday!
In the bus she was unusually quiet. I asked her why and she said she couldn’t understand why people sang to her and wished her a happy day. I explained that is how things are done in America. Your birthday is a special day. People celebrate your life and will wish you the best on that day. She sat quietly on the way home and took it all in.
When we got home from church, the house had been decorated by Reece and Cassie. She was surprised and so excited. She picked out her favorite lunch – nachos and noodles with orange chicken. We then got out her cake and lit the candles. We called Zach and Stephanie and with the magic of Facetime we all sang happy birthday as she blew out her birthday candles.
She had a pinata and a huge blow-up My Little Pony balloon. We don’t usually buy all the other big things that are available for a birthday, but your first birthday is an important one so we splurged.
She asked to watch a movie with everyone. They all sat around the t.v., snuggling, and hanging out. I went out to clean up the kitchen. I heard her wheelchair come up behind me but Elyse didn’t say a word. Elyse is a talker and she is constantly telling me stories so for her to not be talking meant something was wrong. I turned around to find tears rolling down her cheeks.
I asked her if she was hurt and she said no. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she didn’t know what to do with the feeling in her heart. She said her heart was so full of feelings about her day and it made her sad. I tried to figure out why celebrating her birthday would make her sad.
Then the sobbing started as she poured out the words “thank you for loving me”. She was thanking us for caring and for loving her and for giving her a party, something we all take for granted. She continued to sob for quite some time as she said how much everything meant to her and how much she loved her family. She talked about how it was just overwhelming that so many people cared about her. She then asked to go thank her daddy and the tears started all over again with her words of thanks and love to her daddy.
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Elyse’s First Birthday (It’s the title she asked for.)
I was so happy I had a birthday party. It’s my first birthday party. Before I never had a birthday.
I’m glad right here people love me. I’m happy my mom and daddy always take care of me and love me. I’m happy I have sisters for my birthday. They really glad. I love my sisters.
Before I never have birthday and no one loves me. They don’t care about me and my birthday. I never be shopping before. I never had a mommy and daddy always love me, always take care of me.
I’m so happy I still alive in China but I sometimes feel sad because they say you can’t do anything because you are in a wheelchair. I sat around and thought about I can’t do everything. They made fun of me and told me not to tell anyone, but now people say I can do everything.
Today I sad and mommy ask me why. I cried because I never see people love me like this. I feel a little bit sad because no one loved me like my mommy and daddy do. I tell mommy thank you for the party. I cried because my heart feel really full with the sad and the happy.
I do not know why they treat me like that all the time. I am happy I now have a family who loves me. I’m happy God showed my family me so they want to adopt me and love me and take care of me. I so happy I have a family.
Today mommy make me noodles and egg drop soup and spicy chicken soup and we have Oreo ice cream cake. I really like it. I’m happy mommy bought me a cake. The cake was very yummy and had candles.
Mama really funny to me and daddy put frosting on my face.
Daddy was really funny and he was playing. My daddy is a good daddy. I got to pick a movie. I pick one with Jackie Chan. I really like it. Jackie Chan is really good movie.
I got a big pink My Little Pony balloon. I really like it. It’s my favorite. I tell mommy it’s too expensive but mommy says it’s my first birthday so I can have it. It is really big and really fun.
It’s my first balloon. It is bigger than me. I’m happy my mom and daddy buy me stuff when we go shopping. I get to go with them for my birthday, all by myself, and pick out one thing.
I open a present from Reece and Cassie. It is a chocolate writer. My daddy love it too. It had lots of pictures in it of stuff you can do. You can make lots of things.
You can write with chocolate and eat it. I really like it.
My feelings is really happy. My feelings is I have a happy heart on my happy day. Mama bought me a shirt that says I have a happy heart. Mama says it is true. I am very happy to have a birthday and family to share it with.
I love my mommy and daddy forever and my sisters and brothers. I love my big family and they love me so much.
