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Happy 9th Birthday Gracie!
My sweet little butterfly.
Turns 9 today.
Where has the time gone?
Gracie is the big sister who plans picnics on the kitchen floor.
Turns big boxes into boats.
She is the first to play pretend.
The first to lend a helping hand.
She is the first to cry when a story is sad.
She is the sister who will bundle everyone up to play in the snow.
She is an old soul. I never quite knew what that meant until I had my Gracie.
She has a faith that is amazing.
She believes in God with all her heart.
She prays and talks to God like He is an old friend.
When she overheard the doctor say she may lose her hair with chemo,
she got the idea to donate it instead.
When she heard them talk about the heavy duty chemo they used maybe causing sterility,
she said she’d just adopt then.
She believes in trying to help others.
She is the child who will give away her toys to others.
She believes in saving the world one child at a time.
Jasmine and Gracie came to us with their idea to adopt more. They share the biggest room in the house.
We had to give Jasmine the master bedroom so she had enough room for the lift and after taking out the bathtub there is enough room for her to maneuver in the bathroom.
They measured and figured out what bunkbeds would work best. They said they’d give up their allowance. They would do whatever it takes to bring more sisters home. They would clean, they would give up what they could, they would share everything they had.
Just please can we adopt again? (You try saying no to these two faces.)
She is light years ahead of where I was at her age.
She loves the lessons learned at Women of Faith. She loves to sing out her praises to God as loud as she can. I’m so glad she got to go this year with my mom. Nana was always very special to Gracie and it has been a hard year having to say good-bye.
She shops all year long for Operation Christmas Child.
I had a tubal reversal at the age of 40 to have Gracie. Both Dan and I felt God talking loud and clear that we were to have another child. We believed in adoption, having already adopted Hope, so having a reversal didn’t make much sense but we felt that was what we were being asked to do. If there is anything we have learned through our lives, it’s too be obedient to the call of God.
The doctor told me my odds were slim. I got pregnant the very first month. Because I was over 40, they did routine weekly ultrasounds. At our 35 week appointment, they found that I had a vessel rupture. I wasn’t having any symptoms – no contractions, or pain, nothing! Gracie was surrounded by blood. They had to get her out right away. After she was born, her doctor said, “Now that I know she is okay I can say that is the most blood I have ever seen and have the baby come out alive.”
She entered the world and we heard “by the grace of God” over and over again. That is how she received her name.
We had wanted to have another child after Gracie. Dr. Neil asked if I wanted a tubal again and I said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s good because one side doesn’t even look connected and the other is so scarred I don’t know how you got pregnant.”
Dan and I just smiled at each other because we knew.
Every time I look at her sweet face I know that I was given a gift. Having lost a son, I know that isn’t always how it works.
I do believe God has a wonderful plan for Gracie. I know that with all my heart. She is a special, special little girl.
When she became sick and just couldn’t get better, we had tests run. They thought it was leukemia, but it ended up being lupus. Who knew six year olds could get lupus? Gracie never asked, “Why me?” She understands that sometimes life isn’t fair. She said, “She didn’t understand God’s plan, but she would trust God’s plan.” This coming from a six year old. See what I mean? She’s an old soul.
I don’t know what God’s plans are for my girl or where He will lead her, but I do know that I am blessed each and every day to be able to say that I am Gracie’s mommy. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly.
Happy birthday sweet Gracie girl! Your daddy and mommy love you very, very much!!!
