My Little Lady turned 9 yesterday....my Sierra, Lou Lou, Little Bean, Miss Peach, Stinker, Prudence, Love, Sierra Bear...
We started the party early this weekend with a few days spent at the cabin with cousins, aunts, uncles, Granny and Gramps, and Great Grandpa and Great Grandma who love her so much.
We camped under the stars...just us and mother nature! After some gentle prodding from my husband, we gave in and decided we didn't need a silly tent to make everything right...no way, not us. We slept under the stars with the moon shining down on us and LOVED it! It's now one of my most favorite memories.
I am so thankful for her...and her sweet birth mother. I am a mother because of them and I will forever be thankful for the gift they brought into my life and for the gifts they are in my life. I dreamed of my baby for years and now I hold her, love her, kiss her, nurture her, and get to be loved right back.
My baby did grow in my heart and still does. Words can't adequately express the miracle of adoption and the miracle of Sierra. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it and hope to again.
I love looking back and remembering all of the intricate little details of my life with her. So grateful I have been trying to document our journey together as a family. My love for her grows leaps and bounds every single day.
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart,
But in it.
This brings a smile to my face & a little tear to my eye. What a wonderful match! Happy, happy birthday Sierra & happy, happy special mama day to you! Hugs.
Posted by: Troy Louise | September 05, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Happy Birthday Sierra! She couldn't be more blessed to have a Mama like you, Melis <3
Posted by: Vanessa Menhorn | September 05, 2012 at 11:59 AM
What a beautiful post, Melissa! TFS! And a big happy birthday to your beautiful Sierra!
Posted by: Jinny Newlin | September 05, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Such a beautiful post. Happy Birthday to your lily bean!
Posted by: Laura | September 05, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Happy Birthday to you and your sweet daughter!
Loved the poems..and your post..thanks for sharing this.
Posted by: Holly Saveur | September 05, 2012 at 01:21 PM
She is beautiful! What a joy!
Posted by: Kolleen moss | September 05, 2012 at 01:27 PM
Thank you for sharing this beautifully written post. It made my heart swell with love for my own to boys. Children are such a gift and your words just underscored it so wonderfully. Happy birthday to your little girl. :)
Posted by: Sara Spencer | September 05, 2012 at 01:31 PM
She is such a beauty. Love her smile!
Posted by: sandy | September 05, 2012 at 01:34 PM
Your post is beautiful and really touched my heart, I love the scrap booking pages you have created of her.
Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter and a very happy day to you also Melissa you are such a wonderful , caring mother x
Posted by: Michelle collins | September 05, 2012 at 01:45 PM
Melissa as the mother of 2 adopted children I love your post....
Posted by: Yvette E | September 05, 2012 at 02:31 PM
What a beautiful post from a very (lucky) LOVING mother. That last photo is stunning! She is growing so fast - keep making those happy precious memories! bx
Posted by: B | September 05, 2012 at 02:34 PM
Melissa,
Your touching post reminds all of us of what a tremendous gift children can be in our lives! For me, your words took me back to when my own (now grown up) kids were small, they were my reason for living! Each and every day was a new adventure, a new challenge, a new memory.
Now that they have left my nest, and are building their own, I think back on those days when I never had enough time in the day to get everything done, when my house was all a-clutter with toys, games, and school projects, when I got little sleep and worked 2 jobs-so the kids could have school clothes. I remember now with fondness those summertime camping trips sleeping in the tent we put up, laughing at how it leaned to one side...
Thank you for re-opening this porthole to the past, and in doing so, allowing me to look to the future, because now I have a sweet baby grandson!
Yes the torch is passed! I can't wait to experience those happy childhood experiences with him, but this time from a Grandma's point of view!
Happy Birthday to your Lily Bean Sierra, and my warmest hugs go out to you, because you always show us the loveliness that's right in front of our eyes! With admiration and much love, I thank you for all your loving posts, and for sharing them with us!
Posted by: ReNae Allen | September 05, 2012 at 02:43 PM
Beautiful post. Your daughter is lovely! Adoption is AMAZING. We were blessed twice through adoption.
Posted by: Linda | September 05, 2012 at 02:43 PM
Totally warms my heart to read your posts about adopting your baby girl. She is so blessed to have you. Hopefully, I can have that same joy you have!
Posted by: Trell | September 05, 2012 at 03:28 PM
Awww...what precious photos and projects! Having created our family through adoption, I know the incredible blessing you feel. Happy Birthday (a bit late) to sweet Sierra! I've always thought it would be wonderful to camp out under the stars, but I'm a bit of a chicken!
Posted by: Patty O'Malley | September 05, 2012 at 03:50 PM
she is lovely and so are you.
Posted by: kelly | September 05, 2012 at 04:02 PM
Melis beautiful post! Happy Birthday to Sierra!
Posted by: Jessie McLaughlin | September 05, 2012 at 04:11 PM
Melissa, this such a beautiful post. I'm so happy that Sierra's birth mother chose to give her to a such a loving home. My own family is also blessed with adoption...my dad was adopted, as was one of my sisters and my brother. This post warmed my heart.
God bless!
Posted by: Vicki - Paper Squirrel | September 05, 2012 at 07:29 PM
Precious and priceless was this post Melissa. The happiest of birthday wishes to your baby girl!
Posted by: Lisa | September 05, 2012 at 08:05 PM
Happy birthday lil bean! May you enjoy being 9.
Posted by: Domenico | September 05, 2012 at 09:13 PM
Sierra is very lucky to have you as a mom! Happy Birthday Sierra!
Posted by: Cary | September 05, 2012 at 09:13 PM
0mg Melissa, i just cried .
Happy birthday to the most beautiful lilly bean
Posted by: eleftheria | September 05, 2012 at 10:09 PM
Melissa,
If ever you have those moments of your spirit being sad just look to this post and see the beautiful Mommy that I see with an incredible capacity for love!!! When my husband died of cancer I realized how very BIG each person's spirit is! We do not understand what an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL impact our spirits have on those around us until we are gone and they feel the pain of our HUGE loss in their lives. It is a huge gaping hole because the spirits and souls that God has given each of us are so unbelievably amazing!
You are such a special woman with beautiful and amazing talents and views of the world that you share with all of us. Happy Birthday to sweet Lily Bean Sierra and Happy becoming a Mommy Day to you!!!! Thank you for this lovely post!!!
Posted by: Jill Norwood | September 05, 2012 at 10:10 PM
Happy birthday sweet girl, Love how you spent your birthday. Your post is just precious :)
Posted by: caz hancock | September 06, 2012 at 12:04 AM
Happy Birthday Sierra.....you are a fortunate little lady to have parents who love you so much.Melisa you are a great example of what a Mother should be.I know you never leave anything unsaid.....keep up the wonderful work.
Posted by: Christine Dearinger | September 06, 2012 at 01:29 AM