HAPPY BIRTHDAY APRIL!

A is 18 today! (So I can use her name now.)

I met April when she was 6. She's not my daughter in the true sense, in that I didn't give birth to her. When I met her she was pretty messed up over her mother leaving her Dad, her sister, and her. She was fiercly loyal to her biological mother, and I was fine with that. I wasn't going to try to be her "new mommy" or something like that. After several years of her loyalty to someone who never showed up for visits, never remembered to call or even send a card on birthdays, and never even called on Christmas I started to get tired of it. I understood she loved her mother, but after years of raising her, teaching her, trying to do the best I could at parenting her, I did grow tired of it. I thought April would never see that I loved her.

When she was 12 her mother kidnapped her and her sister. We didn't hear from them for over 2 weeks. We had no idea where they were. I could barely sleep for worrying about her that time. I wasn't worried about her sister, because her sister always had tons of attention from her mother, but I was frantic about April. When we finally found them, and went to pick them up I was furious. Not at the girls, but at the situation. I started crying in the car, and told April how worried we'd been, and how much I loved her. She said she'd tried to call me, but her mother had caught her, and she'd gotten in trouble. From then on April and I became the best of friends.

Four months after the kidnapping, I left my husband for awhile. I begged him to let me take April with me, but he wouldn't allow it. When I left, April climbed in the back of the U-Haul, and bawled the entire time I packed my things. I was bawling the entire time, too, but I couldn't stay due to marital issues that were pretty bad at the time.

I moved across the country. It was like I'd never left. EVERY morning at 5, as soon as I woke up, I'd turn on my computer. I wouldn't even have coffee poured, and April was "buzzing" me on instant messenger. She would talk to me all day. We had web-cams, so we could just sit and talk like we were right there. I told her she drove me nuts that summer, but in reality it was sweet. She called me once in a panic. Her dad was at work, she was home alone, and there was a tornado warning. I had to calm her down, talk her through it till her dad got home. I tried to get her to go to the basement, but she was too scared. I think I was more frantic than she was...from 1.000 miles away all I could do was talk to her, worry, and then REALLY worry when they lost power for 3 days, and I didn't know if she was all right!

After 2 months, I missed my husband too much to stay gone, so I came home. I will never forget pulling into our driveway. April was on the phone, watching for me. She saw me, THREW the phone across the yard, and LEAPED a good 15 feet from the porch steps to my arms as I stepped out of the van. LOL She jumped into my arms like a little kid, screaming. "Mom's home! Mom's home!"

As I write this I want to cry. I have so many memories of April growing up. I remember I thought she'd NEVER get over her first boyfriend. I remember her struggles in school. I remember her heartache over her real mother. I remember when she was 14 she and I had an "unofficial" adoption ceremony. I remember spending hours playing "Guitar Hero" with her. I remember all the movies we watched together, because we were the only 2 in the house wanting to see them. I remember all the books we've shared. All the videos I've made of her dancing; she's a complete goofball. : ) I remember the bad times, too...but won't mention them here. SHE knows.

April took her sweet time to warm up to me, but 12 years later I can't ask for a better friend or daughter. I think she's an idiot for getting married in 9!!!! days, but I'm happy she has a good guy who loves her, and will be good to her. I'm sad she isn't going to college, but she never was cut out for school. I'm happy she has found a church, and is interested in the Bible. I'm SO proud of her for being the first one ever in her entire family (biological parents, not me) to graduate high school.

She's 18 now. Free to do anything. She will soon be 1,000 miles away from me. : ( I'm going to be the typical mother, and bawl my head off through her wedding. I will bawl even more, as this time SHE is the one driving away, and I know she won't be back.

April...pookie...I love you. You are just as much a daughter to me as C and E, even though I missed the first 6 years of your life. Happy birthday.

Happy Birthday C!

I've now been a Mommy ten years. C's birthday was this week. She didn't have to do any school or chores on the day, and we skipped Vocabulary for the entire week in honor of her being ten. She woke up, played Guitar Hero III (we own every one...I'm a bit addicted to it, and although this is supposed to be about C, I'll brag that I can pass every song on "Hard", and about 80% of them on "Expert".)After 2 hours of that she helped make her cake. This basically meant that I stood watch while she did everything but pour the batter in the cake pan, and pull the hot pan out of the oven. She then played Wii Sports with her little sister for almost 3 hours. We went outside for a bit to play, then back in for baths before Daddy got home early from work. Once here, we went to the State Park and hiked for an hour and a half. We got to see dozens of deer, several geese, a groundhog, and 5 swans. The swans thought we had food, and we got to within 3 feet of them. The girls each kept a beautiful feather for themselves. From the ground; we didn't pull them off the birds. : )

Then it was off to Taco Bell, C's choice for dinner. Everyone but Daddy enjoyed it; he hates Taco Bell. Then home to watch Survivor and open gifts. I wasn't able to afford much, but she enjoyed them. The most expensive gift was "Barbie as the Island Princess", which I found on sale for under $20, and was the thing she most asked for. I spent under $80, and managed to buy 13 things, so it looked like she had more.

The timing worked perfectly, because the VP debate was on at 8, and I had told her she had the entire day till then. Birthday or no I wasn't missing the debates. She actually watched about half an hour of it. She knows who's running, and the running mates, and actually will pay attention when they are on TV, but birthday presents called, and she didn't watch the whole thing.

Anyway, we had an awesome day, a nice break from school, and I thank God for the best ten years of my life! I never knew what love really was all about until I felt this little, tiny baby girl seconds after she was born. I've NEVER regretted having her or her sister, and although it's sad she's not so little anymore, I hope my daughters and I continue to be close, and that when they are all grown up they can be my best friends like my own dear mom was to me.

Happy Birthday C, and I love you and E more than anything or anyone in this world! I am so blessed.