And My Baby Girl

Savannah is the most adorable little girl. She has really melded (if there is such a word!) into our family. She has had ups and downs and learned many lessons, but through it all she has been a real little trouper with a very sweet heart. I am so glad to have her as my daughter!

I have heard mothers say that when they heard their child say, "I love you," for the first time when it was not being prompted by the mother saying it first, that it is a wonderful feeling. Well, I think I heard comments recently that, to me, dug deeper into Savannah's heart.

One day, I was doing her hair, and I told her how adorable she looked. She turned to me from looking in the bathroom mirror, and said, "You are the best mother in the whole world." Those words meant more to me than anything I have ever heard from her. More than, "I love you." Why? Because her Sintayehu, her Enat, was so very special to her heart.

After this comment, we began talking about other things and her Ethiopian mother came up. We talked about how big her missing her was in the beginning - even to six months ago. Savannah used her hands to show me a 12" space and said she missed her that much in the beginning. She then gestured again to show me a 2" gap and told me that was how much she missed her now.

She then burst out cheerfully, "I still love her."

What a beautiful remark. Her heart's pain has diminished, but her heart's love has not grown any dimmer. How wonderful to see my little girl come to a place where she can tell me that I am the best mum in the world (and trust me, this little one struggles with English, so where she got those words is beyond me!), but yet still be able to tell me moments later how much she still loves Sintayehu. Through it all, she was beaming.

Since that time, she has a few more times spontaneously said other comments of a similar nature that really show her belief that she is home and she knows how much she is loved and accepted. What a wonderful feeling for both of us!




I was sitting working on my blog today when Savannah came bounding into the room.

"Mum, can I tell you something? I love you. You are the best mum and dad and everybody."

I smiled at her and gave her a hug and said she was the best Sweet Savannah. When I sat back, she just stood there looking at me for the longest time with this satisfied smile on her face.

It is truly remarkable. It is like something has just clicked in her little head.

It is almost like she is saying, "I like these people. They *are* my family. I am happy. I love them. Yes." If you could only see the look in her eyes as she makes these comments.
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