A BIG Milestone for Mommy

Yesterday was a huge milestone for me. I was wrestling Nathan (in an effort to change a dirty diaper) and Aiden was laying on the floor just a few feet away from me fiddling with some toy. I was about to break a sweat trying to get the diaper on Nathan. Aiden just calmly said, "Mommy?" I said, "Yeah buddy?" "I wub you." This is the first time that I can remember that Aiden has told me that he loves me out of the blue. Sure, he says it when we put him to sleep and we tell him that we love him, but this is the first time that he said it all on his own, really for no reason. It melted my heart.

Although it is so sweet to hear any of your children say, "I love you" just because they want to, this is particularly special to me. The first couple months were not good between Aiden and me. I remember Kenneth having to reassure me and say things like, "I just know that when he walks across the stage at his high school graduation, you will never believe the special bond you have with him and how muc h you love him." At one point I just didn't know if that was ever going to happen (the special bond part). Wow! God has brought us both a long way in just a year.

Even more than that, I cherish those words because it reveals so much to me. I feel like it communicates so much more than just an "I love you." He truly feels like I am his "mommy" and there is no other woman that he thinks about in that regard. He seems to have no recollection of his birth mother. Part of that makes me very sad, but another part of that is comforting that he is not confused about my role in his life. I also feel like it communicates his comfort and happiness with his life right now. It seems like he feels he has always been a part of our family and he doesn't remember otherwise. I love the fact that he has adjusted so well and is a happy little boy. It is what we dreamed for him when we first laid eyes on him. I praise God for the work He has done in Aiden, and what He has graciously accomplished in and through us by allowing us to be Aiden's Mommy and Daddy.

GOTCHA DAY VIDEO

This is a link to the video we made to celebrate our Gotcha Day, June 3, 2010. Praying that God uses this video to show our children how much we love them, to share our story with others, and hopefully to inspire other families to consider adoption.

Bruce Family Gotcha Day