Her Voice Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord

I have heard my daughter 'sing' many times. She sings along to the ABC song (I have even heard her approximate several letters) on the Leap Frog school bus on loan to us from a friend. She sings "Pick-up, pick-up" ("Buh-buh, buh-buh") while we pick up her toys. She makes up her own songs to accompany various activities. But nothing compares to what I heard her sing tonight.

Grace loves to pray. She cannot always be bothered to bless her food before supper, but I'm sure she makes up for it. She sits relatively peacefully next to me when I pray my morning prayers (truly unusual for this always-in-motion child). She begs to hold my prayer book. She loves turning the pages and holding the book open just like mommy does. When she is not holding the book, she folds her little hands beautifully. She speaks her language which God understands perfectly but we have a hard time figuring out.

When my alarm goes off at 3pm to remind me to pray a Spiritual Communion, she folds her hands and says "Suh-suh" ("Jesus"). I catch her praying randomly throughout the day in the middle of her play. It's the best, or so I thought until tonight.

I asked Grace if she wanted to say prayers with me. She eagerly said "Yeah yeah yeah". We sat on the couch together and I opened my Magnificat. She folded her hands expectantly. When it came time to pray the Magnificat, I decided to sing "Holy is His Name" (John Michael Talbot). I began..."My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord..." Close behind me, Grace's strong little voice started belting out the song in her own little language for all she was worth. She sang and sang until the song was over. My heart was so full. What an appropriate choice for her very first song ever she would choose to sing with mommy.

Before tonight, Grace was strictly a solo singer. Oh the blessed heavenly harmony I had never heard before! I had no idea it could be so beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you God for this treasure! I would say more but words don't do it justice. :) These are the moments we live for, no?

Happy Birthday Grace Marie!

Newborn

Today

When I turn my mind from the everyday and really stop and put life with Grace in perspective, my heart fills to overflowing with love and gratitude for the life of my little girl. (Sometimes the overflow squeezes out my eyes.)

Today our special little girl is two years old. We never could have dreamed on that cold cold night in February when she was born in the little cabin in Kingman what a journey we were beginning with her!

We were nervous of course. I remember Paul staying up all night with her the first night, just to be sure she kept breathing. As I lay in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, I heard him praying with her and singing his own version of the popular James Blunt song "You're Beautiful". We were just a pair of proud, happy parents. We adored our little seven-pound package of sweetness.

At five weeks came 'The Big Reveal'. Grace and I had been having some trouble with nursing. She was only a few ounces over her birth weight. I had been to see a La Leche leader and started pumping to increase my milk supply, but I decided to visit the lactation specialist at Wesley as well. The doctor in charge of that department had been a pediatrician for thirty years. She was the one who told me that day that she was near certain Grace had Down Syndrome. Having no point of comparison, we hadn't really found her short, stubby fingers (fondly referred to as her 'little sausages') or the different shape of her eyes, or her generally small features to be remarkable. There were many tears for me, and much uncertainty for all of us.

We also learned that day that Grace had a significant heart murmur, indicative of a congenital heart defect (or two as it turned out). One BT shunt surgery, one heart catheterization, and one open heart surgery later, Gracie is all better. Those experiences are a whole 'nother story.

Every child's life is precious, and perhaps parents who have struggles less life-threatening than our own love their children just as fiercely and dearly as we love our Gracie, but perhaps, just perhaps, our appreciation for her life is surpassing because of the struggles God has chosen us to bear. Even if this is not so, my gratitude to God surpasses what it would have been had He blessed us with a 'normal' child.

So Happy Birthday, my Special Dear One, and may mommy and daddy always be thankful (especially on those days when you make mommy feel crazy) for the blessing we have in you!