~ Happy 9th Birthday Caleb! ~

Happy 9th Birthday to my sweet Caleb! I cannot believe another year has passed and that he is nearing the double digits. He has been counting down the days till his birthday and it is finally here and he is ready to party!

I have to say that I have mixed emotions today. I'm so extremely blessed by this precious miracle. But there is that part of me that feels sad because we don't know all the fun things about his birth day that we do for our other two kids. Caleb has been asking me for the last couple of weeks what the exact time of his birth was. He knows that Ben was born at 10:28 in the morning and Callie was born at 7:51 in the morning and he wants to have that same fact to tell everyone. The truth is that we don't know the exact time of Caleb's birth and we really don't know for sure what the exact day was. His birthday was an estimate made by those that found him laying abandoned on the sidewalk outside a children's hospital. I don't have all the pregnancy stories of his birth to laugh about. I don't have those first glimpses of his sweet newborn face. Those are stories he will never hear. His stories, however,  are very special and unique and I pray that one day he will realize just how remarkable his little life really is!

My heart also aches today for Caleb's birth mommy. Somewhere this woman is probably wondering about this beautiful boy that she gave birth to nine years ago.  She spent several days with him before abandoning him on the side of the road at the opportunity for a better life. She spent those first precious hours with him as he took his first breaths and opened his eyes for the first time. Today I lift prayers for her as well. I pray that she feels at peace that he is loved so much and I also pray that she has found salvation in Jesus. I am forever grateful to her for giving him life!

A day full of emotions for sure for this mama but, I celebrate this beautiful child, this most precious gift from God! A gift that has brought joy into my life and our family. A gift that lives life to the fullest. A gift that has so much to offer this world. A gift that loves his Maker and is a shining light to all he encounters! It really doesn't matter if we know the exact day and hour he was born. What matters is that he is here, and alive, and celebrating the blessing of life! Thank you God for honoring me by giving me the title of "Caleb's mommy". I hold that as such a treasure! He has the most giving heart and loves to make people happy and he inspires me daily with his love of life and his infectious smile.  He is an amazing child and this world is a sweeter place because of this miracle you blessed us with on December 30, 2003.

Happy Birthday sweet boy, mommy loves you so much!