morning

Awake before 5:00 a.m., I decide to go ahead and get started with the day. Envisioning my cup of coffee and Bible in the stillness of the living room, I quietly walk down the stairs. I make a pot of coffee and prepare Ahna's bottle for her next feeding. Bill has left a note saying she was fed at 12:15 a.m.; he wasn't feeling well yesterday, so was awake when she was, and left me sleeping.

Cup of coffee in hand, I head to my spot on the couch, turn on the lamp, and sit. Within seconds I hear her rustling about in her crib. Gladly, I set the coffee aside and get upstairs to her room, before the monitor wakes Bill. Thumb in mouth, towel pulled up to her face, she rolls over and sees me. Gives me a slow but steady grin. My heart leaps that she is happy to see me. She reaches up with one arm, and I pick her up. Together, we go back to the living room, to my spot on the couch that I am happy to share.

She drinks hungrily from her bottle. Still, she won't allow us to put solid food of any type in her mouth. I put the new Hillsong United CD in, pick her up, and we sway to the music. Inspiring and beautiful words of praise come from the CD player, and my heart is renewed. I rejoice this morning again, at this little gift, swaying back and forth in my arms. Music, she has heard before. I'll never know if someone sang to her, or if she heard music from the T.V. that was in her orphanage room. But she knows music. We go near the stereo speaker so that she can touch it and feel it vibrate. She still wants to touch, scratch, rub everything.

We move to the floor and play silly mocking games and scratch favorite board books, She pulls up to stand proudly at the couch. Trusting enough to stand without hands, but not strong enough to keep herself up, she leans back against me, head turned to look at me, grinning. A sweet baby girl. Her eyes are beginning to see that we are constant. We tell her all the time, "See, we're still here.... we're not going anywhere..."

And we are thankful that she is showing more and more, that she believes us.

It is a good morning.