Four Years, Seven Days

Last Wednesday we celebrated Giggles' 4th Birthday. What a happy day! She is so exuberant and full of life that she brings joy to any occasion, but when it's her birthday it's extra exciting.

She had faithfully done the birthday countdown for the week leading up to her day...and she didn't miss a beat; with fingers displaying the number of days left, she was 100% accurate. House FULL birthdays always start with a run to our small island grocery to pick up donuts for breakfast. Later in the evening, we had a small family party at home with her grandparents, our adopted great-grands and her siblings. "Small family party" is a relative term...

On Birthday Saturday, Daddy wakes up the birthday child while the other kids are still sleeping. They make a repeat run to the island grocery for a donut and strawberry milk and drive to the beach for a 'walk and talk'. It's a highlight for all, and Giggles was no exception as she returned home and bounced through the door...giggling.

Sunday night was the most anticipated event, however. Our church has recently reinstated the "Birthday Bank." Giggles marched into evening service with her four pennies carefully pocketed. When her turn came, she was almost beside herself with an ear to ear smile...her enthusiasm was so great, she could hardly stand still long enough to get her pennies into the bank!! Someone later asked me if she'd needed to use the bathroom while she was onstage. Nope, she was just that excited!! I really wish I'd had the video camera...

One of the greatest accomplishments of her third year was that she stopped sucking her thumb. Her success story is a depiction of her personality. At her semi-annual dental check up last summer, the dentist explained that pretty soon she'd need to stop sucking her thumb for the sake of her teeth. No big hurry, he said, just something to start thinking about. He then shared that when she stopped sucking her thumb for seven whole days, Mommy could make a call to his office and he'd send a present in the mail. Before we left, I whispered to the hygienist that she'd never do it; I still couldn't get this going-on-three-and-half-year-old potty trained!!

Three days after the appointment, Giggles came to me and stated matter-of-factly, "Mommy, I'm not sucking my thumb anymore." Hmmm...I hadn't noticed. But I started to pay attention. Sure enough, no daytime comfort sucking. I doubted she could be successful so quickly. That night I went up to check on her several times as she slept. While her hand was tucked up under her chin in a sucking position, her thumb was not in her mouth!! And she never sucked that silly thumb again. At the end of the week, we called the dentist to report the exciting news and, true to his word, he sent her a My Little Pony and a $10 Target gift card!!

And that's just how Giggles does life. She gets something set in her mind and does it (and she did finally get the potty thing down!!). Her determination and will, when directed properly, are something to be admired!!

She brings so much life to our days and truly is a ray of sunshine in our home. We can't imagine life without her and are so thankful for the gift the Lord chose to give us and let us keep.

We love you, Princess Bella Giggles!!