gratitude journal: day 3

Jee-Jee Luigi (as I like to call her)

A little over three and one-half years ago, we had boughten our first home and I was expecting our second child. Immediately I set to work painting our soon to be little girl's room. It had to be pink and it had to be perfect. I took gentle care in placing all of her tiny clothes into her dresser and all of the adorable decorations I had collected throughout the pregnancy and when I thought I got her room just so, I would change it again and again, and would smile every time I would walk by and look into the empty nursery.

I was excited, but nervous at the same time about how I was going to love another child as much as I loved Hunter. Then the day came that we rushed to the delivery room and two hours later, I was holding my beautiful, chubby, soft and perfect baby girl. I knew then that a mother's love doesn't divide, it multiplies with each child that is born.

Why am I grateful for Jaina? She is my sunshine! She is the life and excitement of our home. I am grateful for her energy and for her willingness to just be happy. I am grateful that she wants to choose the right and help others. I am grateful she always asks me if she can help me cook dinner and that she loves going shopping with me. I am grateful that she likes to help me change Grey's diapers and that she and Hunter are good buddies. She does anything to make him happy from getting a toy he wants from upstairs to being his "Batman's" ever faithful side kick, Robin, for Halloween. However, that changed when she found out that she really does like princesses after all.

I am grateful that she shouts "yay!" when she is excited! I am grateful for her cute little speech impediment and that she just talks and talks like she knows exactly how to pronounce words. I am grateful she has things in life that she is passionate about , namely her doggies. I am grateful that most every night I can tell her the same made up story about a doggy that is hiding in the bushes at the park and she takes him home and gives him a bath, wraps him in a blankie and then feeds him bottle and rocks him to sleep. She'll then smile her beautiful smile and go right to sleep with one of her many stuffed doggies tucked under her arm.
I am grateful for her striking eyes that when caught in sunlight, sparkle like diamonds. Jon and I have had many talks about what color her eyes really are. They aren't really blue, and they aren't quite green. Jon says they are golden eyes, so that's what Jaina says, "I have doughdin eyes." I am grateful I have a daughter and hopefully one day a really good friend who will come to me with her excitements and sorrows. I am grateful for my Jaina.