A Mother's Day To Remember

I'm not a mom and I'm not sure I ever will be. Truth is I have zero desire to bear children. I can't say I've written off the idea of ever having them, but one decision I did make several years ago is that I would never give birth to a child. I always said that if I were to have kids, I'd adopt. I've just always felt that adoption is such an incredible thing to do and there are so many children who need a chance and a loving home. I shared this with Andy soon after we met and thankfully, he had no issues with it. In fact, he is (and always has been) on the exact same page as me when it comes to kids. The bottom line is that we love our life the way it is and at least right now, we recognize that we are too selfish to have children. I'm fine admitting that, too and think there's nothing wrong with it. Until I can devote my life to taking care of, and raising another person, I'm perfectly content being the best Aunt I can be.

Well, yesterday I became an Aunt to the most beautiful baby girl!! Meet Grace Katya!

Yes, it finally happened! My sister and husband got home from Russia yesterday with Grace in their arms. After a 3+ year long journey, their family is finally complete. My family spent the day up at their house celebrating Mother's Day and anxiously awaiting their arrival. Neighbors stopped by all day dropping off posters they made to decorate the house and to share in the excitement. My sister has an incredible group of neighbors and they have all provided so much love and support to her over the years.

Grace's birth name means strawberry

When we knew they were a few minutes away, my family and a ton of their neighbors gathered on the front lawn to surprise them when they arrived. When they pulled up the street, there was no holding back Nate and Aidan (my nephews). They were so excited they ran into the street carrying the signs they made to welcome home their new baby sister. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life. As my sister pulled into the driveway, exhausted and overcome with emotion, I could see the relief in her face. She was home, on Mother's Day, with ALL of her children.

The boys finally meeting their sister!

Jeanette with her 3 beautiful children

Watching my sister go through this adoption taught me so much. I not only learned that my sister is stronger than I ever knew, but I learned that there's nothing like sisterhood. While I can't relate to my sisters desire to have children, I'd be lying if I said I didn't carry a portion of her pain, stress and struggles over the past few months when things got crazy. I am so proud of her for staying strong and not giving up when things became unbearable. Grace has no idea how wonderful her mom is and some day she'll realize just how lucky she is.

So, now that it's all over, I can focus on spoiling Grace rotten! I wonder if she'll be a runner...

I know, I look terrible...I couldn't stop crying long enough for the picture!