A Short Story

I just have to share this small story and do promise to keep it short! Tyler is eyeballing me with skepticism and crawling this way as I type, so he can keep me honest! :)

Earlier this afternoon while grocery shopping with Tyler I bumped into a neighbor who also happens to originally be from China. During our catch-up she began to chatter with Tyler in Mandarin (the language spoken in Taiwan) using some words she thought he might be familiar with such as, "bottle", "dinner", "yum-yum", "park", and so on. He was listening to her with rapt attention, smiling and babbling away throughout. He was obviously delighted, very intrigued & recognized the words.

Just before parting to finish up our shopping she tossed out one final phrase and he went CRAZY with joy! He quickly looked at me, began to bob up & down in the cart, clap his hands and grin wildly! She did it again with the same reaction. She then quietly shared that she had been saying, "I love you" to him in Mandarin.

Oh, my heart just about did flip flops in that moment and I nearly wept with joy! She continued to linger and offered to assist me in learning that one phrase. I was so appreciative and practiced all the way home in the car. Once home I sat him down, looked right into his eyes and repeated it the best I could. *sniffle* ........he just stared and stared, then lifted his pudgy tiny hand to my cheek and leaned forward to share one of his open mouthed baby kisses. My heart almost burst.........for of course I (we) had been telling him that in English over & over, but this was the first time I was able to share it in his first language.

It also fills my heart with such immense gratitude for his beautiful Foster Mom who I already knew had taken such loving and excellent care of him during our wait. But to know that she also showered him in words of love is simply amazing. Our gratitude for her is so huge and I hope that others reading this whose babies/children are waiting rest easier knowing that angels tend to their little ones in our absence.