"I love you, Baby."

Pam ~ When I was a little girl, I played with baby dolls. Most little girls play with baby dolls. But I mean I REALLY played with my babies.

(I'm on the left and my sister is on the right)

They were real to me. I got my baby up in the morning and got her dressed for the day. I fed her breakfast. I changed her diaper. I put her down for a nap. I fed her lunch. I gave her a bath. I took her to the store. I took her for a walk. I changed her diaper. I put her down for an afternoon nap. I fed her dinner. I read books to her. I changed her into her jammies. I put her to bed. I woke up the next morning and did it all again.

I did this for months, after months, after months. When my baby "cried" during church, I took her to the back of the auditorium and walked back and forth with her until she "stopped" crying. I put her coat on her when we went to the store or church or anywhere outside. I would change her when she "spit up". We had birthday parties for her on her birthday.

My baby was a REAL baby!!!!!! (And my mom put up with a lot!!!! Thanks, Mom!!!!)

I have to admit that when we found out that God was giving us a little girl, I did have hopes that she would also love babies. But I honestly didn't think about it too much. I acknowledged that my daughter might not want to play with a baby doll and that would honestly be fine with me.

It turns out that . . .

Maya Kisanet LOVES her babies!!!!!! She has three actual baby dolls and several stuffed animals (that she also calls "babies") and she loves them!!!! She dresses them and then changes their clothes (they get dressed in several layers because "baby is cold") and wraps them in blankets. She makes a bed for them out of blankets and sheets and makes it just perfectly for them because "baby is sleeping". She tells me to be quiet because "baby is sleeping". She puts pasta noodles in an old film canister, puts it in her pocket, and tells me "baby snack" (translation: it's for the baby to eat).

Tonight, her "baby" was a stuffed teddy bear (that she has been playing a lot with the last couple of days). After I had changed her into her jammies, she changed the baby/teddy bear into his "jammies" but was concerned because she had left his socks in the car. I told her that we weren't going to go get his socks tonight but we could get them in the morning. She thought about it for a few seconds and then proceeded to take off the clothes she had just put on him and put him back in the other clothes because there were "feet" on the other clothes and "baby feet cold".

Then I helped her wrap him up in his blanket and told her to put him on her bed.

As she lay her baby on her bed, she whispered, "I love you, Baby".

Praying for My Babies

Pam ~ Last night as I was in bed and supposed to be going to sleep, I had the overwhelming feeling of wanting to know where my babies are and how they are doing.  Most of the time I do a pretty good job of separating myself from those emotions, and praying almost in a disconnected state so that I don't cry every time I think of them.  And while I didn't cry last night, I prayed fervently for them.  That God would protect them and surround them with His love.

I'm still having those feeling this morning.  I don't know if something monumental is happening in my children's lives today or not, but they are on my heart and mind and I am praying constantly for them this morning.

Will you please join with me in praying for my children today?  Maybe someday we will have a date on a piece of paper that tells us what was happening in their lives today, and maybe we won't.  But that doesn't matter to me.  I'm praying for my babies!!!!!