I am blessed

What is the best compliment your daughter can give you as a Mother? This is kind of a hard one I think. Let me back track a little bit. This past week has been packed full of summer time fun. We decided to not put Anna into a summer program but instead she is spending time with Gerard, my Mother and at Me-Me's house while I sleep and do home work. Anna just loves spending time with Hans so for now it works. The rest of the time she is with me. This is the most time that I have gotten to spend with just her since she has been home. We are going days without being apart.

Tonight when I was getting ready for work my Mother came over a little early. She had been at my sister's house visiting with her boys. She asked Anna "Did you miss me?" Anna looked at her and said "Nope! Just Momma when she is not home." This got me thinking about our relationship. I struggled when Anna came home that is no secret. I know her transition was difficult for her. She was taken from everything that she knew with little means of communicating with us because of the language barrier. I can not even begin to imagine how hard that was for her. More on that another day.

I started to think about our relationship and how she views me. I want to be the best possible Mother to Anna which is difficult at times because this can also make me an unpopular Mother. When it comes to setting limits, chores such as picking up your toys or brushing your teeth these are all things that Anna does not really like to do but things that I insist that she does do.

I think that you can learn a lot about a child by watching and listening to them play. A little over a year ago we made the decision that we were going to limit the amount of time the TV was on. Yes, we allow her to watch movies and a few TV shows but certainly not more then 2 hours a day. With the TV off I am able to hear Anna play; which by the way is far more entertaining than the TV ever could be. She has a very big imagination and an even better memory. So the other day I was listening to her play as I folded the laundry.

She started off by playing with the "guys" or her little plastic horses. She started to act out different story lines. I laughed a little bit when she told one of the horses that she did not like their behavior but that she loved them anyway. I love that she is hopefully starting to put together that her behavoir does not change how much I love her.

Anna has taken up to telling strangers when we are out that she is pregnant. This is very sweet and inocent but her imagination again floors me. As she talks (mind you I am right there) she tells them that she and Anthony got married, he is a dragon slayer, and that he needs her. Usually this is followed by an "Ooo I just felt my baby move!" Sometimes it is hard to keep a straight face.

So the other day as she was playing with her baby (also known as her glow worm). I watched and listened. She talked to her baby so sweetly "I need to dress you so you do not get a cold." Then I found her in our rocking chair rocking her baby and singing Twinkle, twinkle little star. I used to sing this to her every night. She proceded to tell her baby "I have to go to Shop Rite for soda, a sandwich and strawberry milk (Strawberry Kefir). I will come back an rock you, I will be gone but I am coming back for you."

Wow is all I can think. All of this from a child that close to three years ago really did not view me as anyone special or different. I can not help but wonder...how come I am so blessed? The facts are true Anna may have been from an orphanage and yes her life here might be better than the one she would have had in Russia but I am the one who is blessed to be able to call her my daughter.