conversations with lia

In the last couple of days I have very funny and some serious conversations with Lia. Sure, she is only three years old but she is asking questions that aren't easy but necessary to talk about.

The first was on Saturday. We were standing at the sink getting ready to go to a party and she looked up with her sweet little almond eyes and asked, "Did I grow in your tummy?" I said, "No you didn't grow in my tummy." I wasn't sure if that would be sufficient or if she would ask more. "Did Zach grow in your tummy?" "Yep, Zach grew in my tummy." She paused for a second and then asked, "Whose tummy did I grow in?" We have been telling Lia her story from the moment we took her into our arms. Every so often we add a bit more to her story when we think she's ready or when she ask a question. We haven't ever talked about her birth mother. So on Saturday I knew that we would add a new piece to her story and talk about her birth mom. No explanations about the whys just a simple answer. I explained that she was born from a mommy's tummy in China and that that mommy wrapped her safely in a blanket, placed her in a basket and brought her to a safe place until Daddy and I came to bring her home. Lia responded with, "Oh, I was born from a mommy's tummy in China and she made me cozy in a blanket and put me in a safe place." "That's right!" I said, with a few tears in my eyes.

We will continue to add to the story as Lia leads us. As Lia grows her questions will get a bit harder and I will be open and honest with her. Sometimes I have this pain thinking about what she might feel when she realizes that for some reason her birth mom couldn't care for her when she was born. I pray that she will have such an assurance in her heart that God faithfully kept her and brought her to her family--from the other side of the world--and she will feel safe and secure and most of all that she will know that she is deeply loved.