Monday September 5, 2011
Dear Emma,
I’m writing this on your ninth birthday. I hope today is extra special for you and that you feel important because you are! I hope that right now, at 3:30 in the afternoon, you are doing something just for you and having a blast!
I am your birthmother. I gave birth to you on this day 9 years ago! You were born at 7:17pm and weighed 8lbs 7.7oz and you were 20 inches long. I always remember those important facts about you, my baby. I’m sure your parents have talked to you about what “birthmother” or “birthmom” means and about adoption, but I wanted to tell you from me, that you are very loved!
I always wanted a little girl. I grew up with a big sister and don’t know so much about boys! When I found out I was having you I started making a baby quilt, bought baby clothes and shopped everywhere with you in mind! I picked out some girly fabric for the quilt- fairy kittens wearing tutu’s, and lots of pink, purple and blue squares to go with them. I had never made a quilt before, and had only sewed a little, but I had a “second mother” friend who was great at sewing and she was happy to teach me. I really enjoyed making that quilt for you and treasure photos of you as a baby on it!
I wasn’t married when I had you and I didn’t have much money. I was pretty young, too. I wanted you to have a wonderful life and have everything you needed and more- I wanted you to be able to take music or dance or horse-riding lessons if you wanted to!
Unfortunately I couldn’t give you those things, but I looked for some people who could- a Mommy and Daddy who wanted a little baby, and a sister for their little boy Ben!
I met your parents when you were still in my tummy! Your Mom brought delicious cranberry and vanilla chip cookies!
I was so happy to give your parents a baby, but sad for me. I missed you so much and still do. I know you don’t really know me, but I love you so much. Maybe one day, if you want, we can get to know each other better.
I thought you might want to hear a little bit about me and where I come from. I was born in a country called New Zealand, where kiwifruit and kiwi birds come from! It’s a beautiful place near Australia and the South Pole. The fruit was named after the bird because they are small, brown and furry like them. J People from NZ are called kiwis, so I’m a “kiwi”! Isn’t that funny? I like it, though. J
When I was 14 years old my parents, sister and I moved to North Carolina, USA, all the way from New Zealand! My dad is American, so he moved us back to where he grew up. I went to high school and some college here in the states. When I was half-way through college I had you! A beautiful, special baby girl. All my family was so happy to meet you. They, like me, were sad to say goodbye, though. Everyone felt like you were in great hands with your parents and were glad for you. We knew you’d be fine. We were just sad for us.
After I had you, I continued to do a lot of babysitting, as I had before. I wanted to be close to babies and children even more now. I loved hugging them and caring for them and praying for you. I loved it so much that I became a nanny. That’s like a serious babysitter who comes to the same family all the time and really is a big part of their lives for a long time. I found a nice family with 3 kids- Joe, age 5, Molly, age 3 (same as you were at the time) and Hope, 11 months old. I helped pick up the kids from preschool, drove them to birthday parties, to play at friends houses, to the park, to the zoo. We had a lot of fun- made play dough from scratch, painted pictures, did crafts and rolled on hills. We baked lots of cookies together, too! While I was working for them, their Mom had 2 more babies- Finn and Jack. The oldest kids have grown a lot now and don’t need a babysitter as much anymore. Now, Joe is 10, Molly is almost 9, Hope is 6, Finn is 2 and Jack is a wee baby, only 6 months old! Their Mom stays home with the little ones and the oldest 3 are in school.
Right now I am a preschool teacher in a two-year-old class. I really like it. I live in Charlotte, North Carolina, and enjoy visiting the mountains to hike and explore as well as the beach when I can. I love to travel and see new places. I love taking photos. I love animals, too. I have a lynx-point Siamese cat named Spyro, who I adore! I love dogs and other animals, too, but Spyro is my only pet right now.
My Nana, who lives in New Zealand, got very sick recently. She is a very special grandmother who was there at the hospital when you were born! She came all the way from NZ to be with me and my family and meet you!
My Mum (we say Mum, not Mom, in NZ! J) went to see Nana when she was sick, because that’s her mother. My sister and I really wanted to go see Nana, too. We didn’t have quite enough money for the plane tickets, though. I prayed and prayed that God would provide a way for us to see Nana one more time! It seemed impossible, but I had hope. A miracle happened, and we were given the money to go! Nana had wanted to see us so much she paid our way! I thanked God a lot for that! And Nana!
So, I just got back from a very special trip back to my homeland. I hadn’t been back in 8 years. I remember going the year after you were born. I am bringing you some souvenirs all the way from there- a kiwi stuffed animal, some stickers and tattoos, a badge, a balloon, some NZ flag toothpicks, a sheep cup (lots of sheep in NZ!), some pencils with a kiwi eraser, some chewing gum, and some New Zealand chocolate bars. Enjoy! I’m enclosing a few photos, too.
Next time I’ll have to send some photos of my dad (Paul) and my sister’s husband Evan and her kids. Rebecca’s children are Maya, age 5, Liv, age 4, and baby Bennett, who is 8 1/2 months old. I really enjoy being an auntie. J
You sound like a busy young lady! I am so glad you get to travel and see all kinds of neat things. Your family seems wonderful, too. I can’t believe you broke your arm rollerblading! L How are you doing now? Are you afraid to try skating again? I hope you give it another go! Don’t ever give up on what you love. Just remember, if you get knocked down, get back up again!
I would love to hear from you sometime if you want to write. I absolutely adore getting photos of you and hear what you’ve been up to.
Heaps of love from,
Vivienne
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