This was the year . . .

That David heard the story.

Oh, we've told it to him before. Many many times we've told it to him. Sometimes in its entirety, other times in bits and pieces.

But this year he heard it. He attentively listened. He hung on to the details, and repeated them back to us with wide eyes. And his whole body smiled as we reminded him of all the people who love him.

Throughout the week of his birthday, his bedtime story as he lay upon his pillow centered around "four years ago today . . ." He heard about when we missed the first call from his birthmom, and how we were on edge waiting for the next calls while we knew she was having contractions.

His very favorite part was when I demonstrated to him how we were crazy and we ran around, trying to get ready to get on the airplane so we could go be with him when he was born. Emotions were tender as we told the story night after night at his bedside. And this silliness caused him to laugh so hard he cried.

He heard about how we marched through the airport with an empty carseat, and unsuspecting strangers peered in expecting to see a wee one--but all they found was Mommy's purse. And he heard about how the rental car process was taking forever, and mommy was so worried that it was causing us to miss important time at the hospital that I had to go sit down and take a few deep breaths while Daddy handled the 90-minute car rental process that should have been 10.

He heard about how we missed the turn to the hospital, and we drove across a long bridge before we could find a place to turn around.

He heard about who was in the room with us when he was born. And who we immediately called after he was born. He heard about how he came out ear first because he wanted to hear all of the sounds of this big world that was welcoming him.

He heard about his first bath at 3:00 am, and how mommy and daddy got to sleep in the room next door to David and his birth mom in the maternity unit. He heard about how at 7:00 in the morning we went in to see how AP and David were doing, and AP suggested that we take him for a few minutes back to our room while she took a little nap. And that was the first time it was Mommy-Daddy-David.

He heard about how we tried to send flowers to AP while she was in the hospital, but the flower delivery guy was turned away at the door downstairs. So Mommy and Daddy had to go to the florist to pick up the arrangement instead of having them just "appear."

We told David about how he cried loud when he had to go into his car seat, and it was the first time he had really cried in his little life. Then mommy figured out that the seat belt was too tight, and once we loosened it just a bit, David stopped crying and kept looking all around.

 

He heard about how the car ride to leave the hospital was squishy because now we were a family with a baby, and fitting everything in to the car was a little more challenging.

David heard again about the day when we went to the temple. We told him who was in the room with us, and how there were lights everywhere that David couldn't stop looking at. And he was happy. We showed him the mirrors where it looks like eternity, and David gave the family in the mirror a big gummy smile and a funny little laugh.

The story always comes back to who sent David to our family--and how Heavenly Father trusted AP well enough and He knew David would come be part of our family, even though he didn't grow in Mommy's belly. David heard about how AP said a prayer to ask which family should be David's forever family, and that night Heavenly Father gave AP a dream so she would know the answer. We want to make sure that David knows that once AP made her decision, she never looked back. She had tremendous support from her family. And even though the decision was difficult, they still went through with it--because it was right.

In a four-year old world that centers around courage, and super heroes, and believing the impossible can happen--David heard the story.

And he loved it.