Libby Lou

There is just something about this girl...she melts my heart and fills me with joy! 

I will admit that at times that the second child gets a little bit of a bad rap or even just a little less attention.  It's never meant that way but those stinky first born children (I know because I am one) are good at stealing the attention.  Lately though, it's the little red head that has caught my heart.  She literally bounces around the house.  Not in an obnoxious, out of control way though.  Just a happy gallop with a giant grin.  She is a little one bursting with feelings and emotions.  Sometime's I'm not sure how to handle them but I'm learning. :-)

I was talking with Mark the other night about what I was seeing in her.  At first I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was but as I talked it all came together.  She truly loves and cares about people...even at the age of 2.  This is an example that happens MANY times every day.  Libby is being bugged in some fashion, usually it's that someone wants a toy that she is holding.  She initially holds a little tighter to the toy but then when the other child slows down and Libby is able to look them in the eye, the toy is passed along happily.  I'm no expert but I've found that if my oldest child is in a similar situation her eyes immediately seek out the adult authority in the room to correct the situation.  She wants the rules to be followed.  Not Libby.  She doesn't look for the adult, she looks at the person.  When she has been assured that that particular toy will make the person happy, she hands it over.  Not every time but probably 85% of the time. 

It's been crazy to watch her learn how to control her emotions too.  I can literally watch her stop herself and process what to do when our 2 year old foster boy is hitting her.  Sometimes she will hit back but the majority of the time, she tries so hard to hold herself together and just moves away.   

One last story.  The picture below was taken before church a few weeks ago.  I had tried to get a group picture of all the kiddos but a 3 of them, including Libby, were just not into it.  No big deal we moved on to loading up the car.  However, Libby was not ready to move on.  We loaded everyone up but her and me and she was still pitching a fit.  I could tell that she realized she had missed an opportunity and that she wanted to make things right.  I asked her if she wanted to take another picture.  She wiped her tears, put on a smile and viola.  She was not pitching a fit to get her way, she didn't want a picture in the first place.  She was continuing to pitch a fit because she wanted to right the wrong.  After the picture, she hopped into the car without a fuss and grinned the whole way to church.  

I know I'm going to continue to learn more and more about her as she grows but it's been such a blessing to observe her over the last several weeks.  I can see change in her.  I can see her growing in her love for others and in her ability to control her emotions.  It's brought me great joy.  :-)