Then I came home at Christmas and fell in love. This little boy was the chubbiest, cutest little Butterball in the world. I knew he had to be ours. Then comes the wait. The legal battle between CAS and unfit parents is a torturous one. You can never be sure of the outcome, and of course you want justice done, but the waiting is terrible. My mother's calls that simply had previously composed of gushing turned into calls where she'd turn on the speakerphone and I'd 'talk' to the baby for half an hour, or she'd leave the phone on in his room and I'd sing him to sleep.
Then we got news that the beautiful little boy could be ours. The same day of such joy turned into one of great sadness as well, as most everyone knows. However, we had a light. A beautiful, broken little boy to tend to, to care for, to love and coddle. A little boy who quite literally saved our lives.
I was so blessed to be with Eli in his toddler years. My gorgeous little butterball and I did everything together, from beach days, where he would get covered in chocolate ice cream only to be dunked in the lake again, to road trips to see Auntie Jenn, to all of the shopping, where any vegetables I left beside his carseat would all have curious little tiny bite marks out of each of them- including a turnip once, to swimming lessons where I learned that this kid, who was about 16 months had no fear whatsoever in him. We went out to Edmonton together to meet the family and he had an absolute blast with his cousins he still speaks of from all those years ago. He was always such a happy little munchkin, and a light in dark times. He was a blessing and a joy.
Over the last 7 years he's kept us all smiling, laughing and given us hope. He's our bright light and greatest joy, and now he's 8! So Happy Birthday Butterball. I do now, and will always love you to infinity and beyond and even more than that, and in that regard, I will always win.
