In Like a Lion

I had seen the doctor that very morning who assured me things were looking good and the next four weeks should be uneventful.  Madeline accepted the challenge and came roaring into this world a month early six years ago in a rush of excitement, including my first and hopefully last ambulance ride, due to a ruptured placenta.   

This child, who came in with a roar is also so much like a little lamb.  Johnathan and I joke that God put this sweet girl in between our other two for a good reason.  She can go with the flow, she can take the punches and her sense of humor and wit is often beyond her years.  

She lives her days to the fullest, so much so that I've seen her falling asleep, head nodding while brushing her teeth to go to bed.  She can barely rest her head on the pillow before she's asleep. 

And her sass, oh has she got some sass.

Don't get me wrong, she has her moments when that Lion nudges through.  She is slow to anger, but when she does, it is a quiet, purposeful anger.  She is the strong silent type.  She quietly stews in it for some time.

She has always loved babies.  Real and pretend, animal or human, she does not discriminate.  They melt her heart.  I asked to take her picture and she only obliged if I would also take a picture of her with  "This little sweetie.  Isn't she just precious, Mama?"

She is a helper, a nurturer, a caregiver, a sweet soul and I'm so grateful for this girl.  I pray she continues to have the gentle spirit of the lamb with the determination of the lion, the ability to frolic in the fields and the ability to hunt down what she wants without wavering, the knowledge of when to obey and follow the pack and when to stand out in front and roar.  

Happy Sixth Birthday to my lion and my lamb.