A True Bedtime Story

This is the story I told Isabelle tonight at bedtime.
Preface: Tonight we told the children that Isabelle's birthmother is expecting a little boy. They were excited but Isabelle asked, "Is she going to keep him?"

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Shanda. One day Shanda found out that she was going to have a baby. She wanted very much to be a mother but you see, she wasn't married. Her baby wouldn't have a Daddy. Shanda loved her baby so much, she wanted to give her everything in the world. She wanted her to have a Daddy who would love her and who would be excited to see her every day when he came home from work. She wanted her to have a big brother who would play with her and protect her. She wanted her to have a mother who could stay home and be with her instead of needing to go to work.
So she prayed to Heavenly Father to know what was the very best thing for her to do for her daughter. Honestly, there was a part of her that wanted Heavenly Father's answer to be, "Shanda, this baby is supposed to be your daughter, you are supposed to raise her and be her mother." But Heavenly Father's answer was that she was supposed to find the family that her baby was to be a part of. And so she began to search for the right family while she continued to pray that she would be strong enough to do what was best for her baby.

Then one day she found a family. There was a Dad named Scott, a Mom named Sunny and a two year old brother named Ryan who had been praying for a very long time that Heavenly Father would help them find their little girl. Because they knew that there was a little girl waiting to be in their family.
Then came the day that the beautiful baby girl was born. Shanda held her in her arms in the hospital and loved her. She touched her face (I touched her face), stroked her beautiful brown hair (I stroked her beautiful brown hair), touched her eyebrows, (etc.) and memorized every bit of this beautiful girl because she didn't know when she would see her again. (At this point, you may imagine that my eyes were teary, but picture my sweet Isabelle with a quivering chin and rubbing her eyes to keep the tears away.)

Now the story begins a new chapter, the chapter where she comes to our home, our lives, our family and our hearts. Izzy has heard variations of this complete story many, many times in her little life. She loves to hear it. But tonight she needed to be reminded of something very important and this is how the story ended tonight...

(With Izzy in my arms) She loved you so much. She still loves you so much. I am so, so, so thankful that she had enough strength and enough courage to do what Heavenly Father told her she was supposed to do. I am so thankful that she found us. Because I love you more than you'll ever know and I'm so glad that you're my girl.

Shanda, we love you (more than you'll ever know) and we are so excited that your arms will be filled very soon with your own little treasure.