Baby Bats, dolls, and a grim outlook...oh my!

As I mentioned before I I have 3 kids which I refer to as my baby bats :) They are as most parents would say, the reason I am alive. When I was younger I never expected to have children. It was simply "not in the cards" I was very depressed growing up. I unfortunately went through some fucked up things and realized early on that things for what ever reason were not stacking up in my favor. My father was a raging alcoholic who was both emotionally and physically abusive. He kept company with some rather unsavory types. School too was very difficult for me as I was more of a loner and often clung on to the outcasts. I always rooted for the underdog as I saw myself as such. Sadly this too landed me in hot water . So all in all entering my late teens I had a grim view of the future and had little faith that I would make it past 20 let alone have children of my own. I did however have a crazy obsession with the name Lilith. One day while going through my parents garage full of junk which belonged to a previous owner I stumbled upon a dirty beat up doll . I picked it up and immediately became drawn into its eyes. I kept her and named her Lilith. She was the doll that started my doll collecting. Also she became the catalyst for the life long interest in modifying dolls and other items. She sat on my desk for about a month until I decided to clean her up. Boy did I ever! First I cut off all her hair. second I removed her head and cut open her belly leaving it as a flap that could be opened and closed. Then I created a spine for her out of epoxy and gave her temporary organs made of various foods,fake blood, and plastic things I had collected. Lastly I put her had back on and painted her white with black creating features like a widows peak complete with eyeliner,black lips,nail , and a hooded black cloak which wrapped around her open belly displaying her wonderful organs. Anyway...when I first became a father ,I was beyond happy to hear that it was a girl! Instantly I named her Lilith. No second thoughts needed. Her middle name I wanted to be Ghost. Lilith Ghost but her mother decided against it. But I still call her Lilith Ghost. Especially when my 2000 baby ,(now 12 years going on 16 :P) steps out of line . She has grown so fast,as if in the blink of an eye. Following her was my middle baby bat named Kaleb or super k as we call him . Or Cake as Lilith refers to him.Don't ask, I have no idea but it cracks me up for sure ,especially when he responds to it. Kaleb looks a lot like me when I was his age and is very loud and like his sister rarely stops to breathe while talking and talking and talking...but mainly its the broken volume knob one first notices. He is quite the character . He just turned 7 years old and is heavy into video games . Finally I have someone to play games with especially retro games which he is totally into as well :) Third is their step brother Gavin. He is now 3 years old and soon to be 4. He is also a character . He climbs the wall when around his brother and while still quite shy around others he is very fearless where as Kaleb and Lilith are more likely to cringe at the sight of a bug . Gavin runs straight into things with no fear. I love them so very much. I have suffered from depression and a panic disorder most of my life and honestly don't believe I would be here if it wasn't for them. No matter how upset I am, they always put a smile on my face! Gotta love those baby bats!