Birthday Baby

Tomorrow is August 20, 2011.  It was on that day in 2010 that I gave birth to my third son, Simon Lee.  I can't believe his first year of life has already passed me by.  I knew it would go by fast.  I tried to savor all of those first days, first weeks, first few months.  But to be honest, he was by far my most difficult baby, and so a small part of me wanted him to grow up just to get through it.  And as I look at him, I'm so proud of how far he's come.  Yes, he was demanding as a baby, what baby isn't?  And with two other children to look after, there were some days when I wondered if I would make it through the day or night.  Now, I can't imagine my life without him.  He has added so much to my life.  Happy First Birthday Simon!  I love you so much!

A Few Hours Old

1 Day Old

1 Month Old

2 Months Old

3 Months Old

4 Months Old

5 Months Old

6 Months Old

7 Months Old

8 Months Old

9 Months Old

10 Months Old

11 Months Old

The Human Body

I have been amazed at what the human body is capable of, especially for us women.  One year ago,  I looked like this.

39 Weeks Pregnant with Simon

 

 

 

Back then, I could barely eek out walking for 2 miles.  And that was on a good day.  I remember when I started exercising and trying to lose the baby weight.  It was about 2 months after having Simon, and we had moved to our house here on the west side, which is very hilly.  I went out for one of my first jogs and realized how out of shape I was when I came to the first hill and had to walk.  It didn't help that a jogger happened by and jogged quickly past me.  I wanted to tell her, "Hey, I just had a baby!"  I just had to keep at it.  I was on a mission to lose the 45 pounds I had gained with this pregnancy.  (Which I'm happy to report I've lost all but 3).  And so I kept at the jogging.  Sometime around December, I was asked if I wanted to be part of a team to run Hood to Coast.  I jumped at the chance.  Not only did it seem like a great opportunity, but I also knew it would motivate me to get back in shape.  And one year later, with 2 weeks to go till HTC, I can now jog several miles a day.  And once again, I am just amazed at what a body can go through in a year. 

Married With Kids

When I was in my late teens, early 20's I used to hear the phrase, " I hope to be married with kids someday."  And I'm sure I said that phrase many times too.  But back then, did I, or any of us, really know what it meant?  I look at my life and think, yes, now I am married with kids.  But I didn't know that I would be married to a man that would go through a career change in his 30's and that I would be doing a lot of parenting on my own.  I didn't know that I would have a child who can yell at the top of his lungs when he's mad and throw a huge temper tantrum.  I didn't know that I would be exhausted after a long day and not be able to go to sleep till all of my children were bathed, put PJ's on, brushed teeth, read stories too, etc.  I didn't know that I would never sleep in again and sometimes have to wake at 5:30 because one of my children would be ready to get up.  I also didn't know that I would be married to someone who after a long day/night of work comes home and his face lights up when he sees his kids.  I didn't know that I would be married to a man who could see I was tired and tell me he was going to make us dinner.  I didn't know that I would have a child who would say, "Can I share with him because there are no more left and he probably wants one?"  I didn't know that my baby's face would break out in a huge grin when I would pick him up in the morning, even if that morning time is 5:30.  I didn't know that I would have a child crawl into bed with me early in the morning, only to fall back asleep with me.  Nobody tells us about the day to day details of being married with kids.  But each day I am figuring out what that means. 

In the Hospital with Simon & Family

Simon, Sam & Daniel

Sings for Camp Meeting

A couple of Sabbath's ago, Daniel got to sing with his church group at Camp Meeting.  The kids were so cute.  They wore these blue robes and white gloves.  Daniel was in the front row, being one of the shorter kiddos.  They sang two songs.  Daniel had faithfully learned his sings, listening to the CD.  The last few times he has been up front, he's made quite an impression on the audience, so we were glad that on this particular performance, he maintained his composure, and sang along with the group.  Needless to say, he made his parents very proud.

Daniel Gets Ready to Sing

The Choir