...and Baby Makes Four: March 2012

Today is Caden's big day! Today, Caden turns one! We celebrated with a few friends and family and had a blast! David and I learned that preparing for a first birthday was not for the weak! It was a lot of work! We had a great time and so did Caden!

He pulled himself right up after mommy sang to him!

I tried to make a whole day of it! We started out with a happy birthday wake up song, which he loved! He knew today was his big day! He was all smiles from the moment I walked in his room! Then we had a birthday breakfast!

He wasn't too excited about wearing his birthday hat!

It was so fun to watch him interact with the other "almost" one year old and older kids! He played like such a big boy! He loves to spend time in his play corner where all of his toys live. He pulls himself up on the toy bins and starts pulling everything out! This time had had buddies to help him out! It was the cutest thing ever! Most of our weekly play group was able to make it, so he had most of his buddies here. They had a glorified play date! It was great!

All in all, we had a fabulous birthday party! We can't believe that Caden is already one! Where has the time gone? He is such a sweet boy and we love him more than we both ever thought we could love anything! He is our pride and joy! Happy birthday sweet boy!

His first taste of a sugery treat!

Not so sure about it!

Oh boy! He loved it!

I mean LOVED it!

He had lots of help unwrapping his gifts.

Playing with some of his new birthday toys!

And we were all wiped out by the end of the day!

I can't believe this day is finally here. I have been thinking about it for months now-planning, shopping, preparing, and the day is finally here. Happy 1st Birthday, sweet Caden. You are one whole year old today.

This day has brought up many different emotions. We can't believe that our sweet boy is one year old already. We have been parents for one year! I gave birth one year ago! These thoughts have been racing through my mind and it all seems surreal. I never thought about how the parents felt on their child's birthday. We only think about the child and celebrating another year of life. But it is also a celebration for the family.

Dave and I have spent the last month recalling our every move-different places we were, pictures we took, Sounder's soccer games we went to and little did we know that our son would be arriving in just a few short weeks! Every time we see the TV show "Wipe Out", we think of me sitting on the yoga ball, eating salmon, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, drinking a strawberry milkshake and breathing through the contractions-all while "Wipe Out" was in the background trying to provide a few giggles between bites and contractions. Shortly after that, the really hard labor started, which seemed to last forever.All I could focus on was the fact that I desperately wanted to meet my son and hold him in my arms. He was our baby that we had fallen in love with before he was even conceived.

Thirty hours after this all started, we finally met our sweet son. He was the most beautiful boy we had ever seen. The emotion that overcame me was something I couldn't imagine. He was finally here. The boy we had cared for, sang to, talked to, dreamt of, was finally here and he was breathtaking; a true gift from God.

Today, as I watch Caden crawl all over the living room, pull himself up on the furniture, reach for a book and flash us a huge smile with those 6 teeth of his, I think back on a year, the best and toughest year of our lives. There was a day when I thought I had traded sleep for a son to love. He was four and a half weeks early, but has surely caught up to his peers! He is busy, inquisitive, silly, loving, curious and persistent. He loves his dog Sophie and both David and I. We are so excited to watch this little one grow and become the man that God has planned for him to be. This Journey will be exciting and we are so blessed to walk beside him. We love you very much, Caden.