A Year

A lot can happen in a year. Yesterday was my baby's first birthday. And, even after a year, His Story is still as fresh as it was a year ago. Paul's birth has been so imprinted in our minds as one of the most intense and traumatic events ever to happen to our family. And, while everything turned out fine and perhaps wasn't as dramatic to others as it was us, I will still run into people who are itching to ask me about it or will say to me softly, "I was working the night you had Paul."

In the past year Luke has learned to be an amazing brother. He's affectionate, protective and playful with his brother-pal. I've grown to take things in stride, and that the things I worried about before Paul's birth were really nothing to worry about at all. We've all learned that not all newborns scream constantly (ah ha, Luke), and that our second one slept most of the fist eight weeks of his life.

We've also learned that a baby wakes up after eight weeks, too ;-) .

We've learned to love more than we thought we could. We've learned to double our cheek kisses with an extra kissable set around. We've learned to cloth diaper and to potty train all in the same month. We've learned, even more, that family is what we want and that family is what makes us happy. You, my sweet baby, make us happy.

We love you, Paul Joseph. If your birth and first year tell us anything, it's that God has big plans for you. We're waiting patiently and with love to see what those are.