One year ago today, you woke me up with a sharp kick to the stomach. You hit me so hard, that I got up to go to the bathroom, and I realized what was happening. You hadn't just kicked me. You broke my water.
I woke up Dad at about 4:30 a.m., and he called your grandma who was ready to come take care of Jameson, Truman, and Amelia. We rushed off to the hospital, excited because we knew you were coming. We checked in, and labor progressed painfully quickly. By 7 or 8, I was begging for an epidural, and the doctor showed up not long after.
A few hours later, you were ready to meet the world, and you were out in no time. Moments after you were born, I found out that you were a boy. I was a little surprised since I was convinced you were a girl. Either way, you were perfect, and I could not wait to bring you home to meet your brothers and sister.
We spent the next two days holding you, staring at you, and trying to pick your name. We knew right away that you were going to be such a good baby. You have not disappointed.
I knew you would be smothered in love from day one, and I knew I was right when everyone was far more excited to see you than Mom and Dad when we came home from the hospital. Every morning, JJ still wakes up to see if his little Darwinky is up yet. Truman and Amelia rush to Mom and Dad's bed when they wake up for a chance to be close to you and talk to you.
You are so anxious to be one of the big kids, and Mom is happy to keep you as a baby for as long as possible. Now I know why parents spoil the baby. I feel lucky to be your mom, and I can't wait to learn more about the little boy you are becoming. Before I know it, you'll be off to school (like JJ), anxious to do whatever JJ, Truman, and Amelia are doing.
Today, I just wanted to take a moment to remember how excited I was a year ago today to know that I would finally get to meet you. You have made it easy to be your mom, and you charm me every day with you big dimples, coy smiles, and happy demeanor.
After a long blogging hiatus, I needed something like Father's Day to pull me out of my rut. Sadly, I missed the actual date, but I am still compelled to write my "Father's Day" post. After all, there's no reason we can't celebrate Father's Day any day of the year.
In this household, I am the one that fails to plan for birthdays, anniversaries, or any other special occasion. James is far better in this department, and the kids know it. Apparently, Father's Day deserves more hype than I planned. Jameson told me on Saturday (our chosen day to celebrate) that 'Dad gets to sleep late and eat breakfast in bed'. I told him that we were making cards, and he told me, "We have to make more plans than that". Like I said, I usually fall short in special event planning. Jameson was right. Our family owes James more than that, but James was happy to sleep in until 10:30 and eat a cold bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit in bed. The beauty of men is that they are simple creatures.
Well, I might have missed the actual day, but that does not make James's role in our family any less special any other day. Every day I come home to happy, healthy children (and maybe a cooked dinner) is another day I am thankful for everything he does for us. I know the children concur.
They each have their special bond with their dad, and it's always cute, sometimes even funny, to see it in action. For instance, one of Amelia's favorite rituals is to ask to hold his finger whenever we're in the car. Yes, it sounds ridiculous, and it is, but it's still kind of cute. I am not sure how this strange request ever came up, but I am sure one day she will laugh when I tell her that story.
Jameson's favorite pastime with Dad is definitely video games, specifically Mario Galaxy (or the more recently released Mario Galaxy 2). Strangely, Jameson doesn't even care to play so much as he does to WATCH James play. I'm not sure why or how it works, but Jameson loves to have some video game time with dad.
Truman's favorite time with Dad is just about any one-on-one time he can get. Truman is so good at independent play and is so low-maintenance (usually) that it's easy to just let him do his thing. He's happy to play on his own, but he loves it when James roughhouses with him. He will squeal in delight and his legs buckle when he's laughing hard, startled, or excited. Truman loves to curl up on the couch with Dad, his cup of milk, and a good cartoon.
Darwin is the latest addition to this rowdy bunch. He's no longer happy to sit back and watch all the fun, so he is demanding to get down and do what the other kids are doing. Like all those before him, Darwin is a big fan of Dad. I know James was happy to finally have one of our kids say "da da" before "ma ma".
Okay, so I'm a bit late with my "Father's Day" post, but is there ever really a bad time to say thanks, James, for being without question the best dad and husband possible? I don't think so.
It looks like we might actually be selling our house. We even have a closing scheduled at the end of the month, so at the risk of jinxing our potential sale, I bought our neighbors a gift. On my way home from work tonight, I stopped at a cake bakery, and I picked up a box of delicious cupcakes. We have one set of great neighbors. You know - the kind who mow our grass, snow blow our driveway, and cook for us after we have another baby. Anyway, they're great, and we will miss them. A box of cupcakes is just a small gesture.
Well, I couldn't go and buy cupcakes for our neighbors and not bring some home for our kids. I brought them cupcakes too, and I got them a few "cookie monsters". After dinner I handed out the cookies monsters, and Truman, as usual, devoured his. A short while later, after running about 30 or so races from the front door to the couch, Truman decides he wants to eat again. He says he wants more "cookie monter". "Sorry, Truman, but Mom just has cupcakes", I tell him. With his cute as always "Yup", he agrees, he wants "buttcakes". "Yup, buttcakes"!
I have so many posts that have only really made it to draft form (15 to be exact) and for one reason or another I see them later and I am compelled to post them. I love this one inspired by a story from Jameson.
The Roof Came Alive by Jameson
Once there was a little boy who had a tiny little brother, and all his little brother liked to do was suck on his hands. So the little boy was very lonely and he wanted a friend. The mouse magician knew the little boy wanted a friend, so he did some magic one day and the roof came alive! Now the little boy had a friend.(originally drafted 1/20/2010)
He told this story shortly after Darwin was born when he was too little to do much but suck on his hands. It was one of those stories that kids come up with on the fly, but I love the "mouse magician" he pulled out of nowhere. I laughed as I re-read it, and I thought at least James would get a kick out of it.
I told James last night that I was resolved to blog at least one more time before the end of 2009. Let see if I make it. . . . Nope, I failed but here goes anyway
This year we. . .
. . . saw the twins turn 2, and we had a small (immediate family only) party at home. I figured that we'll have many future birthday parties with children and guests overrunning the house, so we opted for low-key this year. Happy Birthday, my twinkies! I owe both of you two blogs or letters since I have missed writing to you both years. (video to come)
. . .celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, and I can hardly believe that here we are 5 years later with 4 kids. I love it when people ask 'how do you do it?'. I always think 'I don't know.', and I'm pretty sure that most parents with lots of little ones think the same thing. It's all happening so fast, you barely have time to think about it happening. One thing is certain though. We make a good team when we're not driving each other crazy, and that's really important with small kids. They count on us to hold this thing together, and so far, I think we're doing pretty well.
. . .pulled Jameson out of school. I really regretted having to pull Jameson out of school, but daycare is ridiculously expensive for a single-earner household. I do not miss the virus of the week he would bring home, but we're still getting more than our fair share of "sickies". He is very anxious to get back to school, and I know he misses his friends.
. . .had James quit his job and stay home with the kids. This was probably the single best decision we made all year. We didn't have to think too long and hard about this one. It just made sense. Even though I tease him about being my housewife, he really does a great job with the kids.
. . . watched how our daughter had turned from infant into little lady. She is 2 going on 12, already rebelling and telling me "Stop it, Mama!". She's like a little parrot, happy to repeat everything we say. Almost from the time she was a newborn, she has had this knowing smile that says 'yeah, I know what's up'. She thinks she's part of every joke, happy to feign laughter as if she's in on it. She wakes up in the mornings telling us that we need to "change Maya" and that "Buddy's stinky" (Buddy is, of course, Truman). Here's a short video of spunky, little Maya.
. . . found out that even Truman will have the 'terrible twos'. Truman was such an easy baby in most regards. He went to bed easily. He ate whatever you gave him. He would sit happily. He would play happily. Well, unfortunately, even though he was an easy baby, it appears even he will go through the rebellious, tantrum-ridden twos. Now, he enjoys throwing everything in sight, biting you if you make him mad, picking fights with JJ, and bullying Amelia. He can be the sweetest, most sensitive little boy one second, but, look out, 'cause he's got a mean streak. That's okay by me though because I think everybody needs a little edge. Here's a little Truman craziness.
. . . welcomed Darwin into the world! Despite thinking we would have at least a 3 year break before having any more children, we found out that we could not have planned things any better. Darwin is precious and such a good baby. He is cooing like crazy, and I can already tell he's going to be a talker like JJ and Maya. I love curling up next to my little guy at night, and I am relishing the baby stage. Jameson has enjoyed Darwin since he is now fully aware of all the big brother responsibilities and privileges. Here's a video of Jameson's favorite morning activity.
. . . actually went out on Halloween, and James remembered that he's no longer 20. It took a long drive home and an early wake-up call from the twins for it to really sink it, but I'm pretty sure he's got it now.
. . . hosted James's family Christmas at our house. James's mom asked, and I wasn't sure how it would work out, but we had a great time. It was nice to get to spend some time with adults since we were able to put the kids to bed then spend some time talking and playing games.
. . . James finally saw Footloose and the warehouse dancing scene. We saw Hot Rod earlier this year, and I told him he couldn't really appreciate the dancing scene in Hot Rod without having seen the original. I also told him that you can't consider yourself a movie fan if you've never seen Footloose.
I know we had a lot more going on that I could ever blog about, but these are some of the highlights. I wish I could capture every moment, and some days I wish my kids weren't growing up so fast. I can hardly believe another year has come to a close, and time just seems to keep accelerating. I remember when I was a kid a year felt like an eternity. Now, a year seems to pass me by before I get to everything I want or need to do. I'm hoping, wishing, and praying for a happy and healthy 2010 for all our friends and loved ones.
