Happy Birthday Adam

A year ago today was a day filled with emotions, most of them stressful and scary. I am happy that this day, a year later, is one filled with emotions like happy and crazy. All day today I have been looking at the time and thinking, I was just getting my epidural this time a year ago right now. Or the NICU nurse was introducing herself and prepping us for our time there a year ago at this exact time. Then the scary, Adam's heart rate just dropped at this time a year ago right now. Rehashing the whole story of his birth is not on today's agenda, but if you want a stroll down memory lane you can relive Adam's entry into life by clicking here and here.

Never has a year gone by so fast and it's hard to believe that in 12 incredibly speedy months, Adam and I have gone from here

to hereWhile I may not be rewriting the story of Adam's birth there are some random tid bits that I keep thinking about that I do want to record. Some of those memories include:

The thought that I waited almost 5 hours from the time my water broke to go to the hospital. My friend Katie will never forget that she broke my water when she touched my stomach right as sacrament meeting ended.

Joe and I having a rough day that became a bonding one when this birth adventure came to be.

Worrying that my in-laws would think I was a bad parent when they saw the state my house was in when they came to watch our kids while we went to the hospital.

The check in nurse apologizing to us that our water had broken and then, upon finding out Joe was a police officer, forgetting about me while she drilled him with domestic violence questions.

Calling Miranda to tell her that I wouldn't be able to teach the lesson on "The Sacred Power of Procreation" on Sunday because I would be either still in labor or have given birth to a child as a result of that power.

My toe nails becoming a conversation piece for the labor and delivery staff because each toe was a different color - a look requested and matched by Chloe the previous day.

Playing Bejeweled in the middle of the night on my phone while Joe slept and I weathered contractions without the benefit of medication.

The number of times Dr Lesser said stat when instructing the nurses prepping me for my move to the operating/emergency delivery room.

Recounting the story of the "stats" with laughter to my family to ward off the shock of what had actually happened.

Dazed, calling Heather, the wife of our bishop as well as my friend, and telling her I had had my baby within about 10 minutes of delivery. She wanted to know, I just don't think she thought I would be so quick to call her.

My kids giving me big hugs and kisses and then wanting to play with the TV and order food.

Entering the NICU for the first time, and being told to feel lucky if I got to hold Adam once a day for the first week he was alive.

Being introduced to "skin time" aka kangaroo care. The NICU nurses and I became quite close in those 7 weeks.

People telling me I lookd great for just having a baby, and me replying that it isn't as hard when your baby is 10 weeks early.

Becky stopping by our house the day we got home the hospital, not knowing I had had Adam, and gasping as I stood up on the porch and walked towards to car.

Going to church the week after Adam was born and hearing his birth announced over the pulpit and the request for prayers on his behalf.

The shock on people's faces at church who did not know I had had my baby and saw my stomach much flatter than a week previous.

Lots of yummy dinners (who know you could make a salad with Snickers and apples) and enough desserts to put all my baby weight back on.

Getting to know the other NICU moms.

Feeling like I could drive to and from the hospital with my eyes closed from the mulitple daily trips back and forth.

Noah and Chloe asking which friends they got to play with that day (so grateful they looked at those playdates as just that and not be abandoning them daily)

The comfort of the spirit I felt daily. So many people asked me how I was surviving and how I managed. My answer was and still is, you deal with what you are given because you have no other choice. This is how things played out and I would have to make it through one way or the other. Looking back though, I do wonder how I was able to survive having to spend so much time apart from my kids, either Adam in favor of home responsibilities, or Chloe and Noah in favor of Adam. How did I balance seeing Chloe in the primary program with trying to teach Adam to breastfeed, or make it to all of Chloe's soccer games? We survived preschool starting police shift changes, and even Joe's sister's wedding. How? The only way what we went though was even remotely bearable was that we were and are blessed to have a Heavenly Father and Savior that love us, that comfort us in trials, and promise that we can survive all things with faith. I am grateful for those promises and blessings.

I rambled on a bit longer about those memories than I planned, let's fast forward a year back to today, and Adam's birthday. Age one finds Adam:

About 18 lbs, almost five times his birth weight. His official year 1 check up is a couple weeks away still, so this number will be updated later

Crawling and now...

Climbing stairs

Loves to watch Chloe and Noah and loves when they play with him

Doesn't love cuddling. While Chloe and Noah will still cuddle with me if given the chance, Adam prefers to get off my lap and explore.

Even so he is still a momma's boy, preferring me to Joe almost always. Still, no fail, Adam's face lights up with smiles everytime Joe walks in the room.

Is already a problem solver. I am amazed as I watch him watch others. You can see the cogs turning in his head trying to figure out how he too might do what is being done. He loves closing doors, and if he meets resistance he sets about to find how to fix the problem and accomplish his goal. This experimentation is fascinating to watch.

Loves pretty much all foods. From black beans to gogurts to chicken to popsicles, you give it to him, he will eat it.

Drinks out of a straw very well.

Takes almost any toy or object he gets his hands on and uses it to bang on other objects.

Stands and scoots along things, and has started to TRY to stand on his own.

Sleeps though the night, but wakes up about 6:30 every morning,

Is an irreplaceable part of this family.

Chloe, on the day Adam took to the stairs, took to the camera and took the following shots of Adam. They are blurry but still capture this personality. I leave you with them and the promise of a summary of birthday festivities in the future. In the meantime, Happy Birthday Adam!

...Oops, somehow just deleted them all and do not have the energy to reload them and then move them down through the post to here - if someone ever finds an easier way to do that, let me know...