One Sweet Year

My little Sweet J turns one today.

I’ve been remembering his actual birth day all week. It’s still so vivid. Timing the contractions, calling my friend Dawn at 1am to come sleep on our couch to watch Bug, checking into the hospital and once in our room, crying to MJ that I didn’t want to do this birthing thing anymore. He reminded me I didn’t really have a choice.

I remember calling my mom and tell her it was time. With the early hour she said she was going to try to get a little more sleep before heading up but called a short time later as she peeled out of her driveway. The rest of our family was on high alert.

And the fears! The fear of being able to love two babies instead of just one, was I going to be able to do it? What about Love Bug? Would she understand why we had another child, instead of just having her all to ourselves? Would she adjust to this new way of life that included Sweet J?

But then he arrived.

And it’s like he’s been with us since the beginning.

It’s been a quick year.

He’s changed so much. I wanted to take his one year photos last weekend but didn’t succeed. Thankfully he’s blissfully unaware and doesn’t get worked up about such things. It’s on the agenda for this weekend along with some celebrating.

I also, unintentionally, continued a tradition for J and me. The night before he was born last year, I picked out a much needed pair of flip flops at Target, very exciting. I was contracting at the time, hard enough to have to hold still through it. I had Bug with me who was trying on every pair of shoes she could reach, telling me we needed to buy them all, and the aisle was full of teenage girls chatting away. I found the pair I wanted and waddled out of the store. Later that night, I mean early the next morning, I shuffled into the hospital in those flip flops with the price tag still attached.

Fast forward to last night, with Sweet J on my hip, I zipped into the Target down the street from our hotel to get another pair of much needed flip flops. While I checked out my options, I remembered the story from above and laughed to myself. Then I nuzzled my little boy, grabbed a pair I liked and got the heck out because my arm was about ready to fall off.

Happy birthday Sweet J.

I’m so glad you are part of our family.

Take care.