In His Hands: Our Big Boy is 1!!!!

It is hard to believe that Beau is 365 days old!!!! He brings so much joy into our lives and those who know him. My mom used to tell me all I did as a baby was smile and sleep and I feel the same way about Beau... he must get his good looks from his daddy and his personality from me. He is such a happy boy; I can't get enough of his smiles, can you?!

There is so much I could say about this past year, most of which I said on my post: One Year Later. After all the challenges God has walked us through this year... I honestly don't think back with sadness but I look at how far he has come!! My first memory of Beau will always be my strongest, the moment I first heard him cry and seconds later getting to give a sweet kiss to my son, there was nothing like it... knowing our baby's heart was pumping and his lungs were breathing, without my help. And then holding him for the first time the following day and his daddy's the day after that... oh the memories flood in.

Just the other day I was watching instagram videos of his first smiles and squeeks; now he's babbling babababa and dadadada. I joke with Andrew and say "Don't even think he's saying your name!" ;) I remember the hours napping on the hospital with all 5 pounds of him on my chest and now I can hardly hold him for 20 minutes during church worship because all 24 pounds of him makes my arm want to fall off! I remember trying to multitask at 4am by pumping while feeding him a bottle, just to get back to bed as quickly as possible. I remember watching him bobble his wobbly head while doing tummy time on his Boppy. I remember deciding which hat Beau would wear today to best match whichever outfit the nurse had chosen for him. I remember trying to get Beau to "sit" for a picture with his T-rex and tie, month after month, well before he was able to! I remember trying to maneuver pumpkins around his crib to get a cute Halloween photo because God knows, I badly wished I could've been the mom to put him IN one!!! I remember reading lots and lots and lots of stories. I remember watching Grammy, Grandpa, Grandpa, Nana and Papa holding Beau for the first time, tears in their eyes. Oh I could go on and on.... there are so many amazing memories that far surpass the stinky moments in the hospital.But nevertheless, I am thankful for each and every one.

So, to celebrate our boy joy, we had a small BBQ after church on September 14th (the day before) with a few other families from church. Though I would've liked to invite everyone at church who prayed for him and fly in everyone we love, our home just doesn't accommodate that many people. Icing Smiles (a corporation that contracts local bakers to create cakes for kids who have terminal illnesses or have been hospitalized for a length of time) donated Beau's birthday and smash cakes for his special day. It was a fantastic afternoon and I'd say Beau enjoyed himself as well.

family

So then on Beau's birthday, since it was a Monday, we didn't get too much time together as I worked during the day and Andrew in the evening. I took Beau's 1 year photos with his tie and T-rex to complete a year of growth! He got to open some more presents and was in bed by 7pm as usual.