Happy 1st Birthday, Brayden!

This post is a couple days late due to how ridiculously busy I've been with all the first birthday celebrations we've had, on top of the typical chaos of motherhood.

On November 28th, we celebrated my little man's first birthday.  Wow... I cannot believe how fast that year flew by. It's a good thing we had family visiting from out of town the week leading into the big day and lots of prep work to do for the three celebrations we were having for him otherwise, I would have been a complete emotional mess.  

I can officially say that I was too busy to get overly sentimental.  That's where blogging comes in :)  I now have my opportunity to reminisce about these last 365 days and basque in the glory of what my life has become.  

On November 28, 2010 The weather was much colder than this year.  I remember this because after racing to the hospital at 9:30 a.m. (what we now know to consider too early) and pacing the hospital floors for a couple of hours, Andrew and I opted to set-up camp in the back of our CX 7 to allow me to lie down and rest for a bit. Although relaxation was not in my vocabulary as I suffered through the contractions, the fact that Andrew thought to fold down all the seats  and crank up the heat in the car in an effort to create a make-shift bedroom for me was totally adorable.  But man, was it ever cold outside that day.

On November 28, 2010 I was not in the celebration mood I had been in this year.  Rather, I remember being scared, excited, nervous, in severe pain -- doing whatever it took to stay calm and survive the next contraction.  It was around 4:00 p.m. when the doctor assessing my dilation progression "accidentally" broke my water.  At that point, I was finally admitted into the delivery room and was administered my first epidural.  Two anesthesiologists, lots of vomiting and three epidurals later, I was finally in a good place.  I was ready to deliver a baby!

On November 28, 2010 I had no idea how I was going to be as a mother. In fact, I didn't even know whether I was going to be the mommy to a baby boy or baby girl.  Would I feel immediate love for this baby? Would the motherly bond everyone talks about be apparent?  Would I instinctive know what to do?  The answer was yes, yes and yes.  There was so much to discover and learn... And, although I still don't have all the answers, I have come to realize that if you just take one day at a time, not only will the answers become clear but you'll enjoy every precious moment getting there. As challenging as things can be, especially in the beginning, time really does fly by.   

On November 28th, 2010 at 11:57 p.m. the joy of my life, Brayden Joseph, was born. And, one year later, Andrew and I celebrate being parents, and all the memories and joys our son has given us so far.

Our first family photo!

I absolutely love being a mommy (or as Brayden says "mamamama") and I can now understand what my mom was thinking when she made all the scarifies and over-extended herself just to make me happy growing up.  Throwing three birthday parties for my one year old -- no problem.  Despite the exhaustion and expense, I would do it all again and again.  Brayden, I love you more than you will ever know.  Happy birthday little man.

Brayden posing with the cake I made for his third party.
Lemon cake with homemade frosting. Yum!

For those interested in browsing more photos from Brayden's birthday celebrations, I'll either post an album on Facebook or post a select few pics here on my blog later this week.