Happy Birthday, Christian!

Here's the birthday boy having his birthday breakfast -- cheerios and bananas.

A year ago today, at 3:14 a.m., our baby boy was born! What an exciting (and physically painful!) event that was! I really don't know where the past year has gone but it has sure been a fun and busy ride! I decided to take a trip down memory lane and read some posts on my blog from a year ago. Even a year later, I couldn't stop laughing when I read my husband's version of the birth story! He seriously cracks me up. His story was so...well...manly and completely ignored some of the key details, or at least what seemed so important to me at the time. But, it was also sweet and endearing and I'm so glad he was my biggest fan during that memorable event. :)

Reading my version (including Part 2) makes me cringe. I certainly haven't forgotten the pain but it's funny how the memory seems to dim as time goes on. I also had to chuckle to myself when reading the birth story because I noticed that I said the word, "pain," or "painful" about fifty-seven thousand times. Or something like that. Reading it all a year later, I thought to myself, "Boy, do I ever sound like a wimp." But it sure did not feel like that at the time. At the time, I felt like a soldier in the midst of battle and I was doing my best to make it out alive.

As far as physical pain goes, I am quite familiar with it. I've endured plenty of it in my lifetime (sorry for the sob story) but I always managed to make it through. Being born with a cleft lip and having reconstructive surgeries starting as an infant makes you familiar with pain. And I never thought I was much of a wimp until I read my son's birth story. Funny. There's just something about having a baby that is so unlike any other experience -- the pain just seems more intense to me and it is seared in my memory forever. You're welcome, baby boy! You were worth every minute!

On another note, I've heard lots of birth stories and I love hearing all the details when my friends have a baby. And as they sit there and tell me about their experience, I notice that not too many of my friends say much about the pain. (except for a few of my natural childbirth friends) I often wonder, "Are they just not telling me how bad it was or was it really not that bad for them? Or do they just handle pain better than me and I'm a total baby?" There are so many variations: drugs or no drugs, back labor, duration of labor, intensity of contractions, etc. It's amazing how there can be so many different scenarios. All I can say is, for me, when there are no epidurals, there is pain and lots of it! And I guess I'll just come out and say it and not pretend that is was easy because it wasn't. :) There, I feel better now. Thanks for allowing me that bunny-trailed rant.

Anyway! We are having quite the party for our little man this evening with a bunch of friends coming over from church tonight. Christian will have no clue what all the fuss is about, I'm sure, but he'll like the cake part and all the attention.

We are so thankful for God giving us Christian -- what a gift he is!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BUDDY!