Tomorrow is the boy’s first birthday.
As most of you know, before Thanksgiving 2006, Lois was put on strict bedrest at 28 weeks due to incompetent cervix. We were scared that the boy would arrive any moment and we came up with every plan for if and when that happened.
I had been at my job for 3 weeks and I had to tell my supervising partners everything.
I have a partner.
She is a woman.
She is pregnant.
She is on strict bed rest for fear this kid could come any second
If I get a phone call and run out the door, you know why.
Talk about coming out right away.
I digress.
Every night when I left work, I left a 3-4 page list of what I was working on, what was needing to happen on it and where files could be located. I took my laptop home with me every night expecting to not come back the next morning.
Lois made it through to our goal of 30 weeks. Then 32 weeks. Then 34 weeks. She was “relieved” of bed rest at 36 weeks and she was convinced once she started walking around he would just “fall out.”
37 weeks came and went. Then 38 weeks.
Exactly one year ago today, Lois was 39 weeks pregnant. We were supposed to meet S and B for our Wed. night dinner and Holly was running late getting out of work (this is not uncommon).
Because I was in a big hurry, I didn’t update my 4 page memo, didn’t put files away and didn’t even leave my office in anything close to a manageable condition.
As I walked to the parking garage with a co-worker, I made a comment about how this was the first night in 10 weeks that I was not super-organized and I left everything in disarray. She laughed and told me that Andrew would be born that night.
I laughed, said goodnight and got into my car. Then I called Lois on the cell phone.
“ummm…” she said, “I didn’t want to alarm you, but I think my water broke.”
“What? What do you mean you think?? When”
“Well, I definitely think I’m leaking. And I guess it started about 3 hours ago. I just didn’t want to bother you at work.”
That was the beginning of our new life. That night, 7 minutes after midnight, Andrew came into the world and nothing has ever been the same. Here’s the rest of the story for those who missed it
Everyone tells you that your entire world will change when you have a child.
But you never really understand until it happens to you.
The last year has been a roller coaster ride.
We’ve been terrified, ecstatic, exhausted, frustrated and every other possible emotion in the past year. And I can’t wait for more.
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This video was actually taken on Monday night – 24 hours after he took his first unassisted steps.
By last night, he was pulling himself up on furniture or walls and stepping away by himself.
We even tried sneakers on him because we know we need to get him a pair. The ones we have are a size 5 – too big for his Fr*d Fl*ntstone feet and he was extremely irritated to have such bricks on his feet.
I love this video because he stops and looks at his feet like “am I doing that?”
Last night, we both sat on the kitchen floor and we sent him back and forth between the two of us. “Go to momma” “Go to mommy”
Every time he’d walk over to one of us, he would giggle and then fall into us with a big cuddlebug hug.
That is the best thing EVER.
He just makes me melt.
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Updated to add:
BTW – did anyone notice the pool of drool on his shirt in the video above?
Thanks to Stacey for reminding me to share this video. It’s a little long, but I think it’s adorable.
