All day today I have been reminiscing about that day. I have nothing but fond memories of my labor and delivery. I actually get excited when I think about doing it again...no, I am not pregnant! But I do hope to have that "experience" many more times.
Before we had kids, people would ask Trey and I how many kids we wanted to have. I never knew how to answer that question. I always answered with "I will get back to you after I have one". I knew after one child, I would either want a houseful or not-so-much. This year with Dylan has taught me that having children is SO much more work than I ever thought it would be. I am constantly tired, always on the go, and have no time for myself.....BUT I wouldn't change it for the world. After having Dylan, Trey and I both want a houseful of children. We were talking the other day and there is no way we are going to look back on our lives and say we had too many kids. Dylan has brought us so much joy and love and I can only imagine how great our life will be when our family is complete.
About Dylan:
-He started walking at 11 months. He is constantly on the go and we can never leave him alone.
-He has an infatuation with bouncy balls. He has to have one within his reach at all times. It's safe to say that we already have more than we (or he) can handle!
-He says, "ball, mama, dada, bye-bye, bible, nite-nite, D, hi and no"
-He loves music. He dances to anything from hymns to country to rap-it all "moves" him...literally.
-He is extremely loud. We are in a play group and he is several decibels louder than any other child.
-He loves anything that makes noise - no quiet toys for him.
-He loves to be rough. Anytime we are on the floor with him, he is constantly jumping on and crawling over us. He loves to wrestle.
-He sleeps from 7pm to 7am. He still wakes up once a night around 4am, but will go back to sleep within 10 minutes.
-He LOVES the water. He has no fear when he takes a bath and half his time is spent under the water. He opens his eyes under water, so after his bath he always has bloodshot eyes.
-He is attached to his lovie. We have to have it at all times. He prefers it to be stinky rather than clean, which can get pretty nasty after days of drool have saturated the fabric!
Dylan is such a ham. I love waking up and spending my days with him. As I am typing this I am listening to him squealing over the monitor. My mom is giving him a bath and he thinks something is hilarious.
His party is this coming Saturday, so I will post pics on the next blog.
-Jamie
(Trey wants to add some to the blog...see below.)
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So, I figured it was about time I try to contribute a bit here. It's only fitting that we're just through the most reflective day I've probably ever had. It's been a year....a whole year! Even as I type it, it doesn't seem possible. What an amazing year, though...the ultimate year of firsts. First smile...first laugh...first tears...first crawl...first steps...first tooth...first word...first scowl, second scowl, third scowl, and many many more...the list could go on and on. Pretty much every one of the firsts make me smile, because they come and go. The good are amazing in that very moment, and the bad are made better soon after. And that's what we're here for...to help make it better. What an awesome thing.
The day he was born was perfect. I remember so well Jamie jumping up that morning and telling me that it was going to be today. We both jumped up out of our respective sides and immediately went into "go" mode. In the coming hours, I experienced so many amazing things. One thing that didn't surprise me was watching Jamie navigate through the unfamiliar territory of giving birth. Take it from me, she handled it like a pro. I'm not just saying this, it's true: She made a completely natural birth (which is apparently quite rare these days) look routine. Something I'll never forget is the amount of nurses that came into the room as Dylan was almost here. Susan, our friend and nurse, told us later that they were coming in because they rarely, if ever, even see a fully natural birth. I then realized what Jamie was doing. She wouldn't want me to put this, but I'm going to. One of the nurses said that she had been a nurse for years, and had never seen a mother handle a natural birth so gracefully. I remember her privately saying to the two of us when she was tending to Jamie the next morning, "You never even so much as screamed...it was beautiful". When Jamie responded that she remembered screaming, I assured her that it was me, not her. So as a guy who had nothing to compare it all to, I knew what happened that day was special. It was both Jamie's determination and preparation, as well as God answering our prayers and allowing it to happen that way.
To follow that thought, it's safe to say that we have never been so blatantly reminded that there is a God, and that He is our creator. The moment we even laid eyes on Dylan, it was impossible to not think of God and his sending Jesus to the cross for us. I'm beginning to see the sacrifice from God's point of view more than ever. It was all the cliche things I had always heard. The different thing about this love (as opposed to falling in love) is that it's instant, and full. No other way I can describe it.
So, away from the sappy and deep stuff, Dylan is so much fun. Pretty much anytime I want, I can drop to my hands and knees across the room from him, start pounding on the floor like I'm taunting him, and we'll start crawling full speed toward each other, both squealing and yelling. I have to slow down before he reaches me, because he likes to push our heads against each other, or "hardest head" as Jamie calls it. He has a unbelievably hard head, by the way.
It's been the best, most full year of my life. I only imagine that will continue. Year 2 of Dylan, here we come!
-Trey
