Approximately one year ago, we had just brought our tiny little miracle home from the hosp
ital after what I called the most AMAZING journey of my life. As much as I heard it, little did I know that the journey wouldn't stop. It gets better & better.
Shad & I watched the movie (per my request, of course),
The Back-Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez & this guy in the movie defines parenthood as, "
It's awful, awful, awful, awful & then, something incredible happens & then awful, awful, awful, awful, awful." If
you're a glass-half-empty kind of person, you may think of it that way & trust me, there ARE days I think of parenthood that way; however, it truly gets better & better & better & then, something incredible happens.
Last year's events started on a Monday night when my doctor agreed to dilate me o
ne week prior to my due date. I was expected to arrive at the hospital the next morning, receive my Pitocin & bada-boom-bada-bing, I'd have a new tiny baby to take home. Think again, chica -- it wouldn't be until the Yankees were winning the World Series on Wednesday night that this Turkey was going to enter the world.
Nothing w
ent as planned. The timing was all off, the level of pain I was expecting to experience was WAY off & the year ahead of me ... um, way off too.
As a brand new (anal retentive) mother, you expect life to carry on as it once was after let's say, ... 6 weeks. You think that once your body has healed, your mind has learned to cope with the new schedule, you're back on track & ready to tackle the world as you once did. Um, no.
Jeans didn
't fit. Still don't. Mind didn't work. Still doesn't. Schedule certainly isn't what it once was. Nothing was & nothing is. You've heard me post about it plenty of times. You go from slacks & heels to torn jeans with a bit o' snot & flats. You make sacrifices & you learn to love the woman you've become because you can't imagine how life would be without the tiny little miracle you brought home the year prior.
That first night home involved a lot of passing Mister Man back & forth between Sh
ad & I, trying to determine who soothed Cashe the most, because the basinett certainly wasn't doing the trick. After constructing an igloo-shaped-pillow tower around me, Shad was able to sleep next to me while I held Cashe sitting up that first night. We'll never forget how exhausted we were physically & mentally.
And then something incredible happened. Cashe was sleeping like a baby & nursing like a champ.
The next
month we were on the road & the igloo-tower was no longer necessary, but the Spray N' Wash certainly was! Changing breast-milk-blow-outs on the side of the freeway in a jam-packed car in the snow was a whole other definition of igloo that involved a need for better sanitation facilities (perhaps we should've invested in a tour bus or an RV).
And then something incredible happened. Cashe was sitting up & as alert as ever.
After that first trip to California & Montana, it was all free-sailing from
there (as far as traveling goes, that is). Cashe became a pro. We certainly did our fair share of tip-toeing around the hotel rooms & we prayed many prayers that he'd stay asleep most nights, & sure enough -- he did.
And then something incredible happened. Cashe slept through the night. Not just all night in new mama terms (5+ hours), but ALL night in THIS m
ama's OLD terms (8+ hours!)
We did have a rough feat when we transitioned out of nightly feedings. However, Cashe quickly went from up every 4 hours to a night of 13-hours of solid sleep. I woke up that morning as if I was still dreaming.
And then something incredible happened. God blessed us with all good news throughout the year as the little man had his fair share of hospital visits. He gave us many reasons to praise the Lord for his health, as well as our own (even if we weren't happy with the way traveling TV dinners made our clothes fit). He had more than just one uncomfortable procedure after another it seemed & he was such a tough little trooper. Praise the Lord.
And through all the trials & errors from nursing to naptime to nos
e-dives, from diapers to doctors, from solid food to solid poops, from binkies to bottles to bathtime, from crying to crawling, from waving to wobbling to walking ...
... something incredible happened. Cashe turned ONE.
And I fell in love all over with this absolutely charming little clown who has the greatest little character any mother would ask for. The little Turkey Pot Pie (as Aunt Stacy calls him) always has some sort of wild expression on his face & if he isn't smiling, he's actively working on trying to find a way to make sure you're smiling.
So, yes -- we are the parents who hosted the outrageous bir
thday party for a one-year-old who will never remember it. However, please keep in mind that his parents certainly will remember it & sometimes it's all about the parents' memories that counts.
This year I had planned Cashe's birthday around his favorite book,
The Ba
rnyard Dance by
Sandra Boynton. We had fried chicken, cornbread, potato salad & homemade corn-on-the-cob cupcakes. The big event of course, was having a petting zoo come to the house & it was truly a hit! We all had so much fun with the miniature animals ranging from tiny bunnies to a yac named Jack.
Cashe's favorite animal is a goat, so they brought a pigmy goat as a special treat for the Birthday Boy & he loved o
n it just as much as he loved on the other animals. (He typically head-butts things when they're soft & he wants to bury his face in them -- as seen above with the bunny.)
Needless to say, he had a great time & loved loved loved the attention he got from everyone. He had friends & family come from all around -- includ
ing Auntie Leasha & Uncle Luke, cousin Jadon & Grammie all came from Montana.
Cashe had been walking all by himself the entire week prior to the party & as soon as someone offered a hand, he was off & running. He goes much faster when someone helps him balance.
He was spoiled with many, many dump trucks & books & dinosaur
s & puzzles & blocks (so many Mom is having a tough time finding a place for them all -- imagine that -- anal retentive? Who? I'm losing sleep over how to design a toy box with shelves & baskets to hold dump trucks galore!)
All of the kids who came seemed to have such a great time. I don't think I e
ver expected to see that many children in my house. Guess that's what happens when you have kids though. It felt like the movie,
Cheaper By The Dozen (X 2). I can't say I'm not grateful there are no holes in the wall & the only evidence of an abundance of children in the house was the giant wad of gum in the bathroom trash can & the jelly beans squished in the carpet under the kitchen table. Thankfully that's all repairable. Whew!
And here's to an incredible year with an incredible little man.
(sneaking some cupcake frosting)
Happy 1st Birthday, Smiley Pants!
Our little Thanksgiving Turkey
"Okay, seriously. Can you at least wait 'til we say grace?"
Alright then.
Meanwhile, Dad's still carving the turkey.
And when all is said & done, Mom's exhausted.
Jen & Ella rockin' out to "The Wheels on the Bus"
An evening of shopping with Caden
This is Dad's handy work
Hi Pooh.
