Happy First Birthday!!!

My precious baby is one-year old today! It is so hard for me to believe that an entire year has passed since the day Liam was born. As I look back over the year, my heart is filled with precious memories. Memories of the first time I saw his face, held him in my arms, the first time he rolled over, smiled, sat up on his own, crawled, danced...I could go on and on. Along with the precious memories came the hysterical memories, like when we finally left the NICU. David and I were terrified! I swear it took over an hour to drive home that day, and the entire drive I sat in the back seat staring intently at Liam, looking for any sign that he might not be getting enough oxygen. Then there was the first time that Liam sprayed across the room during a diaper change and David jumped out of the way, staring in shock. And then the first time Liam really threw up, and we were in the ER within 15 minutes, sure that something was seriously wrong. We were such messes! We made it, though. We now have a happy, healthy one-year old little boy.

As we prepare for Christmas this year, I am reminded of how blessed we are. I have always loved everything having to do with Christmas...the hustle and bustle, the crisp air, the lights, the smells, the food, and most of all, the magic. Last year on this very day, the Christmas season almost lost its magic for our family, the day that we almost lost Liam. We were terrified. We had no idea what was happening, only that our baby was too small and had an unstable heartbeat. We sat through test after test for what seemed like days only to be told that our baby was struggling and that if he survived delivery, he would be unable to breathe on his own and incredibly weak. But, God answered our prayers and delivered to us a strong baby, who was full of fight...He delivered to us our miracle baby.
Every morning the fist thing Liam does is point and say, "That, that!" (He means, "Tree, tree!") One of us walks him into the dark living room to the Christmas tree and turns on the lights. He stares with wonder and excitement, clapping his tiny little hands and we know that the magic of the season is still alive.
And that God is good, all the time.
Happy first birthday, Liam! We are so blessed that we were chosen as your Mama and Dada. Thank you for making the last year the most amazing year of our lives. We love you with all of our hearts!!!