Happy First Birthday, Zeke!!!

Zeke,
It is January 19, 2011 and today is your first birthday.  As I mentioned yesterday, on this day in 2010, we arrived at the hospital and began to wait for you to enter the world.  Wynna, Aunt Jami, and Auntie Tessa joined Daddy and me as we watched my contractions on the monitor and wondered what time you'd finally decide to arrive.  At 5:44pm, you were here after only 3 pushes!  That is significant because Jill Grant and Audrey DePaula began praying for you before I became pregnant, and one of Jill's prayers was that I would only have to push three times!  God answered that prayer!!!

I will never forget the moment I saw your sweet face.  Kim Long was our midwife (we prayed she would be on call, and again...God answered).  Kim placed you on my chest and I felt the most unexplainable joy.  It almost felt as if I was outside of my body looking in on this amazing event.  I had dreamed for so many years of having a child, and there you were.  They had to take you to check your breathing, and Daddy went with you.  Those few moments were scary for Daddy and me because you still had some fluid in your lungs.  They cleared it out, wiped you off, and let me hold you again.  The whole experience was better than I could have dreamed.  About an hour later, they took us up to our room where we would begin our lives as your parents!

Now, as I look at the person you are becoming, I continue to be amazed.  Each day you develop more of a personality.  You love to smile and laugh.  You're very intrigued by how things work and love to build things with your toys or anything you can get your hands on, really!  You make the funniest noises and expressions.  You have this little sing-song thing you do, that sounds like you're going up and down a musical scale.  We wonder if you might be gifted with a nice singing voice like Daddy.  You still have not said a word that is referring to something specific, but I'm sure it won't be long.  Although you pull up and cruise along furniture with ease, you have not taken your first steps yet.  You did stand up once by yourself last week at Wynna's house, but once you realized what you did, you sat back down!

I know you are too young to understand what is going on as we celebrate your first year, but I hope you'll look back on the pictures and this blog and know how much we love you.  We have a little birthday party planned for you this weekend, so I will be sure to post pictures and tell you all about it.



Birthday candle in your morning mush!



"Blowing" out your candle!


"Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another." (1 John 1:16)

This verse sums it up.  Because of what Christ did, we have been saved and have been blessed more than we ever deserve.  Daddy and I thank God for the gift of His son and the gift of you.

Happy First Birthday, sweet boy!
Love,
Mommy