1. Some thoughts from my mommy heart, and
2. Pictures from our happy celebrations
Forgive me, I need to verbalize it. But I promise not to dwell too long.
Parker's birthdays have traditionally been a little rough for me. While they are a time during which I celebrate his life - and trust me, I do! - they are also a time during which I relive the dark hours (i.e. days, weeks and months) shortly after Parker's birth. It's a time when I am forced to give pause, to remember and to offer thanks - in a way, my personal Thanksgiving Day.
Parker is the sweetest of lambs, though he entered this world with a lion's roar. My first memory of him is of his toes since I was unable to see his face from the gurney as they wheeled me by. And the poor little kid remained nameless for awhile because I refused to confirm his name until they allowed me to hold him. I had to say his name to his face to make it real.
While Parker was in the NICU and we were trying to manage my backlog of pain, I was basically kept separate from him. As Grandy laughingly remembered recently, Parker was a funny sight in the NICU. He was a strong, healthy, pink baby, and he filled that NICU bassinet completely. Our separation seemed to be an eternity, though it was probably less than 48 hours - my memory is pretty foggy on specifics, and I would need to consult Bill for anything concrete about those days.
In any case, when I was finally given my baby and allowed to hold him, nurse him and hug him tight, he was pure perfection.
This special little guy, with the funny pouty face, bowl-cut blond head and hugs that can squeeze with the best of them - is my own private miracle. And I am so blessed and grateful that I can share that miracle with the world. Happy Birthday, Baby Love!
And now on to the happy stuff:
Parker celebrated his third birthday with a fun-filled, friend-filled, and family-filled series of celebrations! We hosted a group of his little buddies here for a Batman party, Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit, and we extended the celebration to the following weekend when Nana and Grandy returned from their travels.
And while we are still working on holding that pinky finger down to get "3" correct, our big boy turned three with great gusto!
2 comments:
Hooray for that most tender and loving of mommy hearts, too!
WOW. I feel like I could have written this post, everything from Josie being the biggest in the NICU to finally being able to hold her (even our pictures are eerily similar.) I empathize completely and often have the same thoughts running through my head.
I'm so glad everything turned out well, and a very Happy Birthday to Parker! Our babies aren't babies anymore!
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