Still reflecting...Anderson turns One!!

Jeff and I have spent the majority of the night watching videos of Anderson from the last year. We started with a videotape from Christmas of 2005 where we announced to my family that we were expecting. We gave my dad a picture of the ultrasound from 9 weeks in a frame. Needless to say we won the best present award that year! I still can't believe we waited that long to tell anyone! I was 13 weeks when we made our announcement. I think people were more shocked at how far along I was than that we were pregnant.

The next video was one that my mom filmed while we were in the ultrasound room finding out the sex of our little bambino. Bless her heart, mom came dressed in head to toe pink just confident that it was a girl . She had 3 of us and we were all girls so she didn't understand the concept that it could be a boy! As soon as the screen flashed up I saw it. The tech didn't even have to tell us...It's a Boy!! What a shock! Jeff and I both really thought it was a girl, but "BOY" were we wrong! We left the appointment and went straight away to buy some blue...we found an adorable blue onesie that said simply in black typstyle letters..."DUDE". That night we were having all of our nearby family over for a dinner celebration to announce the sex. We took the onesie and taped it to the door and listened as people walked up the sidewalk and shrieked!

The next video was Anderson's birth...we have watched it so many times and are so glad we did film it. That is an incredibly sweet part where they get him cleaned up and Jeff brings him over to me. I whisper in his ear and the Jeff goes to take him back to the nurse and he starts crying...Jeff brings him back next to my face and he went silent immediately. Jeff went to take him away again and he cried, he brought him back to my face and he went quiet again. Jeff and I both just burst into tears. I am pretty sure some of the nurses even got choked up. It was such a sweet moment and made me feel like a real mother...he knew me...for all of those months he has heard my voice and at this scary time when he was being forced from his cozy little spot, I was the only one that could calm him. It still gives me chills.

Before we knew it we were heading home. After an extra day added to the regular 3 night stay due to Anderson's Jaundice and my c-section we were beyond ready to be home!! Nobody stayed with us after Anderson came home. I've never understood that concept. I mean...I was like I am going to have to be the one that gets up with him to feed him so what can anyone help with? Plus Jeff and I really wanted to have time to bond as a family alone. We had to figure out this whole parenting thing on our own. I am sure that with baby # 2 I will let anyone willing to stay and help do so. At least then they can take care of Anderson while I'm taking care of the baby, but with just the three of us we felt we had it under control! We dressed Anderson in his little tiny blue daygown and wrapped him in a satin blanket that has been in my family for over 50 years. Every baby on my father's side has come home from the hospital in it...starting with my father, his sister (DeLane), me and both of my sisters, John and Walt (both of DeLane's kids). As soon as we got home Jeff's parents prepared a dinner for us and Anderson took a nap in his brand new cozy pack and play. What a great start to a beautiful new life! Happy Birthday Anderson!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We can't wait to see what the next year has in store! What an adventure...