Your Birthday

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Samuel, Happy Birthday to you.

Your first birthday, one year since I held you in my arms for the first time, one year since I became a mother and learnt that I had never really known love before. Before you came along my world was a very different place and not one that I really wanted to live in but you little man has changed all of that. You have my world so much brighter, you have brought so much love and joy into my life and at the same time having you in my life has taught me a lot of life lessons. If only I could put how much I love you into words but considering I have already been trying for a year I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

You and I had a great day today for your Birthday, this morning we all got up and unwrapped some of your presents before daddy left for work. The pile of presents was so big little man that we had to stagger their opening throughout the entire day and by bedtime you still had two to open. You have received so many things for your birthday but i'll try and list it all here for you.

Walker/Ride on
My first wagon/ride on
Talking telephone
bathtoys
Froggy swimming pool
Drink bottle (stainless steel)
Babylegs leggings/tights
Little people town centre set
Little people dump truck
Stacker dump truck
Ball popper
Fridge Farm
Jelly bath
Giggle and Hoot CD
Books
Clothes
More Bath toys

Thats all I can remember at the moment if i remember anything else I will add it to the list.

We spent the day together, this morning we playd outside on the swings before it got to hot and then we went shopping and said hello to Santa. After shopping we came home and I gave you a special birthday lunch that included fairy bread, cherrys, strawberrys, plum, turkey and rice cake. You ate a lot of that and loved the fairy bread. After lunch we played with your toys and watched some giggle and hoot xmas special together before your nap. Then this afternoon we played outside and you got to try out your new pool before dinner where we had party food and your first taste of ice cream in an ice cream cake, then it was time for bath and bed and you were so tired you went to sleep very quickly.

It was a great first birthday and I look forward to many more with you.

Love Mum

A year since labour

One year ago today I was in labour with you my little man. At this time your Uncle Andrew had just arrived despite me having told daddy that I was fine and wouldn't need to go to the hospital for at least a couple of hours yet, I had asked daddy to call him and let him know that we would need his assistance at some stage that evening. Daddy did call him but it was to tell him that we needed him now. I was so angry with Uncle Andrew arrived, I yelled at them, told them I wasn't ready to go to the hospital and to go away but you know what little man less then half an hour later we were at the hospital. Within ten minutes of Uncle Andrew arriving I was in a lot of pain and too tired to stand up in the shower anymore and so I gave in and said okay time to go. I wonder if Uncle Andrew had not have arrived until later how much longer I would have stayed at home for.

We arrived at the hospital right on 7pm, daddy stayed with me while Uncle Andrew took nanna to get some dinner then nanna stayed with mummy while Uncle Andrew took dad to get some dinner. I am quite amused that in the middle of quite painful contractions I was organising everyone to go and eat and how they could do it and not leave me alone. While nanna was out getting dinner the midwife helped us settle into our room and put the monitor on me so that we knew you were doing okay, then daddy went and nanna and mum sat there talking in between contractions and finding the things from mummy's bag that she wanted, once daddy got back I got into the bath where i stayed for most of your labour. There was a clock in the room that I was laboring in and from time to time I looked at it wondering if you were going to make it on the 23rd or if you would match all my predictions and be a Christmas baby, the midwifes were all telling me that you would be here by midnight but as we know you didn't quite make it and instead chose to be born just after midnight eight minutes into Christmas eve.

Today I have thought a lot about what it was like to be pregnant with you and what labour was like. As the day passes I have looked at the clock and seen times that i remember from that day, the time that I was at the Ob's, the time I got a backache and then realized later that it was coming and going, timing contractions and realizing they were regular and I remember all the excitement that was coming from Daddy and nanna while I remained calm and focused on the fact that I was soon to meet you.

Tomorrow is your first birthday, I can't beleive how fast this year has gone but I will save going on about that for tomorrow and instead talk about you now and how you have been this week. We have spent a lot of time inside this week as it has been too hot or wet to go outside and play. Your walking is becoming more stable and constant and you are being your normal happy self for the most part. Today you said a new word, you were sitting at the back door saying come come come and when I did you looked up at me and smiled that beautiful smile or yours my clever little man. Other tricks you are doing this week is to blow raspberrys when ever somebody says 'bless you' and saying an-mum-mum for grandmum/grandma. Its all so cute and beautiful to watch you growing up like this and learning new things every day.

I love you little man, I loved you from the moment you were conceived, I loved you while I carried you inside my womb, I loved you the moment I held you in my arms for the first time and I love you still now. Every day my love has only grown stronger, every day I have grown more and more thankful for you my little boy. I will love you forever.

Mummy.

Celebrating you - Your 1st birthday party

Dear Samuel,

We hosted your birthday party on the weekend little man, I wish that we could have done it closer to your actual birthday but at least by doing it early people were able to come and you didn't miss out.

Grandma and I spent a lot of Friday and most of Saturday getting ready for your party, we made lots of yummy food and cleaned the house, I blew up balloons and hung the decorations and then before I knew it people began arriving.

You enjoyed crawling around behind the other children, you loved being pushed on the swing and squealed with delight when people were picking you up and throwing you up in the air. It was clear that you were having a lot of fun and that although you are only a little boy that didn't stop you enjoying the company of other children.

Before food we decided it was time to unwrap your birthday presents. You love tearing the wrapping paper of things and like all little ones i think you almost got more enjoyment out of the wrapping. For your birthday you received a little push along/ride along wagon, a talking and singing phone, clothes and bath toys. You still have presents from us, grandma and poppy and nanna coming on your actual birthday.

For your birthday food we had a BBQ with lots of different meats, salads and other things. You tried a little sausage but didn't like it much, the little bit of hamburger you fed to the dog. You enjoyed the chicken, loved chewing on carrot sticks and celery and even tasted kabana and a tiny cube of cheese.

After dinner it was time for cake and you my little man got your first taste of the lovely sweet goodness that is cake. You loved it and ate a good chunk as well as enjoyed playing with it. This year your birthday cake was a buttercake with orange icing it was in the shape of a 1 with blue icing and blue and green smarties and you loved it.

All in all your party was a success, everyone enjoyed themselves including you and we got through the evening without any problems.

I can't believe you are almost one already.

Love always
Mummy

I know I talk often about how quickly you are growing up and all the new things you are doing but in the last twenty four hours we have had three things to add to the list.

1. Your one year old molars broke through.
2. You clapped for the first time.

But the biggest one of all the firsts apart from your first word occurred today. Today my little man I really knew for the first time that your time as a baby is almost over because today my beautiful little boy you stood up and walked. It was such a proud moment for mummy and daddy seeing you walk and so very exciting but it's also touched with a tiny bit of sadness as it means we are saying goodbye to one stage and moving on to the next. How I look forward to watching you grow, to helping you learn and exploring the world from your point of view but a little part of me will always miss my little baby boy.

This is the way of life, things grow, things change and there is nothing we can do to stop that nor should we aspire to trying to stop that natural rhythm of life. Change can be and often is scary but we must try to remain flexible and allow the universe to lay the path we need to walk out before us. Fighting change does nothing but hurt the person fighting it yet embracing change can sometimes open whole new worlds to explore in front of us. Little man I embrace the changes that are occurring in our lives, I embrace the changes and new things in you and look forward to everyday with you seeing what new things we may discover together that day. I love you my little boy and you will always be my little baby even if you are almost a toddler now.

Love always
Mum

Hello little man,

It's time for another quick letter from your mummy since its been a little over a week since I last wrote you. The past week here in Perth has been hot and with the heat you have not quite been yourself. You have been sleeping more and off your food as well as being less tolerant of the things that annoy you. You love going outside but in the heat of the past week we have had to wait until the sun is starting to go down before letting you out. This has made you not happy, everytime you see someone outside and your not you throw a tantrum and start banging on the door desparate to go out and join them. I hate seeing you throw tantrums, hate seeing you unhappy but I also don't want to risk you getting sunburnt or heatstroke.

Our family has a history of skin cancers due to our pale skin little man and I really don' want you to have to deal with that. We are trying to teach you that your not allowed to play outside without a hat on but you hate your hat and more often then not will throw a tantrum and try your hardest to pull it off your head, you are getting better at wearing it though so I think you are starting to get the idea. As you grow older little man I hope that you remain sun smart. It may seem annoying to have to put sunscreen and a hat on before you go outside but its important little man, skin cancer can kill, its not just a case of cut it out, stich up the hole and you will be fine. At this point in time skin cancers are one of the highest death rates for cancers.

This week we have begun to wean you from the dummy. Your dummy is now only used as night or on car trips when your tired. I thought that you would be so angry and upset at not having it during the day but you are doing well. We began by taking it off you as soon as we got up and putting it in your cot then we moved on to asking you to put your dummy in the cot and say goodbye to them. Now less than a week later you drop them in your cot and wave goodbye to them without promting. We are doing so well with getting rid of it during the day that I am hoping we can wean them at night early in the new year.

I can't beleive that we are in December already. Last year the start of December had me feeling excited as it meant that we were on the final stretch to being able to meet you this year I am excited because it means that we are about to celebrate your first birthday and first christmas. (I don't count the christmas that you spend in the nursery at the hospital when you were a day old)

I love you little man, always
Mummy