Happy 9th Birthday Andrew

Nine years ago I was on the operating table getting gutted. Okay so that's a bit dramatic but that is what I have been saying to Andrew all day today. I like to tease him. In all honesty it was one of the greatest days of my life. Oh gosh, I'm not good at this...I have such a hard time putting into words the love I have for my kids. I'm already tearing up. I must stop, I don't want puffy eyes in the morning.

On a lighter note, this is what 10 pounds of baby looks like.

He was taken by C-section one week before his due date because they thought he might be big. LOL! Actually it wasn't really the size they were concerned about. It was more me that was concerned about the size! I didn't want to push out another 10 pound baby. (To be fair Emma was only 9 lb 14 oz)

Emma had gotten her shoulder stuck during the delivery. I guess that is hereditary. Something about the head no making way for the shoulders. Anyway it's a miracle that she has use of her arm and they wanted to make sure that didn't happen with him. Overall the c-section was a much better experience. I was numb up to my neck to where I couldn't move any of my body and it took a long time for it to wear off. It was a little scary. At that point Paul was sure we were done having kids. He was grateful for the two healthy kids we had and wasn't willing to risk my life by trying to have more.

I was in recover trying to un-numb for quite a long time. I will be honest. I wasn't excited about having a boy but when I finally was able to go to my room they handed Andrew to me and I got my first look at him (I mean besides when I was dry-heaving on the operating table) I was in love! I knew from that moment that he and I would always have a special bond. Here I go, crying again. The love switch had been flipped and I was head over heals.

Here we are up at Sundance. This was taken on a trip we took out to Utah when he was six months old. How can you resist that face? He's so squishy and yummy.
This is Andrew when he was about 10-12 months old.
and here he is at 16 months old.

And here he is today eating his funny face pancake that he requested for his birthday meal.

Andrew is a total sweet heart and a momma's boy. He loves to cuddle. He always wants to be snuggled up next to me either on the couch or in the bed. He is incredibly intelligent, soft hearted, passionate and if I do say so myself beautiful. I love looking at his little face, his dark brown eyes and (considering the gene pool) his perfect nose. I think we did a pretty good job making this kid.

He can have his moments where he can be quite difficult though. He is very headstrong and stubborn. (I can't imagine where he gets it from) I am pretty sure that I needed that bond and that instant love so that I would be able to deal with the challenges that Andrew brings. If that wasn't there I don't know if I would make it some days. The nice thing is with age things are getting better and better. With all that being said our world wouldn't be the same or complete if he wasn't part of it. He is who he is and I love him.

I am so grateful that I was blessed to be Andrews mom. It isn't always easy but it is always worth it!