Howie is 1?!

Are you kidding me? Are you for real? Was it already 1 year ago today that this little boy was born into this world? It can't be possible. Time has gone by way to quickly for him to be 1 already.

I didn't think it was possible to be completely head over heels (again) for another little one. There truly is something different about the third baby. Don't know what it is, but it is definitely different. Maybe it's me. Maybe it's him. Maybe it's both of us. It's not that I didn't enjoy Owen or Caroline when they were this age, it was different though. Owen was first. I had absolutely NO CLUE what I was doing. He was so tiny when I realized I was pregnant with Caroline (6 months to be exact). I feel like he got gypped of a good portion of my attention when he was 6 months to, well, some days current time. Even though Caroline was a good baby, it was difficult having 2 kiddos just 15 months apart. There were mornings when I was nursing Caroline and feeding Owen his breakfast. The fog set in quickly with her and most days I don't even remember the first 6 months of her life.

So, with Howie I vowed to make it different - especially knowing this was the last one. I have cherished each day with him. It's not the big things that are different, it's all of the little ones. I find myself more relaxed about his schedule and don't get so uptight about whether or not he's at home at the right time for his nap. But, the trade off is, he seems to sleep when he can, wherever he can. I love my Howzie B. I just can't believe it's been a year already.

Happy Birthday, Howzie. We love you to pieces and are so incredibly grateful to have you in our family. You truly do complete our family. Love, Mom & Dad



Follow-up (5-26-10)

We couldn't celebrate Howie's birthday today. I had the stomach flu. It was terrible. The only thing I managed to do was to drag myself to the car and drive to Krispy Kreme to retrieve his free dozen donuts for his birthday. Really, I don't think he cared or even noticed much different, who would at 1 year old? But, I felt guilty. Owen and Caroline sang happy birthday to him. He loved that! I didn't even buy him a present or anything else. I had planned on shopping for him that day. The best laid plans........ So, I guess when we go to California for Memorial Day weekend we'll celebrate his birthday then. Complete with the cake smashing.

I took Howie to the doctor yesterday for his 1 year appointment. He weighed in at 24 pounds 12 ounces and was 31" long. I don't have (or can't find) Owen's 1 year stats, but at 15 months he was 29 pounds and 33 inches long. Caroline was 30 1/2" long and 22 pounds. So, the trend carries on with Howie. He may be the last child, but he continues to be in the middle with everything else he does.