1 Year Ago Today......

One year ago today, my life was about to change in ways that I had only dreamed of!! The one prayer that I had prayed everyday for 4 1/2 years was finally being answered with a resounding "Yes, now's the time!"

Andrew was born on Sunday May 17, 2009.

He was a whopping 5#10 ounces! Huge, right??

Okay, so I wasn't in the Labor room the night he was born. And I didn't get to hear him cry for the first time!! I didn't get to see him weighed or measured!! I didn't get to be the first one to see his little fingers and toes and I didn't get to feed him his first bottle! But, God had a plan, and I actually WAS in the hospital, only steps away from him, when he was born. Normally, (at that particular time) I wouldn't have been at work. I was working dayshift then, and I had just signed up to work an extra shift that night!! So, although I wasn't in the actual room, I do believe God allowed me to be close when he was born!! I know my heart was there for sure!!!

Brad and I actually didn't get to meet him until he was about a week old. But, I remember, driving to his Nanny's house. So, so nervous!! Excited, but nervous! But, when we got there, we were welcomed like family, and then, AND THEN, we saw Andrew!! And I remember thinking that he was the most beautiful baby!! So small, so precious, scrawny little legs, head full of hair, I can soooooo love this baby!!!

A week later, he was home with us!!! Now, if you know our story at all, you know there were some setbacks, but I'm not going to focus on those details! God has a way of helping us to forget those small details! He helps us to remember the lessons that we learned, but He has protected us from remembering the hurt!!

And the rest is history!! He has been the greatest joy in our lives!!! He is a true gift from God and I know that He has an incredible plan for Andrew's life!!

We are truly blessed beyond measure!

Thank you Father for this baby!!

Thank you April for giving me a gift that I can never repay you for!

(From a card that I was given, right after we got him)

You may not have my eyes,

but I gave you that little sparkle.

And while you don't have your daddy's smile,

that laugh is unmistakably his.

You see, it's true you weren't born from my belly.

But, that doesn't make your birth any less of a miracle,

just like it doesn't make us any less of a famiily.

Happy 1st Birthday Andrew!!

I love you!!

Momma