One Year Today!!!

Birthday Royalty!!

Today is Simon (and Alicia's) Birthday.

Amazing.

One year ago Simon decided, with the help of some prostaglandins, that today was the day and we didn't have to wait any longer.

For those of you that don't know, Simon's original due date was April 1st (no foolin') and by April 9th our Midwife suggested that we try a mostly non-invasive procedure to get things started. I say mostly because the procedure does involve having some one's (an OB) finger separate the placenta from the uterine wall to release the prostaglandin hormone and there's a little something invasive about that ;-)

Within minutes I was having full on active labor contractions and 7 hours later....there he was.

And here we are one full year, 12 lunar cycles, 52 weeks, a whole set of holidays, a new american idol season, and of course all that other stuff that fills up a calendar year... later.

Oh right and then there is all that other stuff that has filled this year. One terrible terrible day that started off so many terrible, wonderful, scary, horrific, forgetting to breathe, connecting with new and old community, being in the moment, getting ready to say goodbye to my son, crying on the floor, holding on to Jaime, intubation, blood tests, echo cardiograms, spinal taps, lines going in, infected lines coming out, breast feeding, bottle feeding, bolus feeding, pump feeding, hospital cafeteria feeding (the grown ups), trips cancelled, visitors from the east coast, new friends, old friends, food drop offs, hospital baths with Carol, tubes, tubes and more tubes, finally less tubes, medications, and moment after moment of enjoying Simon....days.

His smile, his skin, his gaze, his laugh, his hands reaching, his body growing (and growing and growing), his spirit.

Simon, one year old today and so much more.

I want to cry and laugh and shake all at once, all day long.

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you.