Our Family

Our little baby Michael saw the light of day (or rather, the hospital room) and took his first breath....

I knew from the moment we found out I was pregnant, that our lives would change.

I know that babies have this amazing ability to generate love. I've learned that very directly from each one of my nephews being born. This love is generated in the hearts of not just the parents, but in family and friends. More love exists in the world when babies are born.

And oh, was this ever the case with baby Michael, and as we celebrate his first birthday, it's so interesing to reflect on how much love bombarded our family at the arrival of this little one. He is our little treasure, our little man, who is lovable in every way.

This year has been a journey. It has been one that has moved from total lack of confidence on how to handle a baby--feeling totally out of sorts doing something simple like going to the grocery store, to gradually growing in the sense that, though each stage is new, I am getting a little handle on the parenting thing. I'm no master, but I can adapt more quickly, get overwhelmed less slowly, and worry a bit less when things don't always go according to plan.

When Michael was first born, I kept looking around for someone else to be the expert on him. "Do I do this now?" "What does he want?" "What's that mean?" "What will happen if I....?" Thankfully, my mom, Michael's mom, and my sister were there to provide lots of motherly wisdom, and I had lots of support from the whole family. But I still felt like someone else knows how to operate this "thing" better than I, and if only I could find that person I would finally get some answers.

Now, I feel like I have finally come to play the role on the baby Michael expert. That doesn't mean I know everything or can explain all his moods and behaviors, nor do I always do the right thing at the right time, but at least I feel like the most qualified person to take a best guess. And more times than not, I can get it right to eventually address whatever might arise. It's a good feeling, after a year, to finally be able to write instructions for people on his likes, dislikes, habits, and patterns, and not miss the mark too much.

Baby Michael is a good, good, baby. Very easy, very flexible, very regular in his moods, a great sleeper, not a picky eater, easy to comfort, responsive, smiley, and friendly with others.

He has a real distinct personality. If something is in his way, he moves it with authority. If he doesn't want your hand covering this or preventing him from getting that, he will very abruptly grab it and pull it out of the way (don't worry, I don't encourage that).

He doesn't back down from a challenge. If he is crawling on the floor away from you and you announce, "I'm going to get you!" He'll turn around and face the challenge head on, barrelling toward you. "You're not gonna get me! I'm going to get you first!"

He's determined. When getting his bath ready, he will come into the bathroom time and time again. I don't like him crawling on the floor in there, so I will pick him up and put him in his room. Undeterred, he will come marching back to the bathroom. This will go on ten times, if that's how long it is taking me to finish up. He's not getting mad or upset. He has a task and aims to complete it.

He is sweet. If I'm laying on the floor watching him play, he will regularly come over and put his head on me, just to say "hi." Those moments are dearly cherished.

He loves, loves, loves his Daddy. From the moment he was born, when the nurses held him up as he cried, and when Michael came over to cut the cord and say "hello", and baby Michael stopped crying and looked straight at his Daddy, he has had a very, very special bond with his father. Every night when Michael Sr. comes home and Michael is sitting at the dinner table, it is the same, wide-open mouth, screaming with joy smile that greets his Daddy. He loves to watch him play guitar, whistle, or simply be held and rocked while he drinks his bottle. When Daddy is home, all his attention is on where he is, and what he is doing. If baby Michael is eating dinner, his eyes are glued down the hall where he knows Michael Sr. is, changing out of his work clothes. In the morning, when Michael Sr is getting ready for work, baby Michael has to be hanging out wherever he is. If Michael Sr leaves the room to go to another room, baby Michael goes barrelling down the hall after him.

And who can blame him for loving his dad so much? I certainly can't!

Every day is new with our little guy. Maybe he makes a new sound, a new facial expression, gets a new tooth, has a new thing he finds amusing, or a new way to get to where he wants to go quicker, it's so much fun to watch and be a part of it. Some days, the look on his face makes him seem so much more knowing than he probably is, but those days makes me think that it will not be long before he comes up with his own logical explanations as to why things should go the way he says they should go. It is not hard for me to picture him as a big brother orchestrating how things should run around here.

Baby Michael, maybe you'll read this some day (probably won't be calling you 'baby Michael' by that time), so in case you are, know that this first year has been so incredible and we cannot wait to watch as you grow and learn year after year after year. We hope you know how much you are loved, treasured and cherished, and we pray that everything we do as parents helps to form you as a strong, virtuous, prayerful, and faithful young man. God has placed you in our care, and while we would never claim to be worthy of the task, we hope and pray for the grace to show you day after day how good God is, how much He loves us, and how happy we are when we do everything for Him. Trying to live that way is what brought your dad and I to this day where we celebrate your life and soon to welcome your brother Matthew, and words cannot express what deep happiness and joy we have from that.

Baby Michael, Daddy and I love you so much and we wish you a happy first birthday!!