Happy Birthday Mister!

I can hardly believe my boy is 4 years old today! I don't feel old enough to have a 4 year old son. Mister has been such a blessing in our family and we are so grateful that Heavenly Father has entrusted us to raise him in the world.

Mister's birth story is very different from Pumpkin's. My water had been leaking for 2 days before I realized that that's what it was. It broke on Friday night but it took me until Sunday to realize that maybe this wasn't normal and maybe I should go into the hospital to get checked out. It was SuperBowl Sunday and we were having a party at our house that day. A few people were already there, so we just told them to hang out for a minute, that we were just going to go to the hospital and get checked out, but that we were sure it was nothing and that we'd be back in an hour tops. Ummmm, yeah. That didn't happen. So when my water broke completely in the hospital as I hopped up on the exam table I knew we weren't going to make it back to our party. I was really upset about that because I hadn't eaten all day - definitely a no-no for a preggo lady, but I was saving my apetite for all that yummy SuperBowl party food. So I was starving and asked Scott to run and get me some food only to be interrupted by the nurse telling me that I wasn't allowed to eat anything now that I was going to have a baby. If you could've heard the screaming and torment going on in my head at that moment I would've won an Oscar for "Best Performance in a Horror Movie." I was soooooo hungry and soooooo mad that this nurse said all I could eat was Jell-O, which I don't even like!

After about an hour I wasn't having any contractions so they started me on pitocin (evil, evil drug) and the contractions started coming. At first they were mild and Scott and I played cards and watched the SuperBowl on tv. Apparently, once you get going in labor they're supposed to ease off the pitocin and your body is supposed to take over. Mine was feeling uncooperative and Mister seemed content to stay in there forever. So they kept upping the pitocin. If you've ever had a baby with pitocin you know how much more painful and knock-the-wind-out-of-you-intense pitocin contractions are. So I only made it to a 3 1/2 before I was BEGGING for the epidural. Once I got it (after 5 hours of labor) I was so relaxed I took a nap for a while and was thinking, "I don't care if this takes another two days as long as I can't feel anything." When the doctor woke me up to have me start pushing, I didn't want to - I wanted to keep sleeping. But I pushed and pushed for one hour and 19 minutes and FINALLY Mister came into the world.

They whisked him away to clean him off and give him a bath and, this may sound weird, but I didn't want to hold him when he was covered in slime, so I asked them to clean him first. But the minute I held him in my arms I felt such warmth and my immediate reaction was "I remember you. I've missed you." Like we knew each other in heaven before we came to earth. It was so powerful and is a memory I hold dear to my heart. He weighed 8 lbs 1.6 oz and was 21" long and was born at 11:19pm. Now, at this point I hadn't eaten since Saturday's dinner and to say I was starving is an understatement. So I ordered a large pizza and ate almost the entire thing myself. Yep, I was starving and now I had all this extra room in my stomach that Mister was squishing up before so I really went to town on that pizza! :)

Mister was always a good baby. He started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old and we could take him anywhere with us and he was always so well-behaved. We could take him out to restaurants, on long car trips, etc. I remember I used to put him in his stroller with a toy or two and spend an hour at the bookstore just browsing or hitting a bucket of balls at the driving range and he'd just sit there patiently. He was a very serious and observant baby. We definitely had to work to get smiles out of him. It wasn't until he was around 20 months or so that he started developing his "fiery" side. He's definitely got a flair for the dramatic and displays it on a regular basis. He's a very intense little boy - intensely loving, intensely happy, intensely tantrum-prone, etc. He definitely keeps life interesting and fun. He loves to play catch, he loves to jump from high places (scary sometimes), he loves to cook, he loves to sing and dance, he loves pre-school, he loves his dogs, he eats like a bird, he gives sweet hugs and kisses and he is quick to forgive and forget my sometimes quick temper. He loves baths, loves playing at the beach and likes to put all his toys in the sink then fill it with soapy water and make a splashy mess. He loves swimming pools and hot tubs - basically any and all bodies of water. We call him "The Enforcer" at home because he's quick to tell me not to talk to Daddy that way (if we're arguing or something) and that I have to apologize. Or he'll say the same thing to Scott "Hey, don't talk to Mommy that way, say sorry!" He's even been brave enough to reprimand Grandma on occasion. :) I've learned so much from him about unconditional love, patience and humility. I am so grateful for him in my life and the sweet spirit and joy he brings to our family.

Here are a few pictures from his journey with us:


Birthday boy:

Tender moment:

He still makes this face:

Mister's first Halloween:

First Thanksgiving in Springfield, MO with Grandpa:

Sharing a cuddle with Auntie Kristen:

Happy 1st Birthday!

Sweet picture with Mommy:

He loves playing on the beach!

Two proud Wildcats: Thanks for the Arizona jacket Uncle Kiel and Auntie Lauren!

Halloween this past year: