1 IS FUN!

Jaiden turned 1 years old on Jan 12th. So amazing to think our lil dude is 1. When we heard him awake in the morning both Jess and I walked into his room singing HB carrying with us a huge bunch of balloons. Jaiden stared in amazement. He must of been thinking, "are you kidding me, I really get to have all these balloons to myself." Jess gave him a handful of balloons while he was still sitting in his crib. He laughed and laughed, not quite sure what to do. We sang HB to him over and over again.

For lunch Jaiden and Coco joined me at my office where we continued to celebrate. Lots of singing, playing, and gifting. The girls made him feel so special.

I could not get home fast enough from work that day to see the birthday boy...again! We played until dinner time. After dinner, Jess and I put a candle on his birthday cake. We videotaped the whole thing, a moment we will not want to forget. He was in awe of the burning candle so before he grabbed it, I blew it out. We then cut him a piece and plopped it right on his highchair and let him go for it. We expected more than we got. Jaiden was very careful, not aggressive whatsoever. I gave him a taste of the frosting from my finger to try to inspire him to dig in. That didn't really work. After some time he did get his hands filled with frosting and put some in his mouth in between the squishing between the fingers. When all was said and done he had a little frosting around his mouth, a few bites of cake, and his hands were covered with frosting. Easy wash. We took a quick bath and played with all our bath toys.

That evening when I stopped I quieted my mind to think about the last year. I thought about it all day long, but I really wanted to contemplate. Hands down this was the fastest year of my life. I reflected on the day Jaiden was born and what that whole experience was like. The emotional rollercoaster. I thought about our stay in Minnesota, how Jaiden came to be, and all the people involved. And then I thought about all the weeks that followed and how truly astonished I am at the growth of our lil son. The development is so remarkable. How did that little (or not so little) baby become a lil dude already...in just one year.

As Jesse said so eloquently the other night, "it is a privilege to be in the presence of Jaiden." How right he is, we are so privileged. I've said this before and I will say it again...I know people say Jaiden is so lucky but we are the lucky ones. This year he has brought us such incredible joy. Our hearts have expanded in ways we never knew were possible. We are captured and transformed by the way he effects us each and every day.

Happy Birthday dear son...Mommy and Daddy love you!

ALMOST 1 YEARS OLD

Jaiden will be a 1year old in 4 days. I ask myself over and over again, how is that possible?

This year has gone by faster than any other year in my life. It seems like just yesterday when we got the call...and now a 1 year old.

I am filled with such joy as I plan for his 3 big days. The first day is Jan 12th which is his 1st BIRTHDAY! How I remember the minute he was born...I thought to myself now that is a beautiful big baby...he took up most of the bassinet they had him in. And I remember the minute the nurse looked at us through the window in the nursery and held up 9 fingers and then 1.3 fingers, telling us in sign language that our newly born baby boy weighed in at 9lbs 1.3oz. Jess and I stared through the glass into the nursery eyes only focused on our child until the time they wheeled him somewhere else and at that point our hands wanted to reach through the glass and keep him right there. We tried to plead with our eyes not to move him out of our sight but it didn't work. What a MAGICAL surreal night that was!

The next big event for us is his official court date celebration which is Jan 15th. We are thrilled that relatives are flying from out of state to join us. Just thinking about that day brings tears to my eyes. This is the day that we will be named Jaiden's parents. WOW...how we have waited for so long for this day. Everything does work out exactly the way it is suppossed to.

Last but certainly not least is Jaid's 1st birthday bash. Can't wait to celebrate Jaiden.