One Year Ago Today...

The Drew Monster will be 365 days old at 5:00 PM today. It's amazing to think of all that has happened in this past year and how much the little guy has grown in all senses.

It honestly feels like both a lifetime and a second have passed since they wheeled me into my antepartum room, and I got to hold my son for the first time. He had been fussing for a bit before I arrived, but as soon as I propped him up on a pillow next to me and started stroking his cheek, he sighed and fell asleep. I think I stayed up a long time just looking at him sleeping beside me. I remember the nurses checking on me several times that night and scolding me for still being awake.

The day I was discharged, Andrew had fallen asleep pretty much in the crook of my neck. I had to sign all the release papers in a strange position to keep from waking him. I remember feeling his warmth and small weight all but burrowing into me and thinking how I would treasure that moment for a long time.

This morning I reflected back on that moment as Drew sat in my lap and rested his head on my chest while cuddling his blanket. He does that upon waking up in the morning or from naps for a minute or so before he's shaken off the sleep and is ready to run wild. His warmth is bigger as is his weight, but the best change is that he's just the right size that I can easily plant tiny kisses on his little blonde head as he rests on me.

During his first few days, Drew really only moved his hands and arms. He hated having them bundled at his sides and always managed to free them from every blanket swaddled around him. This translated into him always having his hands up over his head while he slept.

Nowadays, Drew is all about moving everything. Changing him is a two-person, full body contact process. Who needs a gym when I have to change his diapers? And, the biggest movement of all, he took his first steps yesterday (which I'll talk more about on Monday). It happened at daycare, of course, so Momma and Daddy missed the big "first step" milestone, but I'm sure he'll be toddling around very often very soon to make up for it.

They say that it all happens so fast, and they're right. I've tried very hard to appreciate moments and give them the extra weight in my memory that comes with reflection so I can flip through the images and feelings of all that Andrew has given us this year. I'm excited what he'll have added over the course of this next year.

Happy First Birthday, Andrew Thomas.