Reid’s 1st Birthday Letter

Dear Reid,

I simply cannot believe that you are one today. How is it that it has been a year since your little body was growing inside of me and I thought you were never going to make your way into the world? Yet once your little mind was made up you most certainly did! And from the very moment you made your way into this big, wide world you have shown us your spunky, nobody is going to stop me personality. I don’t think I have ever met someone who is as determined as you are. From the time you noticed him, you have set your mind to keep up with your big brother and sat, crawled, pulled yourself up and walked way before we were ready for you too! And at one, you already have a vocabulary and have no problem letting those around you know what you want or when to “op” (stop).

Everett’s 2nd Birthday Letter

Dear Everett,

You are two! I am not sure how or when that happened yet here we are. This past year has been so much fun as you are learning and growing so much and we are learning more and more about you. You are our cautious one who hesitates and assess each new thing, sometimes you need your dad or I and a little push, but as long as we are by your side you are normally up for giving something a go. And after you realize you can do it, with a focused mindset you try on your own and the triumph on your face as you realize you did it is such a delight to see! You can do anything you put your mind to Everett and I hope as you grow your dad and I can help you see and believe it for I know you will do great things!

Approaching the Toddler Years

A year ago I was weeks away from celebrating my firstborn’s first birthday and welcoming my second child into the world. And though I was very done with being pregnant and was ready to meet my second little man I was also unsure if I was ready to step into the world of two under two. Somehow, now a year later, I can say I survived that crazy and sleepless first year. I made it through, even doing it on my own at times when Dustin had to travel for work. I’m not sure how that happened, only that if I did not have such a large support system I would not still be alive today. Just kidding, I would be of course, I firmly believe that one of the gifts God gave women was the ability to “just do it”. In circumstances that seem near impossible or are just plain hard, somehow we manage to just do what needs to be done. Now, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my share of meltdowns. I’ve called trusted friends in tears, I’ve withdrawn from the world when I felt overwhelmed, I’ve had ridiculous arguments with my husband simply because I was too tired to be reasonable and I’ve even wondered why I decided to have children. Yes, I’ve been there, done that.