Calvin’s 1st Birthday

Calvin turned one on the 14th.  It has been a year of upheaval and I often regret that I wasn't able to enjoy his first year more.  There were many good moments but many stressful ones too.  Even his birth was hard to process although I don't diminish the experience of those who have gone through much worse and don't end up with a good out come of a healthy child.  If you recall, he came two weeks early, ended up in the NICU for five days and he was supposed to be a girl.  We even had the name of a girl filled out on the birth certificate form.  Right after the shock of a lifetime when he came out as a boy, his breathing was not right and he ended up being whisked to he NICU and I barely got to hold him for several days.  

But, here we are a year and a move and a job change later.  He spent months crying most of the time due to ear related problems (which resolved themselves right before we finally went to a long awaited ENT appointment) and I was almost always alone with the four kids when we were finishing the school year before moving.  As summer turned to fall he became a very enjoyable baby and now he is a typical house destroying, stair climbing, food throwing one year old.  These pictures seem like a long time ago.  

This was the first time the older kids got to see Calvin through the nursery window.  

This was when he got to have his oxygen removed.  The nose tube is the feeding tube.  

This was taken before we left the hospital. 

This was during the early days in the NICU when he was under an oxygen tent.  We still have his stuffed monkey pacifier that you can see in the corner.  I will probably save it forever. 

This was when I got to feed him for the first time the night before he was discharged. 

This was taken right after he was born when we got to hold him in the NICU.  I didn't get to hold him for a few days after that.  

I love this picture.  Ben came in from the bus after school and he didn't know we were home yet.  It was his last day of school before Christmas break.  

Here I am, driving the two of us home from the hospital!  It felt pretty strange to just walk out of there alone and drive myself home with a new baby.  But that's life when you have three other kids at home. 

Now, fast forward:

What a sweet little baby!  He is very close to walking but not there yet, he likes to eat most things you put in front of him, he can climb up the stairs so quick you miss it until you hear him banging around up there and he is starting to like books and brings them to me to read to him. He is the fourth boy to wear this first birthday shirt.  He grabs at everything as you can see in the picture above where he is trying to get the candle flame.  He has completely ransacked the bottom half of the Christmas tree but I'm just embracing it because I know next year will be a different story and maybe I will indeed miss baby antics around the house.  MAYBE.  Happy birthday Calvin Harold.