3 years...3 years...3years... I keep saying that to myself, out loud, and to others and I still cannot believe it! How have 3 years gone by? Some days I think "How has it only been 3 years?" only because it seems like you've been a part of my life forever. Since I didn't start keeping this blog until well after you were born, I feel you deserve a post dedicated to YOUR story!
It all started in December of 2008...what a surprise you were from the very beginning! You might as well read it here...you were a SURPRISE to momma and daddy. But as we've learned, you have been the BEST surprise ever. I was in the middle of my 2nd year of graduate school at JBU and I was working at the CARE Clinic. I hadn't been feeling well: super tired- more tired than I had ever been in my life and since I didn't have any kids, I was sleeping 10+ hours to try to get over the fatigue and I was still tired. So one night when I was working late, Daddy came up to the clinic and brought me a pregnancy test...and low and behold it was POSITIVE! What a shock! It took awhile to believe that we were going to be parents but we soon embraced the wonder of it all! We told Gran and Grandad and Oma and Pop around Christmas with ornaments that said "baby's 1st Christmas". We knew that Oma and Pop would think "it's not Gidian and Keegan's 1st Christmas" and they did! And we knew Gran and Grandad would think it was for Addyson's 1st Christmas so everyone was surprised and thrilled! Right after Christmas we went on a mission trip to Shadow of His Wings Orphanage in Guatemala and I spent my week being very sick...and the sickness continued for a few weeks and then was over. The pregnancy was pretty uneventful and easy. We found out in March that you would be a boy and it took us awhile to settle on a name but finally we decided on Eli Reese...Reese was Daddy's Mammy's last name and Uncle Tyler's middle name. Momma spent most of that summer in the Higgin's pool in Greenwood and no matter what temperature the air was set on I was HOT! The week that was your due date, we decided with our doctor to induce because you showed no signs of coming on your own and I had to start my last year of grad 1 week after your due date so we needed to take matters into our own hands! On midnight of August 14th we checked into the maternity ward at St. Edward's Hospital in Ft. Smith and induction began...at around 7:00am Dr. Rainwater broke my water and labor took off. Right before 5:00pm after 10 hours of hard labor, you entered this world...screaming and red faced. And little did we know this is how you would spent much of your first 6 months of life :). So many people were at the hospital to meet you and welcome you to the world. Oma and Pop were in the delivery room with us and everyone else was waiting in the waiting room. Three of your five living great-grandparents were able to meet you the night you were born. What a lucky boy you were and are! 
Even at a young age, your smile was contagious and so beautiful...when you wanted to, you let your personality shine through and it was awesome! Around 6 months of age, when you started to become more mobile, crawling, pulling up, etc you became a whole new baby! That stage was so fun...watching you explore and learn.
 |
| we called you our little Elf for much of your first year of life! |
Easter of 2010, Daddy and I decided to have you baptized. We loved the symbolism of Easter and chose that day for a reason. Family, friends and church family joined us for the special service just for you and the celebration of Easter afterwards. your grandparents, aunts and uncles all read prayers to you that hopefully one day you will sit down and read for yourself and realize that even at a young age you were clothed in prayer and that God has surely blessed you and shown favor to you! That summer you went to Galveston and explored the beach for the first time and LOVED it! You crawled all over the sand up into the dunes and road the boogie board through the sand too. Then that July you took your first plane ride to Chicago to celebrate daddy's 30th birthday (Gran and Grandad joined us too)! You were able to experience so much in your first year of life! For your first birthday we had a party at the church for friends and family and since the church was having their back to school bash that night, we borrowed their water slide for your party too! It was such a fun day...and a day to celebrate SURVIVAL! haha! Around this time, you and your cousin Addyson really started to play together and have loved being together ever since...you play well and then fight like brother and sister!
Your 2nd year of life was even better than your first...so much fun was ahead of us. You really started to form your personality! Sometime around your 1st birthday we really learned of your love for music. When commercials on tv would have songs you would want us to replay them over and over. Around Christmas time there was a holiday commercial that you made us watch about 50 times in a row...it brought you such joy we couldn't say no (and this trend continues today)! You found a love for Disney's Imagination Movers and you rocked out daily to this! Everything became a guitar at this time and then eventually everything became a drum too (and this trend continues also). You are life of any group and people crack up at your rocking out! In January of 2011 you started a MDO program and First Baptist Church for one morning a week and you did so well! You are such a trooper when it comes to new things and people. That summer went to Gulf Shores for another Goodman Annual Beach Vacation...it was fun to see the difference between the first year and this year. You were of course walking and able to go in the water. You were hesistant this year and enjoyed the pool the most but had so much fun spending the week with Gidian and Keegan. You love them! This summer (2011) we also moved from Greenwood to Rogers. Oh how sad this was...Greenwood was where we brought you home from the hospital and was our church family for 4 years! This church held the majority of people that were in your life (other than family) and it broke my heart that we were taking you away from all of that. I knew that you were young and resilient but still couldn't help feeling like bad parents for taking you away. Greenwood UMC was such a great church to you- they loved you and nurtured you and helped us raise you those first almost 2 years! What a blessing that church was and still is in our lives. You made the move really well and loved your new house...we have a park down the street and a splash park a few miles away! That summer you and I spent many days there or at the library...those were the great things about moving to a bigger town! You turned 2 with a BIG announcement at your party...we told all of our family that you were going to be a big brother. At that time we still thought it was ONE baby! Not sure how much you understood about it but from day 1 you seemed to be excited. You sported your Big Brother t-shirt with pride!
 |
| this was your school picture around Christmas! Made us laugh! |
In the fall of 2011 we started you at the Sonshine School at a Church of Christ down the street from daddy's church 2 days a week. It is an understatement to say you LOVED it! Your teachers, Ms. Nita and Ms. Norma, were great and they loved you and your rock-n-roll attitude. They informed us that you put on concerts for them almost every day.When school ended at the end of the school year in May 2012 we were so sad because the school was also closing for good. I teared up when I picked you up on your last day- they were so good to you and it was a great experience!
You also made your first non-church, non-family related friend...Megan. She lives next door and just turned 5 so she is an older woman but you all love each other. You also love her Nana and Pop that keep her during the day! They spoil you rotten and Megan has all sorts of fun things to play with- most recently a trampoline and scooter. I think because of playing with Megan, you have tried new things and gotten really good at riding your bike and playing "catch" and we are still working on the sharing without complaining but you are getting better!
This year you discovered a new musical love along with Imagination Movers- Brian Kinder. He is a man that comes to Gran and Grandad's school and plays cute little kids songs... and you sing "I like being a kid" all the time! You sing, dance, play guitar, and the drums ALL the time! You really do march to the beat of your own drum and it is AWESOME...I cannot wait to see what you become.
The BIGGEST change in all of your 3 years was this April when we brought YOUR babies home. You were such a trooper all through momma's pregnancy when I felt sick or couldn't hold or rock you. You would talk to my belly and give it hugs. But when your brothers actually entered the world, I was anxious to see how you would do and you did GREAT! You have loved on them since day 1. You were at the hospital the night they were born and you got to see your brothers really even before I did. You have been so curious and interested in them. You try to give them your beebee and doggie all the time...you think they like them as much as you do! My prayer is that you are always a leader for them- a big brother that teaches them right from wrong and leads them in the right direction. I pray that you all learn together what it means to be family and what it means to God's children.
Highlights of 3rd year:
-still HAVE to have your beebee and doggie...almost at all times but especially when you sleep, sad, sick or hurt.
- went to school 2 days a week
- POTTY TRAINED!!!! This happened in January and you were AWESOME at it...almost no accidents in the process of training!
- can count to 20 when you want to
- you know your colors when you want to! :)
- you can spell your name E-L-I...it's so cute hearing you do this!
- you can draw a cross!
- you know a lot of your shapes
- you can officially ride your tricycle- so fun to watch you zoom around
- you went from an only child to a BIG brother!
- you went from a crib to a toddler bed in November while momma was in Guatemala and you did great!
- you let your brothers have your rocking chair.
- your vocabulary has sky rocketed and I'm pretty sure there is nothing that you can't say if you put your mind to it. You amaze me every day with things you say- and in the right context- I think "where did you learn this???"
Eli- you cannot even know how much my heart swells when you're around and how much it breaks when you are sad or hurt. You are my world and I love you so much! I cannot imagine what your daddy and I did for entertainment before you were born because we could sit and watch you or stare at you all day (I tell you all the time "you have the most beautiful eyes!" Your daddy tells me I'm ridiculous). You are truly the most handsome thing I've ever seen (well, tied with your daddy and brothers) and I cannot believe that you are a product of me and your daddy...I know we're awesome but not as awesome as you ;)! Sometimes I ask God how I became so lucky to be your Momma...I know I don't deserve it and I pray that I am the type of mom that you need on a daily basis. Thank you for giving me an awesome, wonderful, beautiful, tiring, frustrating, patience building 3 years!
These last pics are in reverse order (darn technology)...but they are from your birthday party and actual birthDAY. We had so much fun and you were so spoiled!
birthday morning!
Decorations! 
the THREE year old!
love, Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment