Happy Birthday....

to one of the biggest loves of my life, my first baby....Tito!

A quarter of a century ago, I wobbled thru the doors of a hospital, as I practiced my breathing and panting to relieve what would turn out to be over 30 hours of labor pains. The end result? One of the most beautiful and rewarding gifts a mother could ever receive. At 12:28 p.m., on August 31, 1982, I gave birth to our first son. I was only 19 at the time and truly had no idea of what becoming a mother was to be like, but I knew with every fiber of my being that I would love this little creation with all of my soul, and it would be a love that would never end. For 25 years, it's been that way and will continue to be until the day I take my last breath.

The thought of my baby boy being 25 today just blows me away. Where has time gone? I remember going to Mommy and Me classes with him, then Cub Scout meetings and camping trips. I remember how I went from hearing the words "Mommy" to what turned out to be "Mom" because Mommy was no longer cool. I remember crying and wiping tears as I dropped him off preschool for the first time. I remember graduations, girlfriends and the day he called me to say that my beautiful granddaughter, Jade Kelly, was born. Although I felt I was way too young to be a grandmother, the pride in his voice made me tremble. My little boy has grown into such a wonderful young man. Don't get me wrong, we've had some tough moments, but we made it through and I'm so proud of the man he has become.

Thinking back....Aaahhhh yes, those teenage years. He has definitely been my "rebel without a cause". Sometimes even wondering where I had gone wrong, but to God's glory, I wouldn't change anything that we have been through. He has learned so much from his mistakes, and I have learned so much from him. He has made me a better Mother, and I think that now, at 25, he realizes what a parent goes through in life for their children. He was in a bad accident at 15 years old and I thought we were going to lose him. My life had turned upside down and I relied on our God and his precious mother to bring my baby through.....they did! That was probably one of, if not "the" worst, moments of my life.

I love this child with a fierce, protective love and he will always be my baby. He was my first born, and there is something so very special in that. Had he known how terrified I was of making mistakes when I first held him 25 years ago, he'd probably wished he could return to the womb, but instead, his love was unconditional, even through my mistakes. I was always his Mommy. I am honored and blessed to be his mother and I thank God every day for that privilege.

Tito,

There is nothing I could ever say that could fully make you realize what an amazing blessing you have been in my life. I just want you to know that you are loved beyond measure and you hold a very special place in my heart and those of your entire family, including all of your new siblings who adore you!

I love you as much as the whole wide world....and back again!

Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Mom

Here is a video I did for him on his 23rd birthday. Enjoy!

(Please remember to scroll down and turn off the background music)

Recap of the week(s)

Gosh, I've been trying so hard to post daily as I love blogging, but it's almost impossible with 3 little ones. I thought with Kai starting school and Amanda going back, I would have all of this spare time.....NOT!!

What a crazy week!! Where do I start? Ok, school. School is going great for Amanda. She seems to be happy and has made quite a few new friends, as if there was ever a doubt. My Miss Congeniality. :) On Monday she had her braces put on and I think she looks just adorable! I know I'm a bit biased, but she is beautiful. :)

I am also TOTALLY bummed because my camera finally completely died. ::sniff:: Scott was sweet enough to go thru the agony of calling tech support for me so that I wouldn't have to go thru THIS again. They are sending a new camera that will not be here until the 6th! UGH!

Going back to the past week...Kai began having fits on Wednesday. I would drop him off and leave him to deep sorrowful cries that broke my heart. Wednesday afternoon the teacher told me that he would come to her and sign the words, "eat, sleep, and Mama come". She would say "Yes, Kai. After nap time, Mama comes." And that would appease him for a while. Well, he has been doing this about 50x a day. My poor baby. He really does like school and loves being with the other kids, he just wants his Mama there. ::sniff::

UPDATE: He is now doing great and happily goes into the classroom with a kiss from Mama, AJ and Anna Grace every morning. He's also NOT had any potty accidents except for the first day! Wooohooo!!!

In the meantime, at home, Anna Grace has regressed quite a bit since Kai started school. I'm not sure if it's because she sees him crying so much in the mornings when we leave and she must be thinking that I am allowing him to be "tortured". We've had holding time quite a few times a day and she is just being plain defiant. It's a work in process.

UPDATE: Now that Kai is happier, she is too! Thank you, Lord! I really was starting to worry that we were back at step 1. This week things have been the best that they've been since she's been home. She (for the most part) wakes up smiling and is ready to give Mama hugs and kisses. She comes up to me 4 or 5 times during the day to just give me a hug or a kiss. I can't even describe how that feels. I get constantly told how beautiful she is, but now more than ever I can see that beauty because she is glowing with love, and I am glowing with pride. I truly never would have thought 9 weeks ago that she would ever show me affection. Boy, am I thrilled to say that I WAS WRONG!!!!

And last but not least, our little man....AJ. Poor little AJ once again came down with strep throat. Out of the blue he began running a fever, the following day it was up to 104.9! Yes, almost 105! I tossed him into a tub of cool water, overdosed him on Tylenol and was at the doctor's office an hour later. Fortunately, his temperature had gone down and by the time we arrived there it was a little over 102. He really scared the bejeezus out of me.

They started him on antibiotics last Friday. Saturday afternoon he awoke from his nap covered in hives! I again called the doctor and we had to stop all medication until the rash went away. Benadryl made him cranky, sleepy and just plain....blah! She said the hives should be gone within a day or two. Well, 3 days later, I was back at the doctor's with him. He was still covered in hives. She concluded that it was not an allergic reaction to the antibiotics like we originally thought. It was a symptom of the strep itself. So, I began new antibiotics on Monday and gave him Claritin instead of Benadryl (what a difference!) and he is doing so much better. We're back on the road to recovery. But, it was a tough 4 days!

OH!!! Thank you all for the prayers for Anna Grace. I know my last update post requested prayers for her eyes. I have at least some results. Praise God she has NO neurological issues!!! After a few tests, the doctor concluded that it is the "fold of her right eyelid that causes the slight droopiness". That was wonderful news to hear. As to the glaucoma. The little rascal still refused to sit still without having a hissy fit for her eye pressure to be tested. That is truly the main symptom to diagnose glaucoma, so we couldn't get a diagnosis. The doctor said the other option was putting her under general anesthesia, but he truly feels that it is a birth condition and not glaucoma, so we are opting to have her checked every 3 months for changes in the eye instead of having to put her to sleep. I will definitely keep everyone posted. Thank you to those that have emailed me to say that she continues to be in your prayers. I know. God is definitely hearing them.

Lastly, in the midst of all this craziness, we had Anna Grace baptized on Sunday, the 26th! I will post all about it next time, so please check back.

Blessings & peace to all.

TAGGED!

I have been working on an update post for the past 3 days and can't seem to finish it!! In the meantime, my dear friend, Tonya, from The Bramblett Bunch, tagged me. So, I thought I'd hop on here and play along to break up some of the Bombardier chaos. Here goes:

You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

1) Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to you life for each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name that you wish you had.

2) When tagged, you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name facts.

3) At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave a comment telling them that they're tagged and to read your blog.

C- Christ is the center of my life and from whom every blessing comes.

A- All of my children: Armando (Tito), Adam, Amanda, Adrian (Kai), Arthur (AJ), and Anna Grace, who fill my life with an enormous amount of joy!

R-Rarely have the energy to sit at the computer like I use to (although I really enjoy it).

I- In and out of carseats at least 3x a day makes for wonderful exercise.

D-Days I would give anything to sleep till 1 p.m.! :)

A-Anhui province, where our sweet baby girl is from.

D-Driving! Oh my Lord! I feel like a cab driver at times.


I now have to tag 7 people. Hmmm....sorry guys. :) How about Emily, Ily, Monica, Ruth, Tammy, Dianne, and Denna. Have fun!

Oodles of Cuteness!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't this little guy just delicious!!!!????