remembering...

as the days tick by leading up to mason's first birthday on saturday, i can't help but reminisce about this time last year. my due date had come and gone. i just knew that i would have my baby at 38 weeks and he would be a perfect 6.5 pounds. not so.

i was ginormous, with none of my maternity clothes fitting anymore and the loosest pair of flip-flops i owned now cutting off the circulation if i even attempted to squeeze my foot/cankle in them.

i was working from home, determined not to waste a single day of maternity leave on time when mason wasn't here, so i was getting lots of emails from clients, work friends, and others inquiring "are you still here?" in the subject line. my response was always the same... still here, still pregnant.

this year has been the most incredible one of my whole life, but i still miss some pregnancy moments - especially at work where i grew so accustomed to him kicking, rolling, and wiggling in my belly while i worked. i can check on him via the webcam during the day now, but having him INSIDE me for 9 months was such a special time. i was hosting a miracle.

my last doctor's appointment was on sept. 2 and we scheduled mason's eviction induction for sept. 4. we were packed and ready. no contractions. no other signs of labor. and no progress from week to week. but at 40+ weeks, we were certain he was fully cooked and i just couldn't wait for him to get here.

little did we know that we would wait some more once we were in the hospital. nineteen and a half hours after inducing labor, on september 5, mason finallly arrived via c-section. in addition to weighing 9 pounds and 14.7 ounces (so much for the 6.5 pounds!), our boy was crooked and didn't have room to straighten out. he was perfect in every way and the biggest blessing from God we'd ever received.

it's hard to believe it's been a year. but what a year it's been.