Ian is 10 today. This very moment, 10 years ago, I was in the hospital preparing to bring my first child, a baby boy we decided to name Ian, into the world. I remember being so sacred, and confident at the same time. I could, we could do this. His delivery was a difficult one…he was posterior. I cried tears of joy and relief when he was finally out (I know all moms know this feeling). We made eye contact only moments after birth. He was so alert, looked right into my eyes! In that very moment, I knew what it meant to live for someone else.  Minutes turned into hours, hours into weeks, weeks into months. I can remember so many things clearly now, that I wondered  at the time, “Will I remember these things?”…. like the fact that he couldn’t crawl but could say “ball, mama,  and bye bye”. When he wasn’t yet walking but would climb on the sofa and proudly declare “yay!”.  When we had decided to call my parents “MeMaw and PawPaw” but he named them Mimi and Poppy, and when he couldn’t pronounce Grandma and called her “Gleema”.  So many “firsts”, so many joyous, and wonderful, and yes, some sad moments all woven together in raising up a boy, who very soon will be a young man.  I find myself praying for his future now, more often. I hope he will continue to grow to be a  Godly, considerate, empathetic, intelligent, and loving individual as he continues to grow up. I want nothing more for him, than to find purpose in life, to learn what it means to be content, and to always know that God is good, all the time.
He brings so much joy into our lives, and we are so thankful for him, here’s to another 10 years, my boy! “Love you to the moon and back!”

(Family members…please don’t take offense if your picture wasn’t included…there’s just too many pictures! Like thousands! Love y’all!)