Five

Five years of anything is a pretty big deal.

Increments of five just always seem that way to me.

They seem big.

Our sweet Teddy celebrated his 5th birthday on Friday January 31st!

Five whole years of being the sweet Tedster that he is.

Five whole years of parenthood.

That’s a big one.

For five years, we have been responsible for the care and guidance of another little person.

It has been one of the most amazing and toughest jobs of my life.

I LOVE it!

It’s hard for me to even believe that it has been a whole five years.

I can still remember finding out I was pregnant with him. I can still remember a not so easy pregnancy. I just don’t do pregnancy well, as my mom says. It’s true. I don’t. My body goes nuts. I always wished I could be one of those women who had no issues while pregnant. That wasn’t me. It was worth it all though and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I can still remember finding out that he was a boy. We knew immediately that he was Teddy. Those 3 and 4D ultrasounds are amazing. Most people assumed that I wanted a girl because I am the girliest of girls, but both times, I honestly didn’t have a preference and was equally as excited! Each child is a blessing, no matter the sex. I’ve just always felt that way! I started shopping for all the cute boy things immediately after leaving the ultrasound…I stopped at Red Robin for a cheeseburger and mozzarella sticks first though. That was two of my main cravings during that pregnancy. Really, I could live off both.

I can still remember meeting him for the first time. After they placed him in my arms, he just stared at me for a long time. I’ll never forget it. Since he was an early baby, no one was sure if he would be rushed off to the NICU or not, so I was thankful for an extremely healthy, but early babe. The time I got to spend holding him a few minutes after he was born were some of the sweetest moments of my life. They always say it and it’s so true, when you have a baby, your life changes instantly. It’s hard to explain the feeling. Those of you who have had babies are probably nodding your head in agreement right now. You’re just changed. The amount of love you feel is amazing.

Looking at this picture totally brings me right back to those moments. It also reminds me that my wrinkle-free forehead, no longer exists. Ha!

I remember thinking ONE was such a milestone and it was. It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since that day. It really has gone by in the blink of an eye.

Then there was TWO. I was about 14-15 (?) weeks pregnant with Reagan. I worried a lot about how life changing it would be for Teddy. But, one of the best things that ever happened to all of us, was the birth of little miss fancy, Reagan. One of the things that I remember him saying, all the time around this age, still makes me laugh. He used to walk around and say “My back is killinggggggggg me!” It was hilarious and clearly something I said all the time because again, the second pregnancy was no walk in the park. He also said “Bye see you!” anytime he said goodbye! Just a couple sweet memories from that year. This was also the year of Thomas the Train. Every two year old seems to be obsessed with Thomas, don’t they? I see all these knock off trains and train tables, but no one else besides Thomas and his friends, would do for our little guy.

Then his best friend was born. He walked into the room to meet Reagan and said “Where’s my baby sister?!” He never called her Reagan. Always “baby sister.” It was so sweet! He was always so proud of her from day one. I love their relationship…although they have been fighting a lot lately (I’m blaming the close quarters! Ha!), they are still the best of friends!

This picture was taken a couple days before Reagan was born, by my best friend. It will always be a favorite of mine. His eyes smile. I love it. They have always been this way.

And just like that, he turned THREE. This was the year of Mickey (and still Thomas the Train). He looks like such a baby to me in this picture. This was the year that Teddy started school. He started asking (begging) me to go, right after Reagan was born. I finally gave in and it was the best thing for him. He has always loved it.

Then what seemed like the shortest year ever was over and Teddy turned FOUR! We celebrated with a mini pirate party at school and a pirate party at home…complete with Chick Fil A and a jumpy castle. It was a blast!

And just like that, here we are at FIVE.

Five whole years since he changed my life and made me a mama.

He is and will always be one of my biggest blessings.

We have gone through SO much transition lately, but this easy-going little guy has done so well. I am always amazed by how well he handles change. He is one of the happiest and kindest kids I know. He truly loves life and pretty much anything chocolate related. It has been a treat to watch him grow and watch his personality evolve over the past five years. I am truly amazed every single day by the things that he says and does. He is an amazing little guy. I am so very proud of him.

“For this child I have prayed, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.” – 1 Samuel 1:27

Cheers to FIVE whole years! This little guy is going to do GREAT things! I am sure of it!