Happy Birthday Elijah!

My sweet nephew Elijah is celebrating his first birthday today! Since this is the first boy amongst three beautiful nieces-I have just soaked up every single moment with him.

Let me tell you about this time LAST year. Last Halloween Missy had labor pains and went into the hospital. My mother (Lynnie to the grand kids) and I went and picked up Faith and Katelyn at the hospital. Since I work at home, I stayed over until they got home. Now here is where my memory gets a little fuzzy but what I do remember is having this same process not happen once, twice but three more times. And one Sunday sitting in church, while Missy is on bed rest, my brother gets into a motorcycle accident. I soon started breaking into a cold sweat each time our cell phone rang-you just never knew what news you would receive upon answering the telephone.

So...December 7Th rolls around. Texas gets it's freeze of the year that day. The next day Missy and Gunnar were heading to the hospital to deliver Elijah. We decided that since the weather was bad I would stay over that night. Gunnar loves to drive in the ice! I do too but this NO FEAR comes from my dad who used to take us out and do tail spins in the parking lot when it iced. Some of you may be freaking out but Gunnar and i loved every minute. Anyways, we were driving the streets with his heated seats taking our time getting home. When the cell phone rang, duh, duh, dun!

Missy is on the other line-trying to remain calm because she is having contractions. Gunnar started driving as fast as he could in stand still traffic so that he could get home. We arrive at the house in one piece and in record time-way to go big brother! Missy has decided that they can wait to go to the hospital tomorrow. (You see after having three false labors she was a little gun shy to try it again, only to be told to go home.) Well, God is good! Why? Because less than 5 minutes after she said those words her water broke. Gunnar said, "Get in the car, we are going to the hospital!"

Faith, Katelyn and myself gave Missy and Gunnar big hugs and wished them well. Then the three of us sat down and said a prayer for their safe travels and the birth of either little brother or sister. I realized that night that my girls know how to pray. It was very special. Around 2 the next morning, Gunnar calls and says, "Well I have a son!" The pride that came through the phone lines was so strong. They asked me not to wake the girls or to tell them because they wanted to be the ones to tell them. So early the next morning-I woke them up and dialed Gunnar and Missy. It was a sweet moment and it has been a sweet year.

Elijah has been such a joy to be around this year. He loves to cuddle and often times when he is falling asleep he will hum himself to sleep. It is so cute! He can say Momma, Daddy and I swear the other day he said Sue-Sue. When I informed Gunnar and Missy of this, Missy said "Well, I am sure he did!" Isn't she a sweet sister-in-law to indulge me like this. Thank you sweet family for letting me be apart of each and everyone of your kids life. Thank you for letting me play the "Cool Texas Aunt" (they have 2 cool Florida aunts as well!) It has been so much fun watching little Elijah grow.

Here are a few pictures I took this time last year.

He weighed 9 Lbs, 9.5 ounces! (I think...anyway the point is he was huge!)

Dad and Baby Elijah

Mom and the BIG sisters!

Lynnie!
(And you know I do not have one picture of me holding him at the hospital! What's up with that?)

The Girls waiting for the car to drive up with little Elijah!

They kept saying, "Sue Sue where is he!"

Mom and Baby are home!