"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."
I Samuel 1: 27-28
To say I wanted to be a Mom could possibly be the biggest understatement of my life. That had been my heart's desire since I was a child. The ironic thing is that I really didn't play with kids. I babysat a lot, but as far as enjoying just being with kids, I didn't. But, oh how my heart longed for a child. After three years of trying and praying (and many negative pregnancy tests), the Lord finally saw fit to make my dream come true.
When I found out that I was pregnant, I literally jumped up and down. Your dad had to calm me down a little bit. And come to find out (even though I didn't understand for the three years leading up to the pregnancy), the Lord's timing was perfect.
You arrived on December 22, 1999. It was the most wonderful time possible to have a baby. All of the Christmas decorations were up at the hospital (Northside in Atlanta). They even had Santa visit all of the rooms and they made buttons that we could wear. Even the grandparents had their pictures made with you and Santa and the hospital gave them the buttons as well.
This is your dad and me bringing you home from the hospital on Christmas Eve... You're the bundle in the beautiful blue blanket that Granna crocheted just for you!
Oh yeah, and you were 5 1/2 weeks early and weighed in at 6 lbs, 12 oz. That was amazing. The Lord really blessed us because you could have had all sorts of problems.
You were on a schedule from day one! Many people thought I was crazy, but it worked wonderful for us and for you. You're still scheduled to this day!
When we first brought you home, you were a little bit jaundiced. We would lay you in front of the french door in the den totally naked. The sun would shine in on you and believe it or not, you never had to use the photo therapy lights.
This is when you were just a couple of days old...
Your dad and I were in absolute heaven!! What a wonderful Christmas present you were! Unexpected, but right on time!
One of your favorite things to do when you were a tiny baby was to suck on my bottom lip. I'm sure you'll appreciate me writing that when you get older. It was so precious. You loved to eat, so maybe that's what you thought you were doing. You also never took a pacifier, so you'd suck on anything!
You were the most beautiful baby and have grown to be such a handsome young man!
You are our first born and you are so special to us! We tried everything out on you, so that was definitely to your disadvantage, but you've taken everything in stride. You are such a joy to have now! You are a wonderful son, and your dimples, tender heart and beautiful smile cannot be replaced. Oh, how we love you!! Thank you, Lord, for letting this jewel be the first one to make us a real family!
Well, since your birthday is at Christmas, sometimes we have trouble planning a party because the majority of your friends are out of town!
This year, I decided to do a "progressive" carolling party! We had so much fun. First, I had sweatshirts made for all of the kids, and then all of the "big girls." We all matched. Then we went to different homes and sang. I had called ahead, and a lot of the houses we went to had a treat for you guys when we arrived.
We started with dinner at Granna and Poppa's house!
We even went to our favorite Waffle House. They loved it!!
We ended up at your house with cake and ice cream! You said it was the best birthday ever! You guys made everyone's Christmas a little bit brighter with your wonderful singing!
You absolutely loved your birthday cake. Greg and Terri Goodwin from church made it, and it was incredible! You wanted a Legos cake, and that's exactly what you got!!
You are known in our house for never telling a lie. You just can't do it! That is such a wonderful quality to have. You also have a quiet and meek spirit. You certainly didn't get that from me, but it's another wonderful character trait to possess.
You get more excited over things than any of the other kids. You love to have a good time. Many times you have said, "This is the best day of my life." That just tells me that you love soaking in all that this life has to offer. It doesn't take much to make you happy.
Daddy and I have certainly made our share of mistakes; especially in the beginning. But, I think you've come through those with flying colors and the Lord has had his hand upon you from the beginning. You have a smile that lights up the room, and a laugh that is absolutely contagious! Everybody thinks so. When you giggle or get tickled, everybody does, too.
We love you so much, and couldn't be more proud of what the Lord is doing in and through you, and of the "Child of God" that you're becoming!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart."
Proverbs 7: 1-3
I Samuel 1: 27-28
To say I wanted to be a Mom could possibly be the biggest understatement of my life. That had been my heart's desire since I was a child. The ironic thing is that I really didn't play with kids. I babysat a lot, but as far as enjoying just being with kids, I didn't. But, oh how my heart longed for a child. After three years of trying and praying (and many negative pregnancy tests), the Lord finally saw fit to make my dream come true.
When I found out that I was pregnant, I literally jumped up and down. Your dad had to calm me down a little bit. And come to find out (even though I didn't understand for the three years leading up to the pregnancy), the Lord's timing was perfect.
You arrived on December 22, 1999. It was the most wonderful time possible to have a baby. All of the Christmas decorations were up at the hospital (Northside in Atlanta). They even had Santa visit all of the rooms and they made buttons that we could wear. Even the grandparents had their pictures made with you and Santa and the hospital gave them the buttons as well.
This is your dad and me bringing you home from the hospital on Christmas Eve... You're the bundle in the beautiful blue blanket that Granna crocheted just for you!
Oh yeah, and you were 5 1/2 weeks early and weighed in at 6 lbs, 12 oz. That was amazing. The Lord really blessed us because you could have had all sorts of problems.
You were on a schedule from day one! Many people thought I was crazy, but it worked wonderful for us and for you. You're still scheduled to this day!
When we first brought you home, you were a little bit jaundiced. We would lay you in front of the french door in the den totally naked. The sun would shine in on you and believe it or not, you never had to use the photo therapy lights.
This is when you were just a couple of days old...
Your dad and I were in absolute heaven!! What a wonderful Christmas present you were! Unexpected, but right on time!
One of your favorite things to do when you were a tiny baby was to suck on my bottom lip. I'm sure you'll appreciate me writing that when you get older. It was so precious. You loved to eat, so maybe that's what you thought you were doing. You also never took a pacifier, so you'd suck on anything!
You were the most beautiful baby and have grown to be such a handsome young man!
You are our first born and you are so special to us! We tried everything out on you, so that was definitely to your disadvantage, but you've taken everything in stride. You are such a joy to have now! You are a wonderful son, and your dimples, tender heart and beautiful smile cannot be replaced. Oh, how we love you!! Thank you, Lord, for letting this jewel be the first one to make us a real family!
Well, since your birthday is at Christmas, sometimes we have trouble planning a party because the majority of your friends are out of town!
This year, I decided to do a "progressive" carolling party! We had so much fun. First, I had sweatshirts made for all of the kids, and then all of the "big girls." We all matched. Then we went to different homes and sang. I had called ahead, and a lot of the houses we went to had a treat for you guys when we arrived.
We started with dinner at Granna and Poppa's house!
We even went to our favorite Waffle House. They loved it!!
We ended up at your house with cake and ice cream! You said it was the best birthday ever! You guys made everyone's Christmas a little bit brighter with your wonderful singing!
You absolutely loved your birthday cake. Greg and Terri Goodwin from church made it, and it was incredible! You wanted a Legos cake, and that's exactly what you got!!
You are known in our house for never telling a lie. You just can't do it! That is such a wonderful quality to have. You also have a quiet and meek spirit. You certainly didn't get that from me, but it's another wonderful character trait to possess.
You get more excited over things than any of the other kids. You love to have a good time. Many times you have said, "This is the best day of my life." That just tells me that you love soaking in all that this life has to offer. It doesn't take much to make you happy.
Daddy and I have certainly made our share of mistakes; especially in the beginning. But, I think you've come through those with flying colors and the Lord has had his hand upon you from the beginning. You have a smile that lights up the room, and a laugh that is absolutely contagious! Everybody thinks so. When you giggle or get tickled, everybody does, too.
We love you so much, and couldn't be more proud of what the Lord is doing in and through you, and of the "Child of God" that you're becoming!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart."
Proverbs 7: 1-3
love this and the baby pics of JD sooo cute
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