Fall Escapades...

Yup, here's yet another blog post after the fact. I realize that everybody's seasonal gears have already shifted...but this lovely mild day makes it not yet feel like winter, so there's that...

Here are some photos summarizing our first fall together as a little family.

PUMPKINS!

First petting zoo experience

Cornstalks!

Much more enthralled with the fence than the animals

 We also celebrated our anniversary in Milwaukee. Why Milwaukee? Because grandparents in Milwaukee = free babysitting :) We went to this adorable little coffeehouse called the Gingerbread House which I would highly recommend to anyone who finds themself in that neck of the woods. It's the most darling place ever. Here's the exterior:

Adorable gardens and an ice cream shop out back

And chickens!

And check out their drive-through!

No, they are not a sponsor (ha, like my blog is important enough to have sponsors!) and they did not pay me for this...I just really liked the place.
A very cute interior, with mismatched old barnwood tables and rustic, country decor

We enjoyed some wonderful lattes...an object which I never tire of photographing...see here

 Along with our lattes, we chose a delectable confection from this scrumptious array

 And a quick snapshot on our way out...gotta get one for the anniversary book!

 Happy Belated Fall, from our family to yours!

Party and play

We had some fun celebrating our son's first birthday a few weeks ago.

Here's a little recap for those unable to attend (why is Nova Scotia so far away?!)

Many guests were in attendance...many guests bringing many gifts - I always love what a pretty picture a table full of brightly wrapped gifts makes!

I tried my hand at some simple home-made decorations

 and my first real birthday cake...

which would have probably turned out much cuter if my dear husband had bought the plain red fruit-by-the-foot instead of the blueberry-cherry twist! Ah well, still tasted good.

We were blessed with a gorgeous late-October day, so we were able to have the sun porch open and the backyard full of party revelers. It also made it very easy to clean up the mess the little guy made when he played with devoured his little cupcake...which incidentally, he could not WAIT to get his hands on.

Yes, it looks like he did a lot of playing with it, but he really did eat the entire thing. My mother was horrified! :) By the way, prior to the occurrence of this messy ritual, he did look pretty dapper for his big day.

Little big William Levi was very blessed to have so many friends and family help him celebrate his big day, and he got some fun gifts. Here are some of his favorites

Super soft blue elephant. Thanks Hol! No, we cannot name him Max Rebo. We already have one.

The name "Bruno" has been decided on. A manly name chosen by a manly father for his son's manly elephant.

Vtech lights and sounds helicopters. He is so proud of himself that he can push the balls through the shoot. Thanks Katie, great gift!!

These marvelous dinosaur puppets, thanks Vic and Gramma, these are one of MY favorites :)

He's not sure yet how he feels about them:)

Last I want to show you this amazing gift that his cousin Megan made for him. Yes, I did say that. She made it for him and it took her months. What an incredible gift - home-made gifts are always the best, and this one is so fun I want to sit and play with it for hours. It is a quiet time activity book.

My son definitely loves reading books with me, something we've been striving for since he was just a wee little one. (ps. He is so much cuter now than he was then. What on earth was going on with his hair?!)

Anyways, even though the kid can't sit still for more than five seconds at a time, I can generally get 5-10 minutes out of him when we sit down with books. But when we sit down with this book? Well, I would swear somebody switched out my child on me :) He loves the thing.

And who wouldn't! I mean, colors, shapes, numbers, clothing, zippers, ties...this thing has it all!

Are ya jealous yet? Ok, good. Because I'm going to convince her to go into business with these things.

Despite all these amazingly cool gifts, I think his favorite toy is still warm, fat, fluffy and furry

What do you want me to do??! The cat eats it up.

Well, as my father pointed out, our son is spoiled, because what kind of kid gets two birthday parties? This little guy had another mini celebration on the actual date of his birth. It was subdued and lovely with close family. Here are a few pics, again, for those that couldn't be there and wished they were...and I can guarantee that you are the only people enduring through the end of this exhaustingly long blog post. Sorry! 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped us celebrate, who gave Will gifts or sent us cards. He is one blessed little boy to have such love from so many friends and relatives!

I will leave you with this last photo...which demonstrates that he still loves to hang out...

Literally. 

One year ramblings...

Welcome to a deeper blogpost...
perhaps because I am preparing for a milestone birthday myself (thirty, yikes!) and am feeling a bit a bittersweet mix of emotions in seeing my little son become a toddler, I am taking this blog post from the usual characteristic flavor of levity to something a bit more vulnerable and exposed with some reminiscent melancholies and meanderings...

I guess as I reminisce about the happenings of my son's birth one year ago, I am just overwhelmed with a sense of gratefulness that I was able to experience such a thing. I, who had started to give up hope that I would ever bear a human life into this world...The miracle of birth...what a cliche you say. And yet, if you really stop to think about it...I still can't believe what a miraculous thing it is. Especially in light of a history of infertility, I am endlessly grateful that I was able to experience this miracle... I am in awe of God's working.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it."
David, the Psalmist - Psalm 139:13-14


So...as I was saying, after my son's birth, I had a pretty rough first month of recovery, involving significant anemia, blood loss, two almost-visits to the ER and culminating in a surgical procedure to 'finish things off' if you will. (I will spare you medical jargon, and that's a gift, coming from a nurse practitioner :) During that first month, due to my weakness and poor medical condition, I feel that I didn't get to enjoy it as thoroughly as I might have otherwise. I remember sitting helplessly on the cough watching my mother, sisters, husband and in-laws bathe and dress my newborn little son and wishing that I could be a more active part.

He was NOT a fan of that first bath.

I'm not complaining about watching from afar; I watched them do a lot of other stuff for me too, like change diapers, wash dishes and prepare meals for me :) and by the way, I was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of so many people in my church and circle of friends who stopped by with meals, gifts and well-wishes. Anyways, I would have loved to have really been able to cherish that time more. It just seemed to fly by. Those would be my words of advice to any brand new mom. Just relax and cuddle with that babe. Don't fret about nursing patterns, or sleep routine, or guests seeing a dirty bathroom, or any other blessed thing. Just soak up that time. Because before long, it's over and you won't even believe it ever happened.

Given the rough recovery, I don't think I shared a lot on my blog in those first weeks. So today, as I fondly remember that day one year ago when my son made his first little stink-face appearance into this world

(Yes, and I do mean stink-face.) (And no, I'm not talking about my hideously post-partum mug.)

Or when I remember those powerful emotions washing over me the first time I met that boy

and then seeing them play across my husband's face in turn...

Awe. Amazement. Happiness. Love.

I did not take this picture, but I love it because it really captures in his features all the pride and joy of a new father.





Meeting as a family for the first time...

Precious moments with my newborn son

Another incredible gift of that amazing night of Will's birth was being able to watch my parents' reactions as they met their first grandchild for the very first time.

Working on this post has been fun for me, because it has allowed me to revisit and edit some of the
many pictures that were taken during those first few weeks of little Will's life.

Allow me to share some of them with you now...
Here's a collage of many first-time meetings between William and all the very important people in his life.

I love this one because it helps me remember a time that didn't last long...yup, cuddle time.

 One that I took during his newborn shoot at 2 weeks. There are many I took and am just now taking the time to edit. I love this one.

This was taken with my crappy camera phone. But it's priceless to me - this was the first day home from the hospital, so he is only 4 days old here. Awwww....

This is one of my favorites because he looks so tiny, innocent and helpless :)

This was a toast on the day he was born...I will close with this toast - a toast to our first son's birth, and now to a completion of a blessed first year with him.