Braden turns ONE!!!

My little guy is now one year old! I truly can not wrap my brain around that, seems like just yesterday I was pregnant and it felt like he was never going to be here. That day was so weird for me. I just kept replaying the couple of weeks leading up to his arrival, especially the night before and the day of! I was surprisingly not nervous at all! I was ready to meet my son!!

After weeks of thinking he would come early because of how huge I was, he stuck it out past his due date of August 28, 2009 and forced Mommy to make the decision of being induced. I was pretty miserable by that point. I was swollen from head to toe, carrying an extra 61 pounds along everywhere I went, and not to mention the intense contractions I started two months prior to his birthday! I did most of my dilating from home for two months and checked into the hospital dilated at 6 to 7 centimeters!

Once we finally got settled at the hospital bright and early that morning, I started making my rounds walking up and down the hallways to get my contractions going. I was planning for a natural birth (no epidural) so anything to keep me comfortable throughout the process was allowed (walking, sitting on the yoga ball, etc). It didn't take long for me to reach 10 centimeters, everyone thought I'd deliver by lunch, but Braden had other plans.

He was such a big boy and wasn't in the best positions for pushing that it took awhile to get him just right, and I pushed for quite some time, at least 2 hours if not more. I know they were thinking that if this doesn't happen soon, we are going to do a C-Section. Luckily, with all my might, and some help from my fabulous doctor and some great nurses, we were able to get my big boy here! September 1, 2009...Braden McFarlin was born after nearly 10 hours of labor!

He was a big one alright! A whopping, 9 lbs 9 oz, and 21" long!! He didn't come without a few bumps and bruises though. His poor head was bruised from the vaccum they used to help get him out, and he broke his collar bone also. I too, lost a lot of blood and even fainted in the restroom on my first visit after delivery. They kept me for observation in a room other than post-partum, and Braden had to have x-rays ran on his shoulder.

He was so perfect! Words just can't express the feeling you have after giving birth to your very own child. You truly can't describe the love you feel. I just get so happy when I hear friends or family having their first babies, because you share that bond of actually knowing what it is all about. It is a very intense experience.

And, now he is a walking, talking, adventurous little boy that loves to explore, yell, run, get dirty and give his Mommy lots of hugs & kisses. Finally getting to bring him home and begin our journey was so amazing! This past year has brought so much happiness to my life. My life was simply incomplete with out him. He learns something new everday and it is always keeping me on my toes! He is such a happy little boy and I just love being his Mommy!

Happy First Birthday Braden! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and your accomplishments already and look forward to watching you grow and learn more with everyday that comes!

I LOVE YOU!!!