When broke get crafty: What a year!

On Thursday is Charlie's first birthday! Wow. What a year it has been. The fastest, most fulfilling, emotional, special, fun, learned experience of my life and it doesn't stop here folks! I must say I generally live my life to the fullest and have always been very happy, but this...this is SO different! It is the most amazing ~~science experiment~~ thing to watch a baby from conception to birth to day to day life, turn into a person is the coolest thing I have ever known. Raising babies has gone on since the beginning of time, but once you go through it you see how unbelievable it can be. Having a baby has taken me to a more spiritual place than I've ever been before, seeing a life grow in front of you changes everything. The way you think, feel, and do most things. Charlie has changed my life for the better and I will continue to thank him everyday.

Over the past year Ryan and I have delivered a baby, brought him home ~~wondered what the heck to do next~~, laughed, cried, nursed, taught, read, sang, smiled, changed I don't know how many diapers of SO many different kinds of poops, been peed on, spit up on, bounced on, slapped, licked, screamed at, looked at, cuddled with, and just plain loved. Having those blue eyes look at me everyday and smile is the best feeling I have ever known. I love this baby. He is my buddy. Wherever I go, he goes! Being able to stay at home with him is such a treasure to me. We would rather be broke and me staying home with him than working a low paying job (which I was before he came along) and still being broke, and missing that face everyday. You do what you need to do that works for you. Me + Charlie = happiness.

Charlie is and has always been a really good baby. Thinking back to when he was just born and couldn't even roll over, and now he's walking across the living room! He is amazing to watch. Such focus, such intent on what he is looking at or experiencing. Loves books, cars, dogs, trucks, and anything in the kitchen. He loves bath time, story time, sing & sign time, playtime with friends, family time, and his animals. Charlie is a chatterbox and doesn't believe in the word cat. He squints his face up when he is happy and wants his mama when he is sad. He is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and loved. I have known many types of love in my life, but this one has my heart full to the point of bursting. Ryan is a wonderful daddy and seeing him with Charlie also adds to the bursting. I loved Ryan before and although there are stresses with children, work, time crunching, and such seeing the one you love with your child is beyond beautiful. Its magical. Life is magical. Life is beautiful. Life is SO worth living when there is love to give and receive.

Every day is a Sunday with my Charlie boy. Here's to another year sweet baby!