Wesley's 2nd Birthday

Our first turned TWO today! It's a little hard to believe how fast time flies. Seems like yesterday that I was holding him in my arms wondering how on earth I'm supposed to care for this tiny human being when I could barely walk after pushing him out! Loving him was easy though. My heart was exploding with love. But the whole mom thing seemed unknown and clouded.Wesley has been the most delightful kid and yet most difficult at the same time. Like some babies, he was up....all.the.time, and will occasionally still cry at night. In his first year, I got mastitis five times, each time having to go on antibiotics for it to clear my system. If you don't know what mastitis is, it's an infection in your boobs that makes you have a high fever, body aches and you pretty much feel like you got hit by a train. Andrew was gone on a ship with the Navy for months out of Wesley's first year, I was battling postpartum depression and I was trying to figure out how to get this kid to eat and sleep on my own. He was underweight (still is only in the 4th percentile) and I was worried about a lot. Is my milk bad? What am I doing wrong? Should I switch to formula? Is he healthy? Does he have colic? How long do I let him cry it out at night? These were all questions I was constantly asking myself the entire first year. I called the doctor a lot, talked to my mom a lot, asked my friends A LOT of questions (you know who you are :) ) and tried to get in the Word as much as possible.Then when he turned one, he started running...everywhere, and getting an attitude. I told everyone he needs to get saved QUICK because he was becoming such a handful. :) He would scream at night for no reason for hours, he would jump off extremely high things, he wouldn't eat much, he would throw up if we let him cry for too long, he would keep a bite of food in his mouth for 45 minutes until swallowing, and he began to have no fear of anything. Then I got pregnant, ha! :)  I had to slow down, I had to let things slide, I had to turn on the TV so I could put my feet up, and I had to start embracing this crazy ride of mothering. As he inched closer to being two, we moved to his third house, we traveled, and we had Reid....so it's been difficult for him to say the least. The last couple weeks though, I have seen so much growth in him. He is becoming more obedient, he's eating better (praise the Lord), he gives the best hugs, he loves his life, he gets so excited about new things, he's the most athletic two year old I've ever seen, he loves his brother and reads to him and gives him kisses, (yes he hits him too) he started praying which is the sweetest thing and makes my heart explode, he is smart and witty, and he loves being chased. He has the best laugh, he loves his family, he thinks so many things are funny, he can hit a baseball across the yard, he has enough energy for our whole family, he loves riding on the back of daddy's bike, and he drinks whole milk like a champ. He is the best. Those are the things I hold on to. And today, he pooped in the toilet for the first time so it's going to be a good day!Find the small things today that keep you going...and love on those babies!