Birthday Boy

Oliver's first birthday is just two days away. A year ago I was impatiently waiting to meet the cute little person who had been living inside of me for over nine months, wondering what he or she would look like, hoping Tobin would adjust well to having a sibling, picturing myself strolling around the park with a baby in a sling watching Tobin climb up ladders and slide down slides. I kept telling myself that once the baby came we'd have some rough months adjusting and then as we approached the baby's first birthday things would just seem easier because kids become more mobile and more independent around their first birthday.

We didn't get to do too much frolicking in the park this past year. We spent a lot of time in the hospital wondering if we were going to lose our baby. We kept Oliver home and out of the intense heat most of the summer so as not to trigger seizures. We spent a lot of time feeling overwhelmed with Oliver's therapy, medication, and medical appointments. I spent most of my time at work wishing I could be at home and most of my time at home wishing I could be at work.

This past year has not gone at all like we planned. But my prediction that things would be easier at the one year mark was sort of right. Oliver is finally sleeping through the night (ish). He wakes up occasionally but just talks to himself and then goes back to sleep. So we're all getting more sleep and that's great. He isn't quite as independent as I'd hoped. My goal was for him to sit up with support and hold his head up. He can't really do either yet but I keep thinking that once we get this hypsarrthmia to go away he might have more of a chance. Or tone down some of his meds or something. Things are easier in that we're becoming better at handling the chaos of parenting a special needs child and another child that demands a lot of attention. The days seem like a lot of work and they fly by fast but it's manageable. So we've all come pretty far since Oliver was born and we are so happy to have our little cuddle bug in our lives. We hope that the 2nd year of his life comes with many improvements and general good health.