And Then You Came

Dear Annie,

I was the king of the house with Mom and Dad wrapped around my little fingers. I was happy but I needed to learn patience and how to share. I was always around big people and I wanted a little person to play with and to protect. And then you came. You are my friend and I love being with you. I love acting like you. Talking baby talk. Doing the army crawl. Laughing and sharing with you. I am always thinking about how to make you happy. I make sure you have food you like and a toy to play with. I have so much fun with you. I love your hugs, kisses, and silliness. I love to be silly with you.

Love,
Apollo



Dear Annie,

What do you think about when you have nothing to think about. This is the question I heard when I was in high school and what ever we thought about would be what we should choose as our career. I thought about holding a baby. When I was little, I was like a little mother to my brothers and sister and would always ask to hold other babies. I had a babysitting kit and planned fun games and activities for the kids.

Just thinking about the years of trying to start a family and not being able to is very painful. I remember coming home from a baby shower where I had held someone's baby and being so heart broken. Test after test. Procedure after procedure. The worst was of all was having to do everything on certain days and waiting for the results. I was loving being a teacher, wife, summer facilitator, yet I felt like my life was on hold.

And then you came. You and Apollo are our answered prayers. Seeing you for the first time was one of the greatest joys I have ever known. You were healthy and beautiful and I just held you and cried with joy. You brought a sweetness and joy to the three of us. You were our second miracle. The first miracle came in that we were able to have children with the help of modern technology. The second miracle came without the help of modern technology.

I saw a painting once of a mother with a baby surrounded by angels and was overcome. I feel that angels surround us when I rock and sing to you. I love your tight hugs. I love when you snuggle into me and suck your thumb. I love your goofiness and how you entertain our family. You have such personality in such a little body. You are beautiful with your big brown eyes and pretty face. You make us laugh with your crazy hair and crinkled face you give us. You love being outside. As a little baby, you were so content, peaceful, and happy and if you ever were unhappy, I could set you outside and all was well again. You adore Apollo. Watching the two of you play together, as I ran with you in the stroller, made me so happy. Apollo was hiding your cheerios under your chin and laughing. You were grunting because you wanted your cheerios. I feel so blessed when I watch you two play together. I love to see you with Dad too. You get so excited when you see him, twisting your wrists and waving your hands. He is so sweet with you and I can tell he loves having a daughter too.

You have made my life complete. I am thankful each day to be your mom. I am thankful for this weekend to celebrate your life.

Love,
Mommy




Dear Annie,

I was a happy new father, enjoying my new little boy. He changed my life completely, and I thought to myself on more than one occasion: "My life is pretty good. If Apollo is the only child we're able to have, I'll be happy." I thought I would feel complete even if I couldn't have a daughter...and then you came. From the moment we found out you would be coming to live in our family, I was excited to see you. When I got to see you for the first time through an ultrasound and found out that I would be having a little girl, I was filled with an unimaginable joy. When I first saw you and heard your little cry, I instantly loved you. Holding you and looking at your beautiful eyes and cherubic face never fails to make me smile. I love the time we get to spend together, and I love seeing you learn and grow. I love seeing the joy you bring to others, even random strangers, who see your easy smile and happy eyes. Having a daughter is a completely different experience than having a son, and I love every part of it. You've made my life happier and more complete than I could fathom before you came. I'll love you forever - thank you for a wonderful year!

Love,
Dad




A party fit for a princess.




























Carol gave Apollo some tools. It was funny to see all the boys crowd around and play with them.



We ended Annie's celebration at Joe's Crab Shack. Annie was waving her arms and getting so excited when we danced.




Where's Apollo? We've been playing hide and seek.




Apollo follows his daddy around like a little puppy. Even vacuuming with dad is fun.


Here's the new rocket Apollo painted and glued together. Michaels has tons of wooden sets-trains, tractors, boats, etc. all for a buck. We bought them all. Apollo wants to work on them all the time. He wanted to work on one before nap time so I gave him the box and told him we could when he got up. Big mistake. He couldn't sleep. After an hour and a half of hearing noises in his room, he came out and said, "I have a good sleep" and was ready to paint.