Thankful for him, Thankful for today

As far behind as I am on blog updates I just couldn't let today pass without publicly stating how thankful we are for this day. After this experience last February and then hoping we were in the clear only to go through it again four months later in July, we are so, so grateful that today marks six months of being seizure free for Steve. Praise the Lord!

Six months is the length of time you are supposed to wait to resume many normal activities that could put someone with epilepsy in serious danger (i.e. driving, swimming, bike riding, climbing, HUNTING,). It's pretty much medical clearance to resume normal, everyday life. In other words, I told him he could legally do many of the things he's been doing for a while now :) I realize this doesn't guarantee he will never have another seizure. I still pray every single day that he doesn't. But it sure does let you breathe a little easier. It's also a pretty good indicator that his medication and dosage are working well for him, and it gives us a little more confidence in a drug that we were unfamiliar with a year ago. Thank you Keppra and modern medicine!

I am so thankful for this man. I am thankful for his love for me. I am thankful for good health, for our children, for our family of five. And I am thankful for friends and family who have prayed with us and for us, who have driven Steve around, who have taken our children here and there, who have taken him hunting (his hunting ministry, as he called it), and who love us. As we were praying together this morning, praising God for his goodness, his faithfulness, his provision, I was reminded yet again how much I need Jesus. For everything. To God be the Glory, Great Things He Has Done.

Merry Christmas!

Benton's First Birthday Party

My sister-in-law, Laura, made this precious 12 month banner.  What a treasure!

Girls doing their own pre-party decorating

My mom baked the cake and cupcakes and my sister decorated them for me.  Laura made the cupcake toppers.  So cute!

Granddaddy and the birthday boy before the party

Five minute pre-party nap

Laura and Emma Scott.  So happy they came!

Thank you, Lindsay Nicholls for taking his one year pictures.  Beautiful!

He wanted Emma Scott's bottle.

And he got it!

Cake time!

"Happy Birthday to you!"

The big kids took off all the dots for him so he wouldn't get choked :)

Good stuff!

Sweet friend, Anna Jane

"Anna Jane, you didn't tell me how good this stuff was gonna be."

"I should probably share...but I'm not."

Ice cream was also a hit.

Cake coma

The big kids loved the swing.

Benton is going to be jealous that Mrs. Denise is sharing her kisses.

Owen, Benton, and Papa

What a wonderful day celebrating our baby boy and his first year!

12 months

I absolutely cannot believe how fast the year has flown and that our sweet baby boy is 12 months old. What a complete bundle of joy he is and he brings so much love and light to our lives.  We are going to celebrate his first year with a small family party in a couple of weeks.

He was NOT excited about having his 12 month picture taken. And it's a good thing this is the last of the "month" stickers because he is quite the wiggle worm making it almost impossible to get a picture.

He had his one year check-up at the doctor yesterday, and we are so thankful for a healthy baby boy.

He weighs 22 pounds, one ounce, and is 28.5 inches long. That's 40th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height.

His pediatrician joked that he probably wouldn't be the star of the basketball team. I told him he gets it honest. From Momma AND Daddy.

He wears size 12-18 month clothes, size 4 diapers, and still no shoes. We don't fool with shoes 'till we're walking :)

He is cruising like crazy but not really standing up alone and definitely not really close to walking. But he can get from room to room like nothing you've ever seen. The other day I saw a dead bug on the dining room floor and my hands were full so I intended to get it later. Next thing I knew, someone had it in his mouth! I was screaming and crying and finally pried it out of there. GROSS!

He's the silent type also :). He has vocalized "Da Da" a couple of times and even tried "GG" but no real sign of Mama yet. Anna Clare had 10 or 12 words by her first birthday and Owen had a handful, but he's gonna make me wait for it. And being a speech therapist, I'm kind of a tough judge when it comes to true words. But he will be walking and talking soon enough so I am A-OK with that.

We do love him so and I am oh so incredibly thankful for our family of five. Very blessed.  AND....the girls, my sister and I just got back from the happiest place on earth.

DISNEY!! We had a wonderfully fun girls trip and I'm so thankful for my mom and Steve's mom helping Steve out with Benton so we could go in peace. It was a blast! I haven't even looked through all my pictures which probably means they will be posted sometime in 2013. As Steve said, the money and the magic ran out, so we had to come home. We are eagerly anticipating the holidays and I am especially looking forward to my favorite...Thanksgiving. We stayed home last year because B was only a week old, so we are very excited about spending it with cousins, aunts, uncles, and my sweet MeMa, who turns 92 tomorrow!   Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

***************UPDATE******************
I guess he decided to show me because he busted out with "night night" this morning at nap time.  A boy after my own heart :)