Tennis First Year

November 2006 - 1 hour old

December 2006 - 6 weeks old
January 2007 - 7 weeks old

March 2007 - 4 months old

April 2007 - 5 months old

May 2007 - 6 months old

June 2007 - 7 months old

October 2007 - 11 months old

So today is Tennis's first birthday. I have to admit I am a little sad because he isn't my little tiny baby anymore but at the same time I am excited because our little man is officially a year. I thought that I would share some memories of our life with him over the past year.

First off I thought I would share the fun story of our final hospital visit when he came out to meet us. Of course it wasn't all the fun. We had gone in on Friday the 10th of November because of contractions, which wasn't an uncommon thing for us, they gave me a shot of morphine after monitoring me and then sent me home at 5am Saturday morning. Chad was exhausted, I was exhausted and both were hunger and a little crabby. Then at 3 that same day we went back in and to our elation I had dilated further so they checked us in for the duration. Let's just say thank heavens for Epidurals. Tennis was born at 3:56am on Sunday November 12th, my dad's birthday. Weighing in at 5lb 13ozs and not having pushed for very long he was a handsome tiny little man. He didn't really cry at all. They cleaned him a little and laid him on me. He just laid there and looked at me. He was so calm. The nurses nicknamed him Peanut because they all said he was as little as one.

My heart strings start to tug at me when I think of our first Christmas with him. He didn't get much because let's face it he didn't need anything. But it was so much fun sitting there as a little family opening gifts with him. He loved the Christmas tree because of the lights and decorations. He was so alert all the time and seemed to take everything in. We also got to see Millie and Brian's family grow with the birth of their first boy, beautiful and happy Colin, that Christmas day. New Years the poor little kid mommy made him stay up and wear a dopey new years eve hat. But it did make for some memorable pictures.

It seemed like he started to grow tall so fast especially because he was such a little guy when he first came out. It seems like February was about the time that he started to climb the chart in height. He started getting so long. He started to hold his head up well and even sit a little. It was so fun when he started in with all the little coos. He was such a good sleeper too. Until he started in with his ear infections. Which also started in February. But we remedied those quickly. He also broke his first two teeth this month. Wow was that not fun for him. But once they came in all the way it was so cute to see him with two little teeth when he smiled.

April was so much fun with Sadie's puppies, the warm weather and Tennis sitting up on his own and becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. He really really started to enjoy his bathes at about this age. He loved them before but being able to sit up mostly on his own made it even better. He thought that the running water was the neatest thing. He would just stare at it and talk to it. He also started eating baby food. He didn't really like fruits that much but any veggie I would throw his way he LOVED and still does.

June is when he started crawling. Wow this month was full of new things. We went on his first trip up the canyon and all the way to St. George. He loves the outdoors. He wanted to eat everything when we went up T Ned Canyon. He got so mad when I tried to sit him down and keep him on the blanket. He kept grabbing for the dirt or anything foreign he could reach. He also got to go in a pool for the first time in St George. Boy did he love it. We had him in a little swimming inter tube and once he figured out he could me he would kick his feet, lean forward and try to drink the water, splash and whatever else he dared try. We felt bad pulling him out of the water but all good things have to come to an end so they say.

July we went to Portland, Oregon and Tennis got to ride on a plane for the first time. He slept through most of it. He didn't have any problems with his ears popping because of his tubes which made it nice. It was probably more comfy for him than it was for me or Chad. We went down town and walked their HUGE two city block mall in Portland and got Tennis some little animals and celebrated my birthday. We were there for a convention and the people that were there for it were mostly older couples and man was he a big hit. He got more attention than any of the actual events did and we ended up with more honorary grandparents than he will ever know. He really enjoyed it. He loves people so much and he really liked staying in a hotel room because he was with Mommy and daddy 24/7. We also got to go to Idaho for my family reunion. He loved the lake the most. He loved being in the water so much.

August we took him up to Moon Lake for the Poulson reunion and he like that just as much as he likes anything. He did pretty good sleeping in the tent and was happy the whole time. We did have a few nights when he didn't want to sleep and there was even a bear one night that walked through our camp. Well at least we think there was because of the noises. He loved watching the fire and playing in the sand. Unfortunately the water was to cold for him to enjoy so we just stayed dry and at camp.

October he started walking. Which of course makes him a "toddler" now. He takes his time with each step. Being a cautious and pretty focused baby it seems like he thinks about each step. Most kids get going and momentum carries them until they fall for the first few weeks. But Tennis takes his time and goes slowly. He also started to really improve on his over hand throw. Man look out if he has a ball, car or anything he can fit into one hand. Because he can aim and throw it pretty well now.

Well that about covers his first year. We are so blessed every single day for the precious gift Heavenly Father has entrusted in us. He has brought us so much joy and happiness. It is funny because you hear this said but it is true, having a child makes you love your spouse so much more and on a different level. I didn't think I could love Chad more but I do love him more today than I did when we got married. We are so lucky to have each other and our perfect, in our eyes, little boy. He teaches us so much every day. My heart is very full today thinking about the past year with him and Chad. Thank you all for your love and support through everything.