Can it be Genetic?

Kellan will be 15 months old on Saturday. He is still not walking. I believe wholeheartedly that he will walk next month. Why? Well, not only because its about time, but also because there seems to be a family history of children starting to walk at 15 months of age. I wouldn't have believed that something like this could be genetic, but its hard to explain away. 15 months is very late for walking, especially since Kellan has been on his feet for a couple of months already, doing nothing but walking (with parental aid) everywhere that we go. He can stand on his own. There is no logical reason to explain his inability to walk. Yet, he can't (or won't). I walked at 15 months. Many of my cousins and their children walked at 15 months. So, for whatever reason, I believe that Kellan will also walk at 15 months. Fingers crossed and back aching, I hope to report back soon with the happy news that we have a toddler in the house.

Kellan this weekend (14 months)

Kellan (14 Months Old)

Kellan and Roger

These two have been best friends since Roger was given to Kellan (thanks Julian and Karen!) at 4 months old.

Format

You may have noticed a slight change in format. I like these colours and the bold look of the page. Seems to fit my growing boy. And he is, after all, why we're here!

The Best Day of My Life

When asked this question -- what was the best day of your life? -- many people respond with, "The birth of my child". I've been thinking this one over and I've got two days. I can't decide between them, as they are both equally important, wonderful, and treasured.

One of these days is, of course, the day that Kellan was born. What an amazing event! And something that we'd almost given up hope would happen. First we had problems getting pregnant and required fertility treatment. Then there were early problems with my blood work and at only 14 weeks they suspected that the fetus had spina bifida which might make termination the best option. A scan (and many happy tears) determined that this was not the case, but then a later scan showed what they believed to be kidney problems with one kidney not properly formed. And then in the last month of my pregnancy I ended up with pre-eclampsia and they had to induce labour. Near the end of my 27 1/2 hours, Kellan was in distress and his heart was stopped, they had to ventouse him out and a whole team of doctors was there ready for emergency measures.

In the end, I had a perfect healthy wonderful baby boy placed at my breast. The doctors were not needed, as he was absolutely fine. I needed major surgery (third degree tear from the ventouse procedure), but my Kellan was, and still is, absolutely perfect. Not a deformed kidney in sight!

The other day, however, is my wedding day. This day seemed equally implausible and was incredibly momentous. Nic and I were friends for quite a long time before we started dating. I was totally head over heels in love with him. He felt the same about me. But there were so many obstacles that neither of us felt able to express these feelings and we simply spent every free moment together as "really good friends". I was in a long term relationship (I'm talking marriage) when we met. Nic is also 20 years my senior. We were both change ringers in Washington DC where my ex is a lawyer. Yes, a Georgetown lawyer. Guess who made out well in that split (and it sure wasn't me!)? When we finally got together it was a huge scandal, both in our families and immediate circles, and also among the change ringing community. Sounds dramatic, but trust me, you had to be there. Our wedding day was a big deal and also a day for us to say, "See, we meant it!".

So, here we are many years later, married, very much in love, and parenting the most wonderful boy imaginable. I have two amazing days. I am an incredibly lucky woman and both of those days have been completing moments in my life. My boys are my heart, my home, my every breath. I can't pick just one day. I have two best days of my life. And I am thankful every day for them both.

I'm just not crafty

Lately, it seems like everywhere I turn there are magazine articles, books, programmes, and clubs dedicated to scrapbooking. I can't seem to escape it. Yet, no matter how unique and wonderful the finished product, I also can't seem to muster the ambition to try it. I'm not crafty. At all. And anytime that I have a strange crafty creative urge, the results are disastrous. And usually hilarious (after I've overcome the embarrassment). I'm the same way with cooking actually, but that's another topic.

So now I have a baby who is quickly growing into a little boy. What better time to enter this scrapbooking phenomenon? Every day he does something interesting or exciting. I've got hordes of gorgeous photos stored away on the computer. We're always doing "family firsts". My life is like a scrapbook waiting to happen! I actually found myself feeling guilty yesterday because my son wouldn't have wonderful scrapbook page illustrations of his life on which to look back and reminisce one day.

And then it hit me. First, he's a boy. That whole sitting around laughing and reminiscing over the pages of our scrapbook image can go. Second, I do keep a scrapbook of sorts -- you're reading it. I put favourite photos and holiday memories, thoughts about parenting, and other related issues right here. We can look back at these very pages and enjoy the memories one day. And being the son of an IT wizard, its probably more appropriate anyway. Here, I don't need to be crafty, I don't need supplies and patience, I need only my thoughts and memories derived from each day that I parent this gorgeous little boy.

That said, I should probably keep a bit more on top of the blogging, but hey, its a start!

Ian and Ryan last weekend 

My best friend from childhood, Ryan, and his new son, Ian, born in mid April, due in July. He's doing well. We're all thinking strong thoughts for him. Please spare a kind thought or prayer for our little Ian.  

Mother's Day

Its hard to believe that this will be my second Mother's Day. I can't even remember the first one, as Mother's Day in Britain occurs on Mothering Sunday, in early March -- in other words, Kellan was a mere few weeks old at the time and life was still utterly chaotic. Nic got me a card. I probably have it stored away somewhere. Its all such a blur.

This year will be different. This year I can truly embrace the spirit of the holiday. This year I am a mother. I feel like a mother. I live the life of a mother. And my son can give me kisses of appreciation. Yes, this week Kellan started giving his first proper (and often wet open mouthed) kisses. He seems more interested in kissing his father at the moment, but then he's always been daddy's boy. Still, this year my son will smile at me, cuddle me, kiss me, and show me all of his new and ever increasing skills. This year we can go out for a meal or a lovely spring walk. This year I can celebrate!

I can also look back on the years that were so difficult for us. The Mothers Days that passed unacknowledged while I longed to know the joy of motherhood. The heartache and wish that next year would be different. That next year we would have something to celebrate. That next year we would bring a child into the world. We struggled with infertility only for a couple of years. My first proper treatment resulted in Kellan! I can't imagine the suffering of people who endure a lifetime of such unrequited longing.

So, this week I wish a very happy Mother's Day to all of the seasoned mothers, new mothers, mothers to be, future mothers, and women who are simply mothers at heart. Happy Mother's Day!