Friday, June 27, 2008

1 !!!!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Lukas! Yes, it was one whole year ago that our son first made his appearance in this world. At exactly 12:07 p.m. Pacific time 366 days ago (remember that Leap Year!) Luke ended his long journey to the light of day, with one final exhausted push from Mrs. LIAYF after enduring a marathon 80 hour labor.

We joked at time that we hoped the labor wasn't an indicator of the struggles to come. We have had struggles, indeed, but Lukas has been nothing pure joy for us ever since that rainy northwest June day he came into our lives. His development, chronologically, was near 10 months but his journey to becoming our son spanned five years. We have often said to each other over the past year that our long battle with infertility, while painful for sure, was necessary so that this little boy would be the one who came into our lives. Apparently Lukas was the one for us, and we for him, so the wait was well worth it.

I can not even begin to properly articulate what our son has meant to Mrs. LIAYF and I. Where there was a void there is no more. Where there was pain and sorrow, there is now joy and laughter. Where there was drudgery, there is now anticipation and happiness. Yes, we are truly the luckiest of parents to have been given this gift.

Lukas has evolved over the last year from a tiny infant to a full-fledged little boy - walking, "talking" and laughing. We wanted to do something fun for his birthday, with just him and his parents, so we plan to go to the zoo. Lukas has had only one previous zoo visit, in the middle of December when it was so cold that the animals stayed inside to keep warm! This trip promises to be much better as the weather will be in the upper 70's with lots of sunshine! Plus, Lukas loves his stuffed monkey, so we hope to see lots of different varieties of monkeys today.

Sunday will be the birthday party proper with many friends and family visiting. Many of those attending know how long we tried to have a child, and know just how wonderful this milestone is for us. Since we are lucky enough to be able to provide everything Lukas needs, and because he also won't remember gifts at this age, we have asked attendees to bring packages of diapers for Westside Baby - a non-profit that helps out families in need. There's plenty of loving families with babies and small children who just need a little help, and we are glad we can do this small part.

Thank you, Lukas, for choosing us to be your family. I'm sure you won't remember your first birthday, but your mom and dad are over the moon! A great culmination to a terrific year!

18 comments:

KristyCK said...

Happy 1st Birthday Lukas, The Charmer! Enjoy your visit to the zoo. Congrats Mr & Mrs LIAYF!

Big hugs to the birthday boy!

Jason Roth said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUKAS!!!!

Anonymous said...

80 hours? Blimey.

Happy birthday Lukas!

It just gets better from here.

Anonymous said...

For us, when we think about it now, we have no idea what we did with our time and our lives before when had the three kids.

What a joy and enjoy this time.

Anonymous said...

James,

Congratulations! What a great day for you all. The first year is so full of great memories, and it's such a great milestone as well.

I loved your comment about time being a factor and "this little boy" coming into your lives. Though we didn't struggle with infertility, I often wished that we would have had made the choice earlier on to have a child so that my grandfathers (now deceased) could have met him. That would have been wonderful, but the strands of DNA probably wouldn't have lined up the same way as they did for Cooper, and we wouldn't have had the son we have today.

I love the infant photo, by the way. Congratulations on a successful first year, and my best wishes for many more to come. I'm looking forward to reading about your upcoming parenting adventures!

Martin said...

Happy Birthday little man.

That penguin (?) outfit is very funny.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Lukas. You are one lucky dude to have such kick-butt parents.

Anonymous said...

Sorry typing with one hand w/ Mini-Kamp finally asleep.

Wanted to finish earlier comment.

Enjoy the zoo.

Whit said...

Happy birthday, Lukas! Here's to an exciting year 2.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@BM - Thanks so much. Lukas received many birthday hugs including one from you.

@Vegas - Thanks man! I don't know where that year went.

@Dan - Yeah, 80! It was an experience to be sure. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

@MTE - Yes, those days are fading already. Not sure how I didn't get bored with so much time on my hands!

@Rob - Thanks for such a great comment! I hear you about the great grandparents. All now deceased and none were able to meet Lukas. I also look forward to following your progress with Cooper.

@XB - Thanks for the birthday wishes. Yes, that was a penguin costume for Halloween.

@DC - Thanks Man! We did enjoy the zoo very much. Glad mini-kamp is giving you some time to get things done.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@Whit - Thanks! It should be another great year. It is getting more fun every day.

Posh Totty said...

Happy 1st Birthday lil man Xxx

Dto3 said...

1 year and 1 day. Feeling older yet? Happy Birthday Little Man!

BusyDad said...

Happy birthday little man! That penguin pic is TOO cute for a dad blog. Don't make me say "awww".

Darren said...

I've been watching the birthday countdown for a few weeks. I can't believe I missed getting here on the right day.

Happy (belated) birthday, Luke!

It's great that the three of you spent the day together. When Clare turned one, my wife and I took the day off to celebrate too.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@Posh - Thanks so much for the birthday wishes!

@dto3 - He seems much older to us lately! All of the sudden he is a little boy, not an infant anymore. Thanks for the birthday wishes.

@Busydad - Yeah, that costume was a real winner for Halloween! You can't help but say 'Awww'. Thanks for stopping by and for the birthday wishes.

@Darren - No worries. Most of his friends and family didn't give wishes until Sunday either at his party. Thanks for stopping by and for the birthday wishes.

SciFi Dad said...

Happy Birthday Lukas!

James (SeattleDad) said...

Thanks from Lukas, Sci-Fi!!