Well, it’s been almost THREE whole months since I’ve been away from Instagram, so I figured I’d give a little update about life since our little man, Thatcher, also just turned one. I can’t believe what a quick year it was. He was born as soon as lockdown started here in South Carolina last year. Kevin and Hazel happened to have a tiny cough from allergies, but Covid was so unknown at that point, so he had to wear a mask even at our homebirth ha! And now, here we are a year later, with this sweet one year old who changed our lives.
If you remember, we didn’t know what we were going to have. So, it took a while to get used to the idea of having a boy around the house, but goodness…little did I know how scrumptious he would be. He has three big sisters who just ADORE him. He screams, because he gets cuddled too much, and sometimes just needs some space! He has the sweetest smile, the cutest little army crawl, squeezes his eyes shut when you squeeze your eyes shut at him (just imagine a long blink…he really thinks it’s funny)! He STILL has no teeth in. He’s grown 8 inches in a year, but is still a little peanut despite being our biggest baby yet.
Such perspective one year always brings. All of the middle of the night feedings and crying (myself, not him) seem to just fade into loving memories. I remember needing him more some nights than he really needed me. His birth and first year of life was a poetic beginning after a year of drowning in postpartum depression and shame. He also came at such a momentous time in history…not because our world was engulfed in conflict and despair, sickness and battle, but because his little life…all 8lbs 5oz of him…showed God’s mercies and grace. It showed our family that hope exists in the small things that so many days we just let pass us by. Not a day went by that we didn’t smile when anxiety or cynical attitudes wanted to take over our hearts. Thatcher became our “pause.” Our pause to remember to look at what God is doing, at what God has done, and what is possible with God still.
While this past year didn’t come without it’s share of hardships and trials, as all years do, I think we found out just how blessed we were to have each other and our tight circle of friends. I made plenty of mistakes…trust me…PLENTY…but there’s nothing better than growing together, changing when necessary, learning from each other and these kiddos, and doing more things together as a family. We’ve had lots of hard conversations (who hasn’t this past year?!), changed our viewpoints on some things, and really held to some convictions when we needed to. But all of that can go into a whole other post! All of that to say, even through that hard times of last year, I really tried to see the joy of it all since my personality naturally chooses the glass half empty. But I knew I couldn’t go back into a year full of depression and hardships. And little Thatch was the perfect spark to ignite my year searching for the joy in mundane everyday.
So, cheers to searching for joy even on hard days and dark times, because it’s still there! And cheers to Thatcher, because he’s helped to heal a bit of my soul.
Here’s Thatcher throughout the last 12 months.
If you want to see my birth video, I FINALLY put it together on his birthday haha! Since he was born at the beginning of the pandemic, our photographer couldn’t come, so my friend ended up taking some photos, and we stood my other camera on a tripod in the corner of the room. We made the best of it! So, while all the interesting angles aren’t there, it’ll be forever one of my favorite things captured. His birth was so peaceful. Our midwife and our birth team were exactly who we needed with us in what seemed to be such an unknown time.
Monthly blanket: Dolce Dreams
Lamb Doll: Cuddle and Kind
Milestone Discs: ArrowTownDesigns
Kristina
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