My Henry is Two!

Today I am just overwhelmingly grateful for my son. I can't believe he has been in our lives for two years! It's crazy to think of how big a part of our lives he is now and that before he came we didn't even know him. I am so grateful that I have been given an opportunity to experience what it means to rejoice in my posterity. I know there are people who yearn for a family and/or children. I remember how desperately I wanted to get pregnant the first time around and how long I sobbed once I finally, after many tests, saw that positive result. I can remember that positive so clearly. I can remember the tile in the bathroom I stood on when I first saw it. I can remember what step I sat on as I cried out in gratitude to Heavenly Father. And to see Henry sitting on that very step is an overwhelming sight that I try to appreciate as much as I can.

I am remembering the price I paid to have that child. From the incessant longing and physically painful ache in my heart to the many uncomfortable and painful symptoms of a very challenging and yet healthy pregnancy. From feeling like I had the flu so long ("morning" sickness) that I frequently reached those moments where I would cry out that I couldn't take it anymore to feeling those first flutters and kicks and letting the excitement replace the nausea, heaviness, heartburn, muscle and bone aches for brief and beautiful moments. From gaining so much weight so quickly and having no power to stop it, to not caring one cent about it once I could hold that child in my arms. From being absolutely riddled with a horrible pregnancy rash weeks before he was born to getting to spend hours and hours every day for months nursing and cuddling with him. From feeling my body heal and the energy and strength returning to putting that boy to bed and every time having my heart flutter as I shut his bedroom door. It is impossible for anyone to say that becoming a parent doesn't transform you. Because it does. When you take that responsibility truly seriously, it makes you more complete - even if you were already complete before that child came into your life.

Today I am thinking about all those grieving about the loss of a child, or the loss of a pregnancy, or the loss of never getting pregnant. I am thinking about those grieving over watching so many of their friends marrying and having children and are not yet married themselves. I feel like there is something about these types of trials - pregnancy, loss of a child, the challenges of motherhood, infertility, singlehood - that change us and make us more compassionate and more able to connect with different parts of the world around us, only if we allow them to. I have found that my ability to love people has increased exponentially since having a child. I have also found that my brief experience with infertility made me more compassionate and aware of the sting of that struggle. To my friends who deal with any of these, I love you and I am sorry for your pain. There is no one else in this world who understands your individual struggles more than Jesus Christ:

"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:12). 

I know this seems an awfully heavy post to be celebrating my son's 2nd birthday, but I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude to have him in my life and I am substantially more aware of how the Atonement blesses and heals us in our time of need, whatever that need might be.

Anyway, even though his birthday is today,we celebrated it this last weekend since Grandma and Grandpa Godard were in town. Here are some pictures from that as well as pictures of him enjoying his new toys and time with his family:

First of all, can't resist a comparison! Here's Henry on his 1st birthday!

And here's Henry on his 2nd birthday!

Henry and daddy (yes, lots of editing on this picture because it was taken in the dark and I only had 2 pictures to work with! I am not very good at documenting events... lol)

Enjoying his water table from Papa

Enjoying his car garage from Grandma and Grandpa 

As a special celebration, we went out and did fun things today (got a toy at Michaels and visited the pet store). Here we are sitting outside enjoying a chocolate cookie.

Happy Birthday to my Henry!