One year later... first birthday!

~ By Kim

I can't believe it's been a year! Some days it still seems like just yesterday, and at other times it feels like a lifetime ago.

July 25th was Myer's first birthday. It's crazy to think of how different life was just a year ago.

We rented a cabin for a week at Shuswap Lake in the Okanagan with Janelle, Joel and June (Janelle's mom), so we could all celebrate together. And it was fabulous. It was so great to see everyone and what the past year has brought everyone. For his actual birthday, all the grandparents and cousins from near and far joined us as well, so it really was a quite a celebration and a real party. 

Here are some of my favourite pictures from our trip:

Different faces of Myer

Lily, Rowan and Asher

Carl and I with Myer.

When I look at this picture, I can't help but feel grateful. I could never have done any of this without this man beside me supporting me through everything, both with the surrogacy and in life. Having Myer really was such a team effort.

Myer

Bedtime stories with 3 of my favourite babes.

Myer and I, just before the birthday celebration.
Not sure who's more excited. 

 Asher and Lily at the beach. Cousin love.

Our two families.

Me and Myer. 
Some moments were still surreal for me.

People still ask me how I'm doing and what's it's like for me with Myer. I'm amazed at how time can change perspective and give insight. I'm doing great and feel so fortunate to have been part of this journey. At 3 and almost 6 years old, the girls are amazing and bring so much joy to our lives, despite the moments that they make us want to pull our hair out. I love watching them grow, the people they are becoming and the relationship between the two of them as sisters. I'm happy to have been able to give that gift of siblingship to Asher and Myer. Is that a word???

Now that a fair amount of time has passed, it's easier to look back and be able to acknowledge all the different parts of the journey, including some of the challenges that were hard to acknowledge while in the midst of them. I can look back and remember both the good and hard times, and accept them all as part of the journey. 

As I've shared earlier, we did have complications with Myer's birth. Physically, I got a little banged up and have subsequently had some difficulties. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, I'm being sent for surgery next month. On the slate is a cystocele and rectocele repair, bladder lift, pubovaginal sling, overlapping sphincteroplasty and hysterectomy. Sounds like a full gyne-makeover. Ugh.

I have mixed emotions about this, as I'm a bit nervous, never having had surgery before, but hopeful that once it's all done, everything should be where it's supposed to be and back in working order. Sometimes it sort of feels like this will be the final step in the journey. 

Since we got back from our trip, we've been making the most of the rest of the summer. We got a new trailer and have been having fun bombing around on the island, camping with the girls. We live in such a beautiful place, and it's been nice to get out and enjoy the beauty of the West Coast. 

Lily will be starting grade 1 and Rowan will be in preschool next month. Crazy how time flies, especially when I think that Rowan was only 8 months old when we started down this road. 

Together, Carl and I have taken some time to reflect on the past few years. To look back at all that we've done, and start making plans for the future. I feel so fortunate in so many ways, and can't wait to see what our next chapter will be. 

Myer's return to Victoria

- by Janelle

Oops! I intended to edit this and then publish it right away but now 2 whole months have gotten away on me. Ah what the heck...I'll post anyways. Enjoy the delayed update!

Myer and I made a return trip to Victoria this past weekend [Feb 6-9th] to visit Kim and family. We arrived by plane and brought with us the cold weather from Calgary, sorry! Still, for those of us in the foothills of the Rockies, experiencing Victoria's cold snap of -4C sure did beat the -25C we were "enjoying" back home. Regardless, the visit was fantastic and makes me wish, as I often do, that our two cities were within a short drive of one another.

I really liked seeing Kim's girls play with Myer and fight over who got to have him on their lap while sitting on the couch - so cute! At one point Kim asked her youngest Rowan if she remembered where Myer came from. She said yes and in anticipation of hearing her say "your tummy mommy" or something along those lines, she said with conviction "Babyland!" Haha! I'm sure some of us ladies wish that were true. What? No need for labour? Count me in! ;)

In the four days we were in Victoria, we managed an afternoon at the movies for their Stars & Strollers baby friendly feature, a walk through Beacon Hill park where we fed the ducks and spotted peacocks, some swim time at the rec centre, a morning stroll with a friend of mine, Alicia, for coffee, and a family dinner with Kim's extended family at her in-laws house overlooking the ocean.

Myer with his Victoria family.

A happy guy!

Beacon Hill Park (ducks & peacocks).

Upon looking back at the trip I realized that all of the things we did this trip we also did way back in July while we waited for Myer's arrival. It gives me such warm feelings to think that now he is with us.

Oh I would do it all again today if I could. Thank you Kim for having us! Now we just have to make it through the next 6 month until we see each other again to celebrate Myer's first birthday.

2013 - What a year!

- by Janelle

Twenty-thirteen will be an incredible year for me always. I have a precious son and an incredible relationship with Kim and her family. We are already planning on vacationing together in July when Myer turns one. I can't wait to have our families together again!

Myer is now 5 months + 9 days old. He has stolen our hearts and my brother, his Uncle Jason, has coined him smiley. Slowly we are getting into a groove of predictable nap times. Previously Myer was King of the 1/2 hour cat nap, but now he sleeps for at least an hour at a time. My Mom (who is visiting from Florida) seems to ask me every morning how his night was and I'm so used to being up at least 3 times with him that I'm not sure if that's a good thing or "bad thing" at this stage in the game. As a mom I've totally gotten used to the interrupted and shorter sleeps that it's simply all normal now. I'm definitely not at the end of my rope looking in desperation to get Myer to sleep through the night. Perhaps I'm silently expecting him to do so at 6 months which is when his brother decided to start sleeping nearly 12 hours straight at night. Yep - that sure was nice! Regardless, we'll get there and on the weekends I steal a nap here and there at times.

During the holiday season there was a lot of cheersing going on around the table. Asher said cheers to the flower centre piece, to reindeers, all the presents, family, etc. and more than once we said a cheers to Kim & Carl. We all practically finished a glass of wine before we had a chance to dig into our turkey! Kim was very much on all of our minds as we celebrated Christmas and brought in the new year with our immediate family because the reality is that during this time of gifting we had already received the most incredible gift ever...

Myer Kim, 5 months old
(Christmas Day, 2013)