Sam is 1

Our sweet little Sam is 1 yr old! I can hardly believe it. It feels like these pictures were just taken yesterday. The year has been fast and slow all at the same time. It feels perfect. Not bittersweet in the least bit. In fact, I'm breathing a deep sigh of relief. We made it! I couldn't be more excited for the upcoming year. It's my absolute favorite.
So what is our little Sam up to.

He...
...has 8 teeth and is working on 2 molars

...is still nursing

...loves to give hugs and "pat pats"

...chases Lily around the house screaming after her

...is, I think, almost 20 lbs and tall like his sister's but still looks tiny (which is amazing b/c he was almost 10 lbs at birth). We'll know next Wednesday

...loves smoothies

...pretty much just sits around and looks cute.
After I had Lily, my mind was set on only having two, but my heart knew otherwise. When I would say that I was done, a still small voice would remind me not to speak too soon.

One day, while sitting at coffee with a friend who has 3 kids, she was talking about her son. After leaving that coffee date, I knew I would have a 3rd and he would be a boy. That following Fall, I got pregnant with Sam.

I can't say that i was super excited to give birth again or have another newborn, but I knew that our family wasn't finished. The thought of 3 teenagers in the house fit perfectly. Two just didn't quite fit the picture in my head.

We are thankful and we are joyful that our sweet Sam is here. I can hardly believe that one year ago we were recovering from a CRAZY birth and staring at our BIG baby. (these pictures are not my favorite, but I'm not one to take beautiful pics post-birth). We are blessed.