Joe's 1st Birthday

It's late and I'm listening to Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall 1971 while I try to figure out where the last year has gone.

One year ago this afternoon, Jude and I welcomed into the world our second son, Joseph Dylan Newman.  For the first few hours after Joe was born, I held him in the recovery room while Jude slept nearby.  I was more than a little worried (although the nurses told me not to be), as his breathing was a a bit raspy.  As he slept in my arms, I sang quietly to Joe, over and over, the same lines from Elizabeth Mitchell's "So Glad You're Here."  To this day, when I hear that song, I immediately recall that long, late afternoon in the recovery room.

It seems like yesterday and, yet, it seems like a lifetime ago.

Our first night home from the hospital, Joe woke up in the middle of night, crying.  J.P. had a stomach virus of some sort and vomited 2 or 3 times.  As we walked around the next morning, strung out from a lack of sleep, Jude and I agreed we just had to make it through the first year.

Well, we made it through the first year.

There was joy and laughter and, yes, there was worry and concern.  There was sickness, as Joe was diagnosed with RSV at 5 or 6 months of age.  We spent several sleepless nights taking turns staying up with him as he struggled to breathe normally.  There were ear infections, too, something J.P. never had to deal with.  There were a lot of nights when I slept downstairs and, after Jude brought him down halfway through the night, I strolled Joe up and down the hall/into the dining room in the "City Elite" stroller until he fell back asleep.

There was a lot of learning.  There also was a lot remembering, as we experiences we had with Joe brought to mind memories of J.P.'s first year.  There was the beginning and end of breastfeeding.  There was the beginning and end (almost) of formula.  There was the beginning of solid food and whole milk.

There was the army crawl and now, there is the all fours crawl, as Joe became mobile more quickly than J.P. did.  There was standing and there is almost, and I mean almost walking.  It's coming any day now.

There were trips to Florida and Huntsville, although I've erased the return trip from my mind.

There were many, many miles strolled and hours spent together, as Joe and I put the Baby Jogger "City Elite" stroller to good use.  In the summer and fall, there were late night walks to Bongo Java.  We became semi-regulars at Cha Chah (now defunct), where I'd roll Joe up to the bar and while he slept, drink a glass of wine and read on my Kindle.  There were Saturday afternoon strolls to Mafiozza, where I had a beer or two and talked to my favorite bartender, Doc, as Joe slept in the stroller.  There were 3 mile walks through the neighborhood just to get some exercise.  There were many walks across Belmont University's campus and through the buildings.  There also were many Saturdays and Sundays this winter spent at the Green Hills Mall, strolling while Joe slept.

There was a big brother - J.P. - how loved his little brother each and every day, in so many ways.

Most of all, there was love and laughter, as we watched our happy, good natured baby boy grow from an infant to a 1 year old.  And there were miracles, almost every day.

Happy Birthday, Joe.  I love you.