< 11 > The Birthday

I want to start off by apologizing for the delay.

I figured I'd wait until after a very special birthday to share this chapter.

Mr Baby, the light of my life, is One.

Somehow, he grew up and had a birthday, which makes no sense to me because he was only born a month ago; or so it feels. It's a wild and wondrous experience, watching a tiny human, you grew inside your body, take the form of their own being. It seemed but a moment ago, he was a tiny little potato, wrapped up and snuggled against my chest. I already miss it. I will forever cherish those memories. I can still feel those endorphins of pure magic and joy.

Mr Baby has become quite the little lover, no surprises there. He's a happy, smiling little fellow who always gets compliments from strangers, especially the ladies at the grocery store. He's captivating; his energy is pure and powerful.

He loves to hug his stuffed animals, bury his face in their fur and carry them around. He loves giving me kisses, snuggling me and Dad, holding on tight and reminding us how blessed we are.

This tiny, perfect little human.

He's walking, kicking his legs in the pool, drinking through a straw, eating everything offered, pointing at what he wants and is so close to talking. He signs with his hands, flips pages in his books, understands "no" and loves Mako and the cats. He says "Dis" and "Dat", "At" for cat, "Ada" for Dog, "Mom" and "Dad".

His favorite foods are cucumbers, plums and apples, crackers, toast, cheese and he loves water and ice.

Watching him become... Himself... is amazing

He's so easy going, happy to adventure and always busy looking and observing.

We're very fortunate that he's so happy to just "be"; from the big journey, to minor disturbances in our routine, he goes with the flow. Sometimes he needs a snack, but who doesn't?!

For example, we found a vehicle for sale and when we met up with the seller, it wouldn't start. Not a good sign, but it was the right price, vehicle type and it felt like a good decision.

The seller was a mechanic at a body shop, he worked on the vehicle for almost two hours while we hung around, waiting. He ended up fixing the issue and we purchased the vehicle;

Mr Baby was just happy to sit with me in the trunk, having snacks and playing games, while we waited. He explored the vehicle, smiled at the dudes working and seemed to actually be having fun! I was done being in the heat, waiting, but he was perfectly fine. Which made the whole process so much easier.

Now we have a vehicle, we're looking at houses and we're excited to see what the next few months bring us!

Life has never been more uncertain, yet I've never felt so at peace while having nothing figured out. I think I may actually like it.

It's all working out, exactly as it's meant to. I have unwavering faith that things are going the way we want them to, without really even knowing what that is. It's just happening. I have big dreams but I'm noticing the small stuff too - the things I've desired but aren't on the "master list", falling into place. Definitely appreciating the little things that fit right into place.

We continue making friendships and finding comfort in new relationships, masking the void of loneliness, from leaving everyone we know and love. It's not easy being so distant from those that bring comfort and security. But we're finding connections with friendly people who are in similar situations and it's not so bad. We keep saying we wish we could bring everyone here. We will, one day.

I'm still working on letting go of the guilt I feel, I'd released it and then it crept back up as his Birthday approached, reminding me that all of these beautiful milestones were meant to be shared with our community, so I found comfort in our ability to stay connected online. I set up a Zoom birthday party for Mr Baby, our immediate family got to see him walk, smile and play. I got to see familiar faces, smiling and relishing in the joy that he embodies.

It was beautiful and exactly what my heart needed.

I've decided to dedicate this post to sharing photos; I've been very cautious, sharing his name and photos online, as this is a public blog.

However, I don't see outside activity so I'm going to share as much as I can, below.

Xo

My lovely friend, Carly, sent me the top 3 photos from the day we left!

Since then, we've enjoyed delicious meals both at home and at new restaurants; two separate surprise beach side, front row fire shows; Riven's first HALLOWEEN and Birthday; pool party gatherings; beach adventures, mountain adventures, jungle adventures and Riven's first time in the ocean!

I promise not to take so long to share the next chapter!