Reflections

I woke up this morning at 2:00. (Mike has developed a serious snoring problem!) I laid in bed thinking back over the past 13 years. My baby turned 13 at 2:08 this morning. (Why are there tears streaming down my face right now? Why is this birthday so much harder than the ones before?) As I watched the clock tick by, I remembered the night that I had Cody. It seems like it was yesterday. I remember I was resting on our sofa and I had just finished watching 'Not Without My Daughter'. Mike had just walked in the door from work. It was about a little after 10 at night. I remember feeling this trickle run down my thighs and thinking to myself, "either I am peeing all over myself, or.... my water just broke!". Well, it turned out my water broke, because it soon gushed once I stood up to go to the bathroom! We were packed and ready because we had already made a trip to the hospital a few days earlier, only to be sent home because someone didn't know the difference between false labor and real labor! Mike was quickly gathering everything up that we would need. We had just bought our first truck earlier that month. Poor Mike, I know he meant well, but he covered the seat of that truck with every towel we owned! He loved that truck! We rushed to the hospital as quickly and safely as we could and were soon checked into our room. Mike called our parents and I remember him telling my mom word-for-word what the doctor had said...."She has grossly ruptured her membranes, we're having a baby". I never really started regular contractions once I was at the hospital, so I received a Pitocin drip and about an hour after that, an epidural. I was very lucky in that I only went through maybe 3-4 hard contractions on my own. After a couple more hours, Cody Michael Conrad arrived. Our world has never been the same.

I cannot believe how quickly these past 13 years have come and gone. I cannot believe that Cody is a teenager. I remember he was such a perfect baby. He was always happy. Always content. He loved to be held and rocked. He was my cuddler. His smile lit up the room. (Ok, the tears are really coming, I am going to have to stop and get it together!) As a toddler, he was so curious and had a hundred questions. He was so smart and so bright. Before I knew it he was in Kindergarten. We lived in Groom then. I am so happy that he was able to start his education there. He loved going to the same school his daddy went to! He thought that was pretty neat! The years continued to pass and then he started school at the same elementary I went to! He excelled in everything he did. We soon saw him develop with sports. Over the years we've watched him in flag-football to tackle football. Basketball to golf. He is becoming quite the athlete these days.

Cody is still all these things and much more (well, he isn't quite as content, and he is definitely not a cuddler anymore!). I am so proud of this young man that is growing up before me. I need to remind him of that more often. I know that these difficult teenage moments we have will soon pass. Hopefully, we will both grow from them and become closer than we were when we started.

For those of you that have young children, hold onto your babies as long as you can, because they don't stay little forever! Cherish each day, because once it's gone, you can't have it back. (Boy, Caden is going to get some extra big-and-long hugs this morning! He's still my little baby and thankfully he still likes his mommy's hugs!) :)

Thank you to each of you for your part in Cody's life over these past 13 years. We are so blessed to have such an extended family. I am so thankful for the relationship that Cody has with each of you.

~jen