Happy Birthday my sweetest boy.
Monday, November 24, 2008
love, less ordinary.
Ephraim's birthday was last Thursday. It passed much the same way his first year did - in a cloud of errands and laundry and snacks and meals and life. I felt the sameness of the day like a heavy weight on my heart as I remembered Sarah's first birthday. It was on a Saturday and felt like a celebration of her, of me, of her daddy from sunup to sundown. I longed for Ephraim's birth anniversary to exude that same specialness but as the day passed the feeling kept escaping me. Then, as 5:45 approached (his birth moment), I realized the truth that was held in this seemingly normal day: that this precious son of ours brings joy to the ordinary. There is nothing mundane about everyday life with B-Ro. Not with squeals of delight punctuating the silence and crawl-into-your-lap snuggles to interrupt the work of the day. One year ago I questioned my ability to love and adore another quite the same way I did my first. But now I understand the heart-clutching power of the sweet, simple love that only a second child can bring. The fierce, unassuming, far from ordinary love.
Happy Birthday my sweetest boy.
Happy Birthday my sweetest boy.
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12 comments:
Indeed.
As a mother of two also born two years apart, I have felt exactly what you are feeling. Your post read exactly the way I feel. The second child holds something different, something very unique when it comes to milestones-- but they are just as special and important, just in a different way. As I type this I am having emotions peppered with guilt because my baby's birthday invitations went out much later than they should have-- my oldest's always go out 3 weeks in advance or more. But with my baby there is a quiet calmness that does not require my frantic energy. He is his own person much as B-ro must be. Ahh motherhood, what a ride . . .
Amanda
i know just what you mean. my girls are only 19 months apart and even though ava was planned to be that close in age, i still remember feeling some of that "i wonder if i can love it as much" and those first sleepless days it was very hard to see straight. i believe i even called her ugly once after a week of no sleep and nursing for 3 hours at a time and every 15 minutes in between. lol...but oh my gosh, my 2nd born, ava, is my absolute pride and joy and there could never be another like her!
and your little E, he's soooooooo sweet!
tara
That makes me even more excited than I already was about welcoming our second baby next May!
I love that little guy! He surely brightens my ordinary days!
I find peace if this post as my second baby, a girl who we will call Lucy is due any time now. I am a frantic, emotional mess thinking about it not just being the two of us (or three with hubby) time with Brady and what will he think when his sister arrives? But I find comfort thinking that perhaps the greatest gift we can give a child is a sibling. Thank you for this post, a tremendous help to me, your timing was impecable!
Happy Birthday (a few days late) to your sweet Ephraim and to you too Mommy.
Amen. This is beautiful, Erin.
Happy [belated] birthday, Ephraim! The world would not be the same without you.
When Nick came along my husband gave me a hard time, saying I loved Tyler more. My response was that I knew Tyler longer! Needless to say, Nick quickly caught up in the 'being loved' department.
Not to add to your guilt, but I will confess I have been waiting for blogging of the same hoopla that surrounded Sarah's first birthday. Then I realized how much less we tend to do with the second, because we have twice as much work with 2 kids!!
As much as Sarah is special as your first, Ephraim is just as special because his light shines through and is evident in every picture you post of him. He will never remember that he didn't have a big first birthday celebration - but he will always remember how much he is loved every.single.day.
Oh gosh I know.
When I was expecting my second, my mom told me "love divided grows"...it's amazing how the heart can love so much in an instant! Thanks for sharing such a honestly sweet post!
I tend to think that it's just that every day is probably that special to you. So if it's "ordinary," then your ordinary must be pretty extraordinary!
well said, erin!
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