1. Holding Chris for the first time at 5 weeks old. Pure joy and relief. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him, at last, and I could hold him for only 1 hour the first time. Each day for a month, Mike and I would have to alternate holding him. So hard! As a result, when the next two kiddos came along, I could not put them down.
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| Holding Chris, who was born at 24 weeks gestation and very, very sick |
2. Christopher’s baptism, in June 1997, when we finally took him out into public
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| With our pastor and friend Laurie, and my sister Nadine and her husband, Christopher’s godparents |
3. Christmastime with Chris at 1 year old, after he was hospitalized for a week with RSV/pneumonia
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| Family in December 1997 |
3. We had a little family of three for six years
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| Visiting Paris, August 2001 |
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| Kieran’s baptism, surrounded by wonderful godfamilies |
5. Christmastime, 2005
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| Alpenrose, Storybook Lane, December 2005 |
6. And then–surprise!–pregnant with #3 at age 41
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| On the Oregon Zoo train at my company picnic, days before Nicholas was born in September 2006 |
7. Nicholas’ baptism, welcoming him to the world
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| With one of his pair of godparents, our pastor, and our priest (November 2006) |
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| Portland Farmers Market, fall 2006 |
9. Traveling with three kids has its challenges but also rewards
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| At Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, 2009 |
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| Oregon Coast, 2011 |
10. Our family of five
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| Last November 2012, professional photo by Capturing Magic Photography (Nicholas, age 6; Chris, age 16; and Kieran, age 9 [now 10]) |
Check out the other listicle photos at The Good Life, especially our host Stasha’s gorgeous, professional photos of her boy and two gorgeous Newfoundlands!
Every Day Is a Miracle 