HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY SAM!

Today is our little baby's FIRST birthday! I can't even believe that it has been a year already. We have been so blessed with this amazing little boy this year! I can't imagine our lives without them. I have learned so much this year about being a mommy and realizing that maybe I don't have all the answers and that that is okay. I just knew there had to be an answer on what in the world I was supposed to do somewhere...but I finally realized that I am doing the best that I know how and that this baby knows that and loves me no matter how much or how little I know...so that is a good thing. Had I known that from the beginning, it might have saved me lots of energy, sleepless days and nights, tears, oh and money on all those books I tried to read just knowing that one of them would tell me what in the world I am supposed to do with this baby that cries and doesn't sleep at the right times (little did I know...that that is what babies do and you just figure it out as you go). :) I am so thankful for such a great husband who is so helpful and loving to our son and to me! Amazing grandparents, family and friends that we could not have gotten through this year without! We are so thankful for you all! Sam will be having a birthday party, but that won't be for a few weeks....so we'll have lots of pictures then. As my friend Meredith likes to call it...we are celebrating his birth-MONTH...not just the day!

Thank the Lord I don't look like this anymore. This was my last belly shot the night before he was born. Barely any of my maternity clothes were fitting me at that point...I was so big!

Samuel Joseph Hazlewood born on August 30, 2007 at 7:59 am via c-section at UT Medical Center! He weighed in at 8lbs and 11oz...and was 20 1/4 inches long! What a awesome experience and what a sweet baby!

First family picture!

Wearing his UT hat with Smoky sitting next to him. I think we were watching Sam's first VOL football game. The nurses even brought him an orange pacy.

I took this yesterday of our BIG BOY...who has been walking like crazy! He takes maybe 5 steps at a time, but is really starting to get the hang of it! I love this face! We also got his new car seat situated and Ben turned it around to face forward today! YEAH! Ben said that he bet that I asked Sam 6 times about how much he liked his new seat and facing forward...well he was wrong...I asked about 50 times in the car, so THERE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY! We love you so much!