Year One

In two days, Baby Cade will celebrate his first birthday. I'm not much on retrospectives. I prefer the future or even right now. However, I was looking back at pictures (which keeps me grounded to my history) and I have to say - he's come a long way.

I admit now - please don't tell Chad I ever said this (no, I'm pretty sure he doesn't read this blog) - that I was shocked the first time I saw Cade. He didn't look like the other three. He didn't look like me. He didn't even look like Chad. He looked weird. I remember thinking, "Oh my, he's got NO LIPS! How can my baby have no lips?" And his face was too puffy. And he already had a man-sized nose. He was just so... Picasso-esqe. I was afraid that having three of the world's most ridiculously spectacular-looking siblings was going to cause him future trouble.

However, he was soon rigged up to Tube City in the NICU, which magically transformed him into the world's most beautiful tragic hero. The anxiety of those days has softened, but not gone away completely. It's almost laughable to think that there was once a day that his appetite was cause for concern. Now, he's like having a tiny black hole in the house.

Let's take a look back.

Ahhhhhh...no lips!

Too small to finish 2 ounces.



World's largest pacifier?

Ah...the beginning of the turmoil between Stone and Cade started at the first meeting. Daddy got onto Stone for poking the new baby right in the eyeball.



Meeting Pearce and Cole



First captured cute moment (and maybe the last) between Stone and Cade.



Personality emerging!!!



First time I noticed Cade ruining a group shot (would not be the last)



Scary monster face!



Sneeze.



Cade ruining another group shot.

Ok, so there might have been ONE MORE cute moment between Stone and Cade.



Personality emerging-ing.



Personality emerging-ing-ing.



Maybe this kid is going to be crazy.

Definitely looking like crazy is coming out.

Houston, we have personality.

Needless to say, my helpless little NICU baby has turned into a ridiculously good-looking, crazy, fearless, hilarious sibling warrior. I cannot wait to see the bruises, scrapes, tears, and knots in the coming year. Oh, not on Cade - the ones he's going to inflict on his big brothers.