<<I wrote this post in November and for some reason didn't think it was good enough to post. It's now February, I just read it, and I love it. Therefore, here it is :)>>

On my 29th birthday, I squeezed my big belly into a u-shaped booth a Pappa's Steakhouse in Downtown Houston. I was eight months pregnant and momma needed some steak! Walter and I tried our best to enjoy the date, but an underlying sense of anxiety joined us at the table that night. We had only been in town for a couple days, enough time to acquaint ourselves with our new apartment and unpack our suitcases.

The following month would consist of least three doctor's appointments a week to make sure Augie was still doing OK. On top of his heart defects, doctors were concerned about his small size. The sweet nurse that tied the non-stress test monitor around my belly became the person I saw the most other than Walter. We loved her because she giggled non-stop for no apparent reason. I think she new us mommas needed giggles given the circumstances. Once we hit December, I remember saying, "You won't see me next time, this boy will be out." Ha! I would be back to see her at least five more times. Baby boy was cozy!

Other than familiarizing ourselves with the hospital, it seems like all we did was watch TV, take walks, and of course, go out to eat! And for an after dinner bite, I thoroughly enjoyed the truck that served ice cream between two warm cookies. Smoosh Cake. It's in Rice Village. You must try it. My go-to sandwich was chocolate chip cookies with mint chocolate ice cream. Mmmmmmm.

It felt boring then but now I'm grateful for that slow season in my life. Things when from 0 to 100 real quick after Augie was born. We needed that peace. That preparation. That time for thought, prayer, reflection...that time alone with each other.

Photo taken by Shari Hudson, early December 2017.

It's been a whole year since we dropped everything and relocated to Houston. AND Now I just turned THIRTY and have been back home in little Stratford, TX, U.SA. for almost four months! My baby is here too and I rarely get to finish a meal in one sitting. He is the wiggliest, happiest, smartest little boy there ever was! He loves it all. His dog. His mama and dada. His baths.

He loves his life. That one we fought for. That one we paused our lives for. That one we invested everything in, literally and figuratively. That one we would do it all again for. That life he also had to suffer for. The one that he got poked hundreds of times for. The one he got cut open for. The one that will require many more pokes and cuts. He loves it. He absolutely loves it.

Annnnnd...as I'm about to break down and cry writing this...I smell poop. Yup, there he goes, scooting past me. With poop. #momlife #comicrelief