Michael turned sweet 16 this week---how can this be!? I still remember vividly being 8 months pregnant with Michael when his Navy pilot daddy got sent overseas to Iraq for a secret mission of an unknown length of time. So I took little Joseph and my pregnant self to South Dakota to be with my parents "just in case" Paul didn't make it back in time for our baby's birth. Thankfully, Paul made it back in time. I was so happy and relieved that I went into labor the day he got off the plane!!! Daddy was so jet-lagged that I tried to let him sleep while I labored with my mom, walking around her basement and praying the rosary together. Apparently I let daddy sleep a little bit too long, because by the time I got to the hospital, I was too far progressed to get an epidural. NOOOOOO! I was SOOOO bummed. The labor and delivery were indeed painful, but the part that I remember the most was my placenta getting stuck---probably because Michael was born about 3 weeks early! I won't go into details, but OUCH is all there really is to say about that! Michael's sweet, angelic face and fuzzy red hair made every ounce of pain worth it though. Truly. Sweetest face in the world. Notice I didn't say sweetest "temperament." :) Michael was (by far!) our fussiest child. He cried all...the...time. I had to wear him in a front carrier all...the...time. But we persevered through those fussy baby years, and now we are persevering through the grumpy teenage years. :) "This too shall pass," older and wiser parents tell me, so I keep baking chocolate cookies to try to make him smile and talk to me while he dips his cookie in some milk, and I keep placing him within the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I know he will always be safe there! :) I hope he knows that he will always be loved and that his momma will always be here with some fresh chocolate chip cookies whenever he needs me! :)
For Michael's birthday this year he invited three of his best buddies to hang out for a few hours. They played lots of basketball and ate lots of food. The perfect recipe for happy teenage boys! :)
Happy Birthday, Michael!
May God always bless you with holy friends,
well-groomed fields for playing baseball,
a comfy couch for watching Detroit Tigers games,
and a safe place within Jesus' Sacred Heart!
Daddy and I love you with all our hearts!!!
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