I celebrated my 29th birthday on Sunday. One thing I appreciate about this yearly marker is the feeling of reflection it stirs. I believe that we owe it to ourselves to occasionally look at our lives and see where we've come from and where we are going. I took a few minutes and looked back on my past few birthdays (that is one of the benefits of blogging for years!).

I can start around the time I turned 26 - 3 years ago! I love reading this blog post. I had no idea of the journey we would embark on just 3 months later. My life path would parallel "What to Expect While You're Expecting" -- or so I thought. Unfortunately, (or thankfully, I'm not sure), our experience has been quite the opposite of that handbook. I've learned so much since this time in my life and experienced some amazingly hard realities. I've grieved, I've grown, and I appreciate this simple and sweet time in my life.



I remember what life looked like when I turned 27. We had a sweet 9-month old who was fed mostly by tube and had just started rolling, My entry reflecting upon my 27th birthday still resonates with who I am today. I can still feel the wave of emotion from the events surrounding Asher's birthday, stay in the NICU, and moments of hope and loss throughout it all.



And last year when I turned 28. I recall walking over the coffee shop next door and having breakfast with Will & Asher. At 21 months old, Asher was really starting to take off developmentally and was getting stronger and stronger everyday. He was eating and drinking independently and starting to walk with a push toy.



And here I am at 29. It's amazing how quickly time passes. It's been a hard road and if I'm being honest, sometimes I don't feel as optimistic as others. Our lives are filled with therapies, doctors, giggles, joy, cries, and anxieties. But with each new year comes an opportunity to examine my outlook and my attitude towards the life we have been given. Not to mention the new little guy that will come in April and change our family in his own way. Here's hoping for a year of strengthening, growth, and joy -- for Asher, me, and our entire family.