525,600 Minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

Or in my case, three. In just over 24 hours, Z will turn three years old. As I sit here, on the eve of this momentous day, I think about time. God has, so far, gifted me with 1,576,800 minutes of time with my son. When I look at that number, it seems like such a large amount. In reality, it is so very small. I know that every parent says the same thing, "It seems like only yesterday that he was born." Cliche as it may be, it is also very true. I feel like I blinked and here we are.

The day he was born, I had been eagerly awaiting his arrival. We had been trying to have a baby for almost six years at that point, and we had sent our first son, Aidan, home to be with Jesus. I had spent 42 weeks waiting to meet Z. I had a relatively easy pregnancy and expected labor to be the same. Not so much. Fourteen hours later, my doctor decided that since Z was not coming on his own, he would go get him. I was not allowed to have my glasses, so it would be another few hours before I was able to meet my son.

Another cliche proved to be true the moment the nurse brought his bassinet through the door. "Love at first sight" does not even begin to describe how I felt about my son. He was bundled up in the hospital blankets with a hat that had been crocheted by hospital volunteers. He was sleeping so very soundly and looked so peaceful. My heart and mind were overwhelmed with love for him.

Now, three years later, I still struggle to comprehend how it is possible to have this much love. I watch my son and husband play in the floor, listen to Z tell his dad to stop, run away, and then run back for more, and I think I am the luckiest woman in the world. Over the last three years, we have endured ear infections, tubes, allergies, shots, bumps, and bruises. But, even more important, we have seen crawling, walking, learning, growing, and more giggles than I can ever count (which, I have to say, is my favorite sound in the world; it beats ANY music ever composed).

Only God knows how many more minutes He will grant us in this life. All I know is that I will not waste even one that I am given. I will love my family with all that I am, give them all that I can, and not look back on any moment with regret. I pray that God will give us as much time as possible to be together and be thankful for all the time we are granted. I will ensure that Z and his Nana get their time together. Most of all, I will continue to give God the glory for all He has done for us and remember that all gifts are from Him.

For now, it is time to spend the next 60 minutes or so building a mega block birdhouse.