FIVE

The best day of my life was not:
- The day in high school that I moved from being so heavy I had to shop only in specialty stores for clothing to being small enough to shop at any store.
- The day I passed my test and became a “black belt” in a marital art.
- The day I graduated from the University as a McNair Scholar with a number of honors and scholarships under my belt.
- My wedding day

- The day it was confirmed that I was going to have a baby.

The best day of my life is actually today. I wish I were able to share with you the huge smile that is on my face and in my heart. Do you know what makes today so special? Today (January 7, 2009) marks the day that I have been married to my awesome husband for five years and it is also the day my baby turns five months old. I know this is “Phin’s blog” and this post will come around to be all about him, but today we are going to take the long way around. Today is not the day to be in a hurry!

Our dating was great.
In the first year of our marriage,
I went to my first professional sports game

and bought a house.
2005 - Dan graduated from the University.

2006 brought the beginning of Dan’s Military career, our first camp and canoe trip and Maggie.

2007, the second camp and canoe trip, continued work on the house
and the start of Phin (Petite Minute)



2008, Dan’s change from enlisted to officer, the third annual camp and canoe trip being postponed in lieu of the birth of Phin.

Now, the beginning of 2009 with my eyes wide open and excitement in my heart that things have gone so very well thus far.
I mean, of all of the people who get married, what are the odds that I would get such a loving and understanding husband? How is it possible that we have been this blessed in just five years (over six including dating)? We pretend to fight,
but our biggest disagreements that come to mind are things like: Dan picking up some shredded cheese at the market for me and getting the name brand (instead of generic or store brand) – what makes us so important that we need NAME BRAND???

Such a wonder of a lifetime and now, this little boy. This baby was planned and wanted. I named him “petite minute” from the beginning and I believe that such a name was very wise and telling on my part. My pregnancy was just a petite minute and his life thus far has been a petite minute (though he’s in no way petite!) The thing that I know today is that this little boy, who has his daddy’s lips and his mama’s eyes has brought such a joy and (an indescribable something) to the LIFE in our home.

I know that Dan and I have been happy throughout our whole marriage – but it has now taken on such a sweeter fragrance! I pop out of bed each morning to see that sweet smiling face and sometimes (actually quite often) I hold him and rock him in my arms long after he’s fast asleep. Between you and me, Phin’s daddy has told me he does the same thing. These moments and days are so fleeting and we understand such. So today, we will hold him more than necessary. Today I will keep every smile I can steal from him.

I cannot know what the future holds, but I do have dreams for my baby. They are the same dreams every mom has. I have visions of his rolling over for the first time. Then his crawling turning into his first step and then into his first word. I wonder what terribly embarrassing thing he will say to some stranger. You know, the thing that is so embarrassing that I want to blog about it – but SO VERY embarrassing that I can’t bring myself to “put it out there” like that.

There are other things too. This is Phin's room. It's a working room that changes all of the time. You will notice that the bumper is off of his bed - after at around day 9.5 , he scooted himself into the corner of the crib to try to "nurse" the bumper. We removed it so that there was no suffocation hazard in his crib.
We got that rug for his room right before he was born. The rug has a road on it so when he's older, he can run cars on it.


You see his flock of sheep, I got them for him this holiday season. I got them because I can picture in my mind, his playing with them. I can imagine a future of sheep lining the hall and he "herds" them around. I think they may also have a good religious value as he gets older and starts to understand bible stories...


Below his flock of sheep, he has books. There is the patchwork Elmer elephant with Elmer books, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library books, books I have picked for him and then books from Grandmother Allen that belonged to his daddy. We even have a great new book from the Great Grandparents Allen, but it's on our coffee table - instead of on his shelf.

Then there is this laundry hamper. We use it everyday but we got it because we imagined the kinds of fun Phin could have with it as he gets to be a bigger boy.


I guess my point is that I see where our future (if it’s God’s will) may be headed and I look forward to all of those things. But today I am tasting the sweetness of the last five years. I am reveling in all of the awesomeness of today. My day's agenda is to pick up our anniversary cake from the baker, make a nice dinner to place on our new dining room table and enjoy the evening with Dan when he gets home from work. Phin will take turns sitting on his daddy's lap and then mine and Maggie will be pacing the floor, looking for dropped food. The cat will, no doubt, be lurking on a chair while pretending to be invisible and in the background, music will play. We will eat dinner, and will simply continue to -be-.