August 3rd, Noah's due date!

It seems impossible to think that we have had this sweet little boy for almost a month already, and it is barely his due date... He is such a blessing to our family. He has the sweetest, most laid back spirit and he is truly a joy to our family. It is amazing to watch the other kids with him. A woman who works at the bank the kids go to has stopped me in the grocery store more than once to tell me she is just amazed at how the kids love this baby, and how she has never seen teen boys so excited about having a new sibling. She said that Willie and Wyatt have told her all about Noah and how much they love him. It is true... I will find them with Noah cuddled on their chest, or they are talking to him telling him how much they love him. We feel so grateful, so blessed to have him in our family.

Our sweet Noah Grant... he is named after Thayne's great uncle, who sealed us in the Manti Temple. He had told us that there were many, many, many spirits waiting to come to our family and that we shouldn't put it off for any reason. Through the years we would see him when we went to our hometown to visit. One time he counted the kids and with a smile told us we were getting there. The last time we saw him alive, he was with his sister who had 16 kids, and he told us we shouldn't stop until we had 16. So, it seems only right to name our sweet 16th after the man who saw a vision of our family, even before we fully saw it ourselves.

I have found that the more kids we had, the more I found myself sitting back and appreciating the little things. I find that I care less about getting everything done, and more about sitting back and taking in every second of the moment that I can. It was hard with Nate because every moment was just keeping him alive... but this time it is about savoring every second of this precious time. It's about soaking up every baby breath, breathing in the smell of him... memorizing every stretch, every yawn, every little smile. I want to take advantage of every second of his newborn stage. My heart aches thinking that I could never have this again. There will be more newborns... but even grandbabies are not the same as your own child snuggled to you in the middle of the night when there is nobody in the world but you and this tiny human being who depends on you for his every need. My heart is so full that at moments I feel like it will explode. I prayed for him... I trusted that loss after loss I would eventually have the joy of carrying another baby and I promised myself that I would cherish everything about it. I loved being pregnant with him. The end came far to quickly and I find that I miss it so much... but I have put aside things that really don't matter, and find joy in holding him hour after hour! I am so grateful. I feel so blessed. I love this little boy and am so thankful that I get to be his mom!