26 weeks...

wow...that is how old he will be tomorrow...26 weeks old. That means 26 weeks ago, we were waiting for the call to come. I look back at last summer...we call it "The summer of Julian" We were match on May 31 and he didn't arrive until August 8th. Our entire summer was consumed with thoughts, hopes and dreams of our little man...actually...for the first half we thought he was a she. My mother reminded me of how stressful it was. We would go to their house to swim in the pool just to pass time. It felt like August was never going to get here. The Saturday before...August 4th his due date, we had a birthday party that day and a block party that night. We were so depressed...more like anxious then depressed that we didn't venture out to the birthday party, but stayed close to home. We went to the block party, drank wine, ate good food and enjoyed the company of close friends. I think back and wonder if they every got sick of me talking about our empending arrival?! But then I thought if I were pregnant they would see that we were ready to pop.

I will never forget the day we broght him home. My parents and grandmother, Jeff's mom and sister and her family were there waiting for us. The ride home was so surreal. I just remember walking as fast as we could out of the hospital, to our car and getting the heck out of dodge! My mother kept calling us...where are you...how far away are you? I think the closer we got the lighter I felt. After we arrived home and our family had finally seen our beatuiful baby boy...the baby we had all dreamed about for so long...we all could now finally breathe!

After everyone left, and we waved goodbye...I looked down our beatuiful tree lined street to see our neighbors sitting on the front porch of "the mayor's" house...(he was really the mayor of our village for over 20 years) and there I was...walking down the street with my son in my arms only 2 days old, wraped in a blanket on a very warm summer night. I remember their faces as if it were yesterday...Peggy screamed, Cindy wepped and Dave and John got the drinks! After Julian met his many aunt and uncles...I took a walk across the street to Jenny and Scott's house to see if they were home. (On those warm summer nights when we are out watering our lawns and gardens...one of us will say...anyone for drinks? Ok let's meet at Dave and Pegs house tonight) That is what our summers are like here, on our street...the best. I knock on the door and said "Aunt Jenny, Uncle Scott...anyone home...well Scott had his buddies over for poker night and Jenny was out...So Uncle Scott was the first in their family to see him. He took Julian in his arms and that is when it hit me...our boy is home. It is for real...this dream I had been living for so long is no longer a dream but reality. That night I walked home from our friends house, so proud...did it show...was I glowing? I felt like I was walking on air. It was the most amazing day of my life...one I will never forget and a story that Julian will hear for the rest of his life...