As A New Year Begins

As this last year has come to an end I can't believe how fast it went! 2008 was both the most challenging year of my life but also the most rewarding. I am so thankful for the people I have in my life and am excited for the new experiences we will have as a new family in 2009.
I have many New Years resolutions this year. I never keep them but I am going to do my best this time. To relax and enjoy the lil moments more, to stand up for myself and those I love more, to not care what others say or think of me, to do everything I can to teach my son the things he needs to know, to make sure that we are going in a direction in life instead of standing still as we feel we are, to spend more time and keep in better touch with friends and family, and to get myself back in shape to where I feel good about how I look and feel.
Going into 2008 all we knew was that sometime that first month we were going to be parents. We knew it would change us and make us stronger as a couple and more mature but we never would have thought our lives would change as much as they did. Watching our son be born, seeing him not breathing, watching him hooked up to machines and wires hooked all over him, day in and day out for 3 weeks in the NICU with him we not only had to learn how to be good parents but in a way learn how to be his full time nurse. We witnessed a miracle in our son. From them telling us he might not survive that first night to that he was brain damaged and would never do anything, to watching him day by day do new things, to where he is today and how much personality and strength he has. I learned more from my son in this one year then I could have ever imagined.
It's not fair this happened to him or to us. But its something we had to accept and deal with. We have to believe that there is reasoning behind it. We dont talk about the things he can't do or the challenges he will have ahead of him. We focus on how far he's come. The first 6 months I dont know how I survived lol. The constant crying, needing to be held constantly, the new medical equiptment and learning how to use it all, the constant fear that something was wrong. You dont know stress till you have this tiny lil thing depending on you for everything! To today to where we can leave the house without him screaming the whole time, his having hour long moments of laying by himself not needing to constantly be held, watching him smile and respond to us, watching him focus and study new things, hearing him babbling away, less crying, less arching and fisted hands, letting us stretch his muscles more etc etc.
We are forever in debted to those around us who prayed with us and helped us out throughout this year. We made mistakes and tried our hardest. We know we have more people who care about us then we ever thought.
2008 all in all was a great year but 2009 will definatly be better! Happy New Year to everyone.