Happy Birthday Bradley!!

My Dearest Bradley,

I will never forget the day Daddy and I found out we were going to be parents for the very first time. We were SO very excited!! Mommy's biggest dream was that I would one day get to be a mommy. So finding out that you were on your way was an absolute dream come true!!

Daddy and I were so excited for our 1st doctors appointment. WE got to see you for the very first time. At that time you were only about the size of a pea. =) We got to see your little heart beat. What an absolute miracle.

Daddy came to all my doctors appointments with me and we got to listen to your heartbeat every time. You were a little stinker at one appointment. We were listening to your heartbeat and it would stop for a while and start back up and stop again. I was so relieved when the nurse said everything was ok. She said you were holding on to your umbilical cord and squeezing it and letting go. You were a little jokester even back then. =) I loved being pregnant. You were such a wonderful baby from the very start. I loved feeling you move around in my tummy.

Daddy got a very special Fathers Day gift that 1st year. We were in bed getting ready to get up in the morning and Daddy put his hand on my tummy and started talking to you (as he often did) and you kicked him. =) He reminds you of that every Father's Day. It was so sweet!

We had so much fun getting your bedroom ready and picking out a crib and everything we needed for our very first baby.

When I was about 18 weeks along we had our BIG ultrasound where we would get to see you. We were so very excited for that day. We got to choose whether or not we would find out then if you were a boy or if you were a girl. At first we thought we would wait until you were born to find out, but when we got to that doctors appointment we were both too excited and didn't want to wait any longer. =)

It was such a special time. We had so much fun getting to see all your little fingers and toes. Sure enough...you had 10 of each. =) We saw your legs and your arms and your sweet little face. We saw your heart again and it was beating strong. You were PERFECT! Then...the moment we were waiting for....the technician asked if we were ready to find out what we were having. Of course we said YES!! As you know, he said, "It's a boy"!!

We were thrilled!! I had always hoped we'd have a little boy 1st to be the big brother. Just like mommy had a big brother. Mommy and Daddy couldn't stop smiling We were so excited to go home and tell all our friends and family that we were going to have a baby boy and that everything looked wonderful!!Mommy and Daddy couldn't wait to finally meet you face to face one day. It seemed like the day wouldn't come fast enough.

We continued to enjoy the moments with you while we waited. We started taking a class to prepare us for your birth. We drove to Corvallis every week for 12 weeks as we learned more about having you and taking care of you. We learned about so many things. It was important to mommy to try to have you without using any medication and the class was called, "The Bradley Method". On our way home from class one night, Daddy said, "What do you think of the name Bradley?" I said, "Oh, I love that name". It was that moment we decided that would be your name. From that moment on, whenever we talked to you, we called you Bradley. We knew that when you were born you would recognize our voices and your name too. That was important to us.

When we got home we looked up your name in our name book and we saw that your name means, "Joyful". The verse that goes with that is Proverbs 15:13, "A joyful face makes a cheerful face". Daddy and I knew it was the right name for you. You brought us so much joy the moment we found out you were going to be part of our family.

We then wanted to pick out your middle name. Aaron means, "Radiating God's Light". Our prayer for you was and is exactly that! That you would radiate God's light to everyone that came into your life. Our biggest desire for you is that you grow up to love and serve Jesus.

Once we found out you were a boy, we got to figure out how we would decorate your room. WE decided to paint it a really pretty green color. Mommy's friend, Connie, came over and put up some sports wallpaper and a sporty bear border. It was cute!

Daddy and Mommy had fun finding you clothes and everything we needed to be ready for your arrival. Many of our friends came to our house and gave us a baby shower to help celebrate you.

Mommy kept working at Grandpa's store waiting for you to arrive. I was so thankful that they were going to let me start working from home when you arrived.

We waited and waited and waited. Your due date was October 17th. That day came and went and so did the next day. The night of October 19th Daddy and I headed to bed and not long after I got settled I started having contractions. Daddy was already asleep and I decided to get up and start working on our quarterly taxes for work to get them done...just in case. I was in the office working and the contractions were coming stronger and closer together. I started keeping track of the times on paper while I kept working. Eventually it came to the point that I couldn't work anymore, I wasn't able to concentrate. I tried getting up and getting some laundry folded but again couldn't concentrate. I thought about waking up Daddy but decided to try to wait it out some more. SO, I went back to my desk and tried to work some more. Next thing I knew, my water broke. So, I knew I'd better go wake up Daddy so he could get me to the hospital. We had a bit of a drive getting from Lebanon to the Corvallis hospital and we made it just fine that night.

After a long night the moment finally arrived at 7:21 AM on October 20th, we got to meet you for the very first time face to face! I will never forget it. What an absolute joyous moment to finally get to hold you and look at you. Mommy and Daddy were both crying tears of joy and what a beautiful gift God gave us.

I can hardly believe today you are turning 8 years old. It really seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital. I'm so extremely thankful for you and Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you. You are an absolute joy and we are honored to be your parents. I'm so thankful I've been able to stay home with you all these years and I treasure the time I spend with you. I love that I get to homeschool you and love watching you learn. You are such a sweet kindhearted boy and I'm so thankful that you love Jesus!

Ryan, Tyler and Hallie love that you are their big brother. You are such a blessing to them too. You are such a great big brother. I know you tell mommy you want us to have 10 kids =) and I'm thankful you enjoy your brothers and sister as much as they enjoy you. From the moment we found out you were going to be a big brother, you have been their biggest cheerleader along with mommy and daddy. Anytime one of them walked or talked or ate or ran or read or whatever it may be, you are so sweet to cheer them on. When each of them asked Jesus into their hearts you told them how excited you were for them. One of my favorite moments is listening to you tell Hallie about Jesus and asking her if she wanted to ask Jesus into hear heart and praying with her to help her do that. That is one of the MANY moments I will treasure forever.

I love you Bradley Aaron Kirkland!!

Love,
Mommy