Today is Hunter's 4th birthday and even though he has only been part of our family for four short years, we have a hard time remembering what life was like before him. Kieth and I were pretty much finished having children after we had Dakota, Riley, and Jordan. We were blessed with three wonderful boys and we felt like that was enough. In 2004 we decided to build a house, which kept us very busy for over a year. The boys were also growing older and somewhere along the way my longing for another baby began to emerge. Actually, my aching desire for a daughter resurfaced. I told Kieth that I wanted to have another baby because I was sure it would be a girl. How could it not be? We already had three boys. He thought it would be a good idea, but we were both anxious because it was like we were starting all over. We finally had all of our kids potty trained, off of bottles, out of our bed, in school......and life was good. What were we thinking?
When I had my ultrasound, I could not believe the lady said it was a boy. I asked if she was sure, and......she was sure. I must admit, at first, I was sad. I knew that as I approached 30 years old that this would indeed be our last baby. I longed for a daughter of my own so deeply. I wanted to have a mini-me that I could dress up and go on mommy-daughter dates with. I wanted to paint her nails and brush her hair. I wanted to talk about boys with her and one day plan her wedding. I wanted to be the "mother of the bride" and be in the hospital room when she had my grand baby. And I wanted her to call me her best friend when she got older. But as sad as I was that I would never have a daughter, I was equally as happy about having another son. Boys love their mommy's so much. How could I be sad when Heavenly Father was giving me his precious child to nuture and love as my own. So, even though I may always wonder what my daughter would have looked like, I have faith that I have been given what I need.
We were almost finished building our house when Hunter arrived on April 20, 2005. We were partly moved in, but we had no running water yet. I told Kieth I wasn't coming home from the hospital until he had all the plumbing finished. So Kieth and dad worked 24/7 for 3 days to complete the task. Jordan had just turned 6, Riley was almost 9 and Dakota was almost 11 when Hunter was born, so needless to say, he received copious amounts of attention. Someone always wanted to hold him, and change his diaper, and feed him, and play with him. Life was all about Hunter, ( and still is), which I now attribute to his spoiled ways.
So here we are 4 years later. Hunter has been one of the highlights of our life. I love seeing his older brothers take care of him. They are, for the most part, gentle and kind to him. Sometimes they get annoyed or angry with him, but Hunter has a way of getting back in everyones good graces with his endless kisses and I love you's. He is an extremely affectionate child and you never hunger for attention in his presence. He readily and happily offers love to everyone in our family. Hunter has a strong sense of purpose and I believe he knows exactly where he came from. One day last year when Hunter had just turned three he told me a story that I will never forget.
I was ironing clothes one Sunday morning for church and Hunter approached me. He said, "mommy, when I was a baby I lived in the water". Since we had been going to the lake quite often, I thought he was talking about his newly acquired swimming abilities. So I just dismissed his statement as if he were recalling a recent lake outing. But then I got a strong feeling inside that Hunter was not talking about the lake. He was telling me something more important. So I turned to him and said, "what did you do in the water, Hunter, swim"? And he said, "no, I was waiting to come". And then I said "waiting to come where, Hunter"? He then looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said, "I was waiting to come Home". I can not help but believe that Hunter was revealing to me a small part of his pre-existence. We almost did not have him. We were done. But this precious child of God waited for his earthly mother and father to get ready, and finally, he got to come to earth after a long wait. I love this child so much. And I am so thankful that he waited to become part of our family. Happy Birthday Hunter.
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