poppy is three

My baby. My baby is three today. I have been thinking about this day for weeks, trying to hold onto Poppy's last days as a two year old with all my might. I'm not ready for her to be three. When we have our bedtime story and our nightly song and cuddle together I remind her that she is my baby.  She says "I not a baby, I a girl". True. But she will always be my baby.

photo by ka davidson

Poppy came into the world at 8:17am weighing 8 pounds 15 ounces, she was 20.5 inches long - born on my grandparent's wedding anniversary. Her shock of black hair was amazing, we were convinced that our third baby most reflected Dave's Japanese heritage. We were wrong.

just a few days old with my childhood teddy bear

We were so excited to bring Poppy home to meet her big brother and sister, imagining our household as a family of five. It was an exciting time and still is.  I love the relationship that has developed between these three.

photo by ka davidson

photo by mika inokoshi

This photo is of Poppy when she was 6 months old, as you can see she doesn't have her dark hair or eyes or olive skin. Dave and I never thought we would have a blue-eyed babe...I love staring into those baby blues.

photo by ka davidson

This is Poppy on her first birthday. Her personality is sweet, her laugh is infectious and her cuddles are addictive. 

photo by kyrani kanavaros

This is my favourite photo of Poppy. It was taken in our backyard, I look at this photo and see magic. This is a girl who will do great things, she will dream big and light up the world with her spark. Her love for Beckett and Zoë is pure joy, I know they will be best friends for life.

photo by kyrani kanavaros
This is Poppy at two years old, taken in the same park as her portrait on her first birthday. Sweet.

photo by kyrani kanavaros
Christmas 2012. They hold my heart. 

photo by kyrani kanavaros

Happy birthday sweet Poppy. You are three today. You are and always will be my baby. Thank you for filling my heart with so much love. xx

beckett is six

On this day six years ago at 8:21am I became a mother for the first time. It was the most glorious moment of my life, followed by some dark, scary days. Thankfully the fear was short lived and we have had six beautiful years filled with love and pure joy. Beckett is six today. I can't believe how fast it has gone, I'm desperate to hold onto each day and savour every second. These are the best days of my life and it's because of my children. Here's each year of sweet Beckett's life so far...

This is Beckett minutes after he was born, 6 pounds 14 ounces and 19 inches long. It's also the moment I fell hopelessly in love and my life changed forever. This photo means so much to me, there's more here than I can ever explain.

photo by KA Davidson

Beckett is seven weeks old in this photo, his first photo shoot.  We were getting settled at this point, we knew Beckett had Down syndrome and had been to numerous doctors appointments. Our boy was healthy and happy. Dave and I were in love with this boy and so was everyone who met him.

photo by KA Davidson

This is Beckett at 1 year old, getting cuter and sweeter by the second. I could get lost looking into those big brown eyes.

photo by KA Davidson

Beckett is two years old in this photo, he had just started to walk and we were thrilled.  As you can tell from this photo, he liked to laugh a lot - and he still does. His laugh is one of my favourite sounds.

photo by KA Davidson

I love this photo. This is Beckett at three years old, playing the drum set Dave bought him when he was born. We had the drums in the back yard, which he was pretty happy about.

photo by KA Davidson

Oh those eyes, how I love them. Beckett is four years old here. A beautiful boy and a great big brother to Zoë and Poppy.

photo by Kyrani Kanavaros

At five years old Beckett loved trains and dinosaurs, not much has changed in that department - but we can now add Hot Wheels to the list! This would be the year Beckett entered Kindergarten, a big step. He loved his first year at school and even lost his two bottom teeth, his new chompers are still growing in.

photo by Kyrani Kanavaros

And this is what six looks like. I still can't believe it, our boy is six. We had a birthday party for Beckett last Saturday, the theme was Hot Wheels (of course) and we had a great time. I'll post more pictures of the party soon. I love that some of Beckett's friends from school came to the party, he was so happy to see them. This boy has grown a lot in the last year. We started an intense food therapy last November and now Beckett is eating the same foods as his sisters. He has his favourites, he loves peanut butter, cucumbers and cherries! Beckett is continuing with his reading and speech therapy sessions and improving each month. It's been a big year of growth. It has also been a year of love. This boy has brought us more happiness than we could have ever imagined.

photo by Kyrani Kanavaros

Happy Birthday Beckett. We love you. xx