Later this week our baby will be turning one year old. To think a year ago I was living a different life, working full-time, completely unsuspecting that in a few days I’d be a mom and change my career path forever.

One month before Wes was born I suddenly turned into a nesting maniac and spent most of my lunch hours and free time either in Babies-R-Us or perusing baby Web sites and catalogs. I felt such an urgency to get things ready after a seven-month drought where I felt no interest at all.

Six days before Wes was born John and I went to the Def Leppard concert in West Valley City, UT. John’s a big fan. It was my first live and up-close experience with the group and with 80’s-style rock fan attire (e.g., miniskirts, leggings and warm-ups, leather pants, etc.). It was loud, but fun. Boy, I was tired by the end.

Five days before Wes was born my cousin was married in Texas, and I wanted so badly to go even though I was 36 weeks pregnant. I checked with the airlines and technically you can fly when you’re 36 weeks if you have a doctor’s note of approval. I finally decided not to go, which ended up being a very good thing.

Two days before Wes was born John and I both went to the dentist and found out we each have an identical cavity in the same tooth. Weird, huh? We still haven’t had them filled.

One day before Wes was born (a.k.a. the day wherein I went into labor) I woke up at 3:30 a.m. for no perceivable reason with a ton of energy and put together our new jogging stroller. I’m still proud I did that myself. Then I went to work as usual.

That same day at 3 p.m. I went to the OBGYN for my 36-week appointment. All checked out fine, although I didn’t feel well.

That same day at 4:30 p.m. I was running errands before my aerobics class and found it hard to walk because of an annoying pain in my back. It came in waves and I had to sit and let it pass sometimes. I skipped my aerobics class and went home to take a bath.

That night at 7:00 I called the doctor to tell him my symptoms and he suggested I had the flu and to take some pills to feel better.

That night at 7:30 when John got home he watched me a while and then handed me an oven timer “just to see.” My pains were 2-4 minutes apart. I still didn’t realize I was in labor.

That night at 10:00 I called the doctor again and said things really weren’t improving and he relented that possibly I was in labor.

That night at 11:30 a nurse at the hospital finally examined me. John said, “We know it’s probably a false alarm, but…” and the nurse said, “She’s here to stay.” And I finally realized I was having a baby.

The next morning at 1:38 a.m. we had a baby boy, Wesley John, who weighed just 3 lbs 15 oz and was 16 inches long. No one knew he’d be so small. He was reasonably healthy, considering that his heart rate dropped significantly during labor, that he was 3 1/2 weeks early, and that he was so tiny.

On his birthday at 7 a.m. the pediatrician informed us Wesley likely has Down syndrome.

Twelve days after his birthday we got to bring him home with oxygen attached. He weighed just 4 pounds 2 oz.

Six weeks after his birthday we got to send back his oxygen tank and take off the annoying stickers that held the tubes to his face. The scars on his tiny feet from where he was poked for blood samples multiple times a day in the hospital had healed.

Two months after his birthday he graduated from preemie-size clothes to newborn size.

Three months after his birthday he started sleeping through the night (hallelujah) and smiling.

Four months after his birthday he weighed almost 9 1/2 pounds and could hold his head up by himself with only a little wobbling.

Six months after his birthday he could sit up if we supported him and was wearing size 0-3 month clothing.

Seven months after his birthday he could stay sitting up all by himself!

Eight months after his birthday he could hold up his bottle by himself.

Nine months after his birthday he could wear size 3-month clothing.

Ten months after his birthday he could push himself up to sitting and eat finger foods if we put them in his mouth for him.

Eleven months after his birthday he weighs around 15 pounds and is in size 3-6 month clothing. He can say lots of sounds like “mama” and “baba,” pull himself to standing in the crib, and crawl. He can eat all sorts of foods that don’t require teeth (of which he has none), but his pincer grip is yet to be developed so we pop the foods in his mouth for him. When he sees our hands approaching he drops his mouth wide open and leans forward for the food. He loves to drink from cups, even if he gags on the liquid. He can play independently and has so much fun stacking toys, chewing on toys, and pushing buttons on toys so they light up and play music. He has so many friends. He smiles a lot, which lights up his whole face and turns his eyes into half-moons, and he makes us smile a lot too.

The year has gone quickly. Who knows what the next year will bring?

Wesley’s therapist visited today and, boy, was she blown away. Wes started figuring out crawling two days ago, on Wednesday. He would move a step or two toward a toy, then stop and try to push up to sitting or roll over. It took a lot of effort from us both for him to reach the toy. Thursday he was doing a little better crawling. And today . . . well, check out the videos yourself.

Video of Wes crawling 1

Video of Wes crawling 2

His favorite target when crawling is his bottle, no question. I’ve tried to get him to move toward me or John, but apparently we’re not tempting enough yet.

Additionally, Wesley is doing great with all sorts of motor skills. He wowed his therapist by putting a ring on the stacker toy and taking it off again, by putting a toy in a small bowl and taking it out again, and by stacking one toy on another next to him. These are all things that she wasn’t sure he was ready for, but he’s pretty much mastered them in the two weeks since her last visit. He also clearly understands cause-and-effect, which he demonstrated by continually tossing a certain toy that lights up when it lands. He kept throwing it down to make it light up.

She was very impressed with Wes, and I couldn’t help but feel the Proud Mom glowing inside me. Technically Wes is behind other kids developmentally, but for having Down syndrome he’s doing terrific. He’s smart and can focus on toys and sounds and people and is so interested in whatever is happening around him.

Now that he can crawl, our cats had better start being on their guard. Once Wes targets them as a worthwhile goal, I bet he’ll get pretty fast, following them around as they run away.