Jack Ryan's Journey: For Good

There are so many things I could say about Jack turning 3. I mean, this boy amazes me every moment of every day. That allows for a lot of bragging about my little dude. He makes me smile and cry, laugh and sing. And he always.always makes me feel extremely blessed to be his momma. I’m not really sure what I ever did to deserve such an awesome kid, but I’m glad I did it. I feel this way about Jack every day. Not just on his birthday. His last two birthdays caused a mix of emotions as we remember his early arrival and rough days that followed. While we will never forgot those days that made us the family we are today, this 3rd birthday definitely seems to consist of more LIVING than reliving. That's a good thing. But, if I think about what I've done for Jack the past three years: I spent hours upon hours in the hospital. Left my job and career. Changed many, many stinky diapers. Played trucks every day. Fought with insurance companies. I became nurse, doctor and therapist. But none of that compares to what he has done for me. He has changed me…

for good.

For Good
(from Wicked)

Birth Day 8.10.10

I'm limited.
Just look at me.
I'm limited.
And just look at you.
You can do all I couldn't do.

So now it's up to you,
For both of us.
Now it's up to you.

First Birthday 8.10.11

I've heard it said,
That people come into our lives
For a reason
Bringing something we must learn.
And we are lead to those
Who help us most to grow if we let them.
And we help them in return.
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I know you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun,
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
But because I know you.
I have been changed for good.

Second Birthday 8.10.12

So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you.
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart.
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you'll have rewritten mine
By being my [son.]

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea.
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird
In a distant wood.
Who can say if I've been changed for the better
But because I know you...
Because I know you...