Happy 1st birthday little Reid!

Today has been sort of a surreal day for me. I think that I had something built up in my head about how horrible of a day that it was going to be - and it was nothing of the sort. I have so many fond memories of Reid stored somewhere my noggin and I have been going over them all. From the day he was born, to the first time I was able to show him off to my family, to the time he was flailing his arms and legs while swinging his rings above his bed...

For Kristen - she started off the day in true Kristen fashion - strange dreams. She had a dream last night where we went to the cemetery to visit him... but this time, Reid was above ground, laying in his casket just waking up from a nap. He was smiling, had no cords attached, and life was good - for that moment anyway.

This afternoon, we went to the grocery store and bought some balloons to take to him. We got five regular helium balloons (red, yellow, blue and green) and one mylar balloon that had the "Cars-movie-happy-birthday-thing" going on. When we got to the cemetery, we tied the mylar balloon to his teddy bear and we used the other five balloons to release into the air. We want to make an annual tradition of releasing balloons - so this was the start of it. After releasing them, we sat there and stared up to the heavens for a solid five minutes watching them go higher and higher until we couldn't see them any more. We think they may have gone behind one of the clouds - or, as we like to think, Reid grabbed them. :)

Besides the obvious impact Reid has had on all of us, I think Kristen and I have grown to be stronger people - individually and as a couple. We have had to do things that we would have never in a million years imagined, had to make harder decisions than I hope to ever have to make again, and had to witness things we never care to see again. Through the fog of this past year, Kristen and I are better people, wiser and see life in a different light. Our love and commitment for each other is as solid as ever - we couldn't have made it through this past year without each other's support.

But... as the day comes to an end and as tough as it was, I have to remember that today was a celebration of the life Reid shared with us. Although it was short and difficult, we were blessed.

We miss you buddy! Hope you had a happy birthday! Oh... and next year... I promise - there will be cake. I know how much you enjoyed it last time. :)