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Today the big D-Meister turns 3. As a matter of fact it wlll be exactly 3 years to the minute as I write this post. Man, how things have changed since his birth.

It’s been a long haul so far. So much to learn, so much to change, so much to celebrate. Before I had children I would always tell Matt that I wanted 17 kids. I would think of my mother and how she had 6 kids and thought I could do that too, no problem. Now that I have two little boys my want for 17 kids has dropped a little to a more manageable number. I still think of my mother and how things make more sense, yet I don’t know how she managed.

While childless it never occurred to me just how much work it took to do your best. How often you fall short of ideal. How selfless you have to become. In all honesty, it has been hard. When I crack my eyelids in the morning, before the sun, because Rowan is giggling and trying to stuff Legos in my ears I long for the days that I could sleep until 2 o’clock in the afternoon. After spending a full day cleaning, cooking three meals and nursing non-stop all I want is a long hot bath, by myself. But Declan doesn’t like the water too hot and Rowan can’t stay in too long or he gets too prune-y.

But there are so many priceless moments that I would never want to miss. The feeling of pure euphoria when your baby finally comes home from the NICU. The first steps. The first time you hear Mama. When he runs past other people crying because he wants comfort from you. The little feeling of dreadful butterflies when he does something so amazingly grown up and the thought of how big he’s really getting. Being awestruck by how large his mental capacities have become in 3 short years.

There is so much growing that goes on with children about, not their growth but mine as well (and not just the size of my butt). My heart has truly grown.

Happy Birthday Declan Pierce. I love you so much, baby. (This is where he would say "I’m not baby. Declan is big boy. Rowan is little baby!"  )