Noah's Pics: Edition Three

i haven't shared a noah pic in awhile. i apologize. it's definitely not because i don't want to! i think i'm just hesitant to post them because we don't have that many and i don't ever want to run out of pictures to share. every single one is like a precious treasure. our link to moments we can never get back. so sometimes i hoard them.

i wish we took a million more. but we thought we had a lifetime with him.

the picture for today has so much i want you to see, that i made it as large as possible.

some of the many reasons why i love this picture:

* noah is in it. he's so handsome.

* noah is surrounded by all his best buddies. 

* there's monkey the mickey mouse right in front keeping a close eye on noah at all times. monkey has long been in the family and a close friend of auntie annie and auntie becky. he's been a lot of places in the world, but of all the travels he's been on, sitting with noah 24/7 was his most memorable. (apparently i speak for stuffed animals now.)

* then there's mickey the monkey, in the far back, guarding noah, always keeping him safe. he was the one who went with noah into surgery. and we thought we had lost mickey the monkey forever. but our social worker at seattle children's hospital tracked him down and sent him back to us. we were very grateful to see him again.

* then, of course, there's noah bear...  noah's go-to cuddle buddy. lucky bear. 

* noah's very best buddy in the whole world is in this picture - his daddy. and oh, how i love him.

* you get a good view of noah's dark, soft hair. by the way, he had lots of hair everywhere, just like his daddy. he had some crazy sideburns too... they went from his head, to his ear, to his eyebrow, without a break. i have a picture and will post that one some day.

* i can guarantee that noah's daddy was saying something like, "we are so proud of you, son. you're such a fighter, but don't worry about anything right now, just get some good rest. we love you very much." always encouraging, always there to care for noah in whatever way he could, always loving, always advocating, always hoping. he's such an amazing daddy.

this picture represents a lot to me when i look at it. of course, there's my sweet noah, who always captivates my attention with whatever picture he's in. but also, when i look at this picture, i'm reminded of all the thousands of people who love noah and are invested in his life. and that makes this mama so very grateful.

so, may i take a moment to say, thank you. thank you for loving our boy. maybe you weren't able to spend 24/7 in noah's bed like monkey the mickey, mickey the monkey and noah bear, but, like them, you constantly surrounded noah with sweet care and powerful protection. and you continue to do so. and that honors us deeply. more than you will ever know.