At this time 14 years ago we were figuring out the seating for our reception and writing up the placement cards.Making all the final payments and sorting out all the last minute things. Count down was starting for our big day. Fast forward to today we have 3 lovely kids and even though we have had our ups and down and honestly some major shit thrown at us we are still standing together strong maybe even stronger than we were all those years ago. In March 2000 we had our first child a son and we chose to name him after his Grandfathers so we had Eoghan Joseph. Oh did we get some slack over the spelling of his name but if he was to have an Italian last name he was having an Irish first name. Sorry son but your name gets butchered all the time and its fun to see people scratch their heads when we say " Eoghan". Its priceless to see their faces in puzzlement over how your name is written and then how it is said. In 2003 we added to our family a little girl who we named Maura Rose. She was named after my Grandmothers and my twin sisters. I know some of you are scratching your heads there aren't twins in my family but yes there was they passed away shortly after they were born. So Maurs your were named after two strong, proud women I just hope you turn out just like them. Then in 2005 we added another child to the mix. We had found out in December 2004 that yes it was a boy and also on the same day we were told what we knew as parents to 2 other children we would probably have a new normal if he survived birth. Well he proved the doctors wrong and Finnian James got added to family. Daddy picked out your name and in keeping with the fashion we had started you got an Irish first name. Little did we know that your name suits you as every day you are teaching us something new. What we knew as normal isn't our normal. You don't walk, talk, see but you have a smile that warms the hardest heart. We did hit a rough patch after Finnian was born guilt on both our parts each of us blaming ourselves for what happened to you. But I put my big girl knickers on one day and made your Daddy face the facts that you were different and we had to stop blaming ourselves you are who you are supposed to be and if he couldn't accept it then maybe we should go our separate ways. That was a wake up call for your Daddy that day the choice was his to be with all of us together as a family. Since Finnian was born we have seen family and friends drift off but that is their choice and I am not going to try and make you see it our way you are all adults and you can make your own decisions. Other family members have our backs and for that we are thankful they have been our rock on this sometimes thunderous journey. We have made new friends ones that can see past the chair that our child sits in. For the friends that have stuck with us thank you I know it hasn't been easy its been a learning experience for all of us. We have also reconnected with people from our past all thanks to social networking sites on the computer. Yes our lives are different and our normal is not every ones normal but its our normal daily life. Yes most everything gets planned around Finnian and there are things we cannot do together as a normal family but we make choices hopefully they are the right ones for us. So love heres to another year under our belt and hopefully many more.