Jack, age 1

One year ago today I got a frantic phone call. There had been an early morning wake up call at the house next door to my parents. Ambulance and all. It had been a long summer there already, one that saw my parents taking care of the little girls who lived there a lot of the time, switching off with their other grandma, while their mom was in the hospital and their dad was tending to her and working. A long summer, yes, but one no one thought twice about changing or getting away from. See all the early mornings with the girls, all the worry and prayer? It culminated one year ago today when this little guy made his appearance, a little earlier than he was supposed to:

Angela and Jack, July 2012 (11 mos. old)

One of the many things I love about my family is their ability to make awesome friends. Seriously. We have one of the biggest networks of extended family members I've ever come across. We get to know you and then you're stuck with us. This goes triple if you live next door to my parents and have three little ones who become instant grandbabies. First there was a new baby next door, seven years ago:

Emma (7 yrs. old)

Then came this crazy little thing who giggles and gets grumpy (which we all love) four years ago:

Lucy (4 yrs. old)

And then last summer introduced us to the third grandneighbor:

Tom & Chris with grandneighbor Jack

It wasn't an ideal introduction to the world from anyone's perspective. Jack and his momma almost didn't make it. But doctors do awesome things and God rocks and well, this summer I got to spend a lot of time catching fireflies and playing hide and seek with his sisters and a lot of time cuddling with Mister Jack and welcoming him to the neighborhood.

Jenny & Jack

Jack and his momma are doing fine now. Jack loves Chinese food like his sister Lucy and can knock down a very tall set of blocks. When I last saw him a few weeks ago he was crawling (which is CRAZY because he wasn't when I first got to Michigan just a few weeks before that) and ready to run at any second. And all I can say is that these neighbors on North Michigan Avenue are pretty thankful to have those neighbors in our lives. Happy 1st Birthday, Jack! We love you! (and your whole family!)

Chris, Sarah, Angela, Jack & Tom (July 2012)