The Best Gift That I've Ever Known . . .

. . . I'd always wanted most to own.

Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice,

I never thought it could be so nice.

The best gift of the year to me,

The one I hold most dear to me,

The gift that simply drove me wild

Was a tiny, newborn child.

Seven years ago, Heavenly Father blessed our growing family with its fourth member -- the singular sensation we call Bradley was born. This morning I'm remembering what was probably the best Christmas of our lives, a time that included all the usual joy and gladness that comes at this time of year that was amplified by the gift of our own son.

My pregnancy that time around was the hardest of the four of our kids. I always get incredibly sick, but that experience was worse than the usual. I ended up getting so dehydrated that my doctor ordered a picc line (peripherally inserted central catheter) so I could get some I.V. fluids at home for the next two months. Boy was that fun! (Actually the phenergan that went into the fluids was a lot of fun . . .)

As hard as it was, and always is, it never matters once that tiny, perfect baby is placed into my arms for the first time. Even the fourteen hours of labor, the throwing up all night long, and the pain of giving birth faded quickly from my memory the first time I saw Bradley's face. He was so beautiful.

Later, after Bradley's first bath, the nurse brought him to me in a stocking -- it was the cutest thing ever. I was madly in love at first sight, as all mothers are, with my new little one.

I've been looking through his baby book, enjoying the chance to go back and read my thoughts during the first few months of his life:

I kept thinking about being overrun with boys, but I didn't mind a bit! I just loved being with my guys, and it was so cool to watch them together. Bradley did not make a sound for the first 24 hours of his life -- it was the strangest thing. He didn't even show much interest in eating. He was just the most mellow kid I'd ever seen . . . his doctors and nurses commented on it again and again. He just hung out with his dad and his brother and seemed absolutely content.

We were all absolutely content. We got to bring him home on Christmas Eve and spend a

wonderful holiday together, cloaked in the warmth of the Spirit of our Savior's birth and the knowledge that our family could be bound together through the eternities.

I'm so happy my husband ended up being the world's greatest father. He is so tender with our children -- I love to watch them together.

Nathaniel is thrilled to be a big brother and loves to help out with Bradley as much as he can. And Bradley loves him! If Nathaniel is in the room, Bradley's attention is fixed on him . . . and they each think the other is absolutely hilarious all the time.

We couldn't be more thankful for our wonderful son, Bradley. He is off-the-charts smart, he's incredibly sweet and thoughtful, and he's a great big brother. His tender heart and gentle spirit amaze me as he demonstrates daily how much he loves his family. Today and every day, we celebrate him and his special place in our family.