You're one! I'm a little late in writing this and for that I apology, but honestly I just didn't know what to write. My first instinct was to write about how quickly the year's gone by and how proud and enamored I am of you. My second, was just to write down a quick message of all of your accomplishments and milestones you've reached. Neither seemed right. They just seemed too cliche and didn't seem to adequately describe this whole one year thing we have going on.
When I look back on this last year. Our year. I do feel love and an enormous amount of joy and pride but mostly I feel relieved. It feels wrong to say that. Like I'm somehow diminishing all of our good times by simply admitting that this last year was tough. It seems crazy that in the same breath I can say that this year has been one of the happiest of my life and yet I'm ecstatic that it is over.
I think back to our late nights and early mornings and days filled with swollen eyes and sore throats. I remember the times when we couldn't go out into public because people seemed to love you more than you loved/liked/could tolerate them. I cringe at the thoughts of our first week breastfeeding, when I wasn't sure if the pain was worth it. The midnight, 2:15, 3:00, 3:55, 5:00, 5:40 wake up calls. The feedings that began with both us crying and ended with one of us sound asleep and the other still choking back tears. I remember it all and I'm so glad we got through it. I'm glad that those days are behind us.
Most importantly, I'm glad that I now know how quickly it all does go away. Back then I use to repeat to myself, "this too shall pass". It was cliche and I hated myself for being that girl but it was all I could do to keep going. I knew that the bad days would dissipate. I knew that eventually this would all just be a memory but I didn't know just how soon that would be.
If there's one thing that this year had taught me, it's that I can do hard things. You have no idea how amazing it is to be sitting here almost 8 months pregnant and know that I can do this. Not just that I can get through this, but that I can conquer this. I can take on this next year like a champion because of you. Because of the knowledge that you've instilled in me that this year will go by fast and it won't break me. Hell, it won't even test me. I can do hard things.
Now for the Birthday Update.
We decided to take you to Sea World since you love animals and we're not that creative apparently.
I made you a strawberry cake that you weren't that into and would only even attempt to eat it with a spoon.
You got some pretty cool presents. All of which you still play with almost 2 months later, so I think in the parenting world that's a win.
