A bunch of my friends who also blog chose to write long beautiful posts about how this year has changed them and touched them emotionally. Truthfully, if I sat down and tried to do that, I'd spend more time wiping away tears from my eyes than actually getting anything done. So, here it is. A list...of mostly light things....so I won't keep on reaching for the tissues.
12 things he taught me in 12 months.
Month 1: Pretty much anything is possible, if you put your mind to it and practice every day.
When he was only a tiny babe and a mere 8 pounds, I remember seeing parents at the grocery store carrying their HUGE sleeping toddlers around like it's nothing. I remember thinking, there's no way that can be me...there just isn't that amount of strength in my arms! Well, day after day of carrying a slowly growing baby, I now lift my 24 pounder with ease...with just one arm no prob.
Month 2: This too shall pass...unless you're talking about baby gas, then some action will help.
Babies this young don't really move. So passing gas doesn't come naturally to them. Imagine if you were a big fat person with no mobility laying down on a bed all day long. You'd get antsy about gas too! Leg pumping (A LOT OF IT) really helped mister stinkyface pass all that nasty gas.
Month 3: The days are long, but the years (months, and weeks even) go by quickly.
Going back to work was one of the most bittersweet moments in my life. I was excited to go back to what I was really good at - being a pharmacist. But I wasn't the least prepared to leave my heart at home also. It actually hurt sometimes to be at work, without my baby. But I will say, he taught me to savor moments with him. Even if it meant slowing down to sniff his hair in the mornings, cuddle with him after diaper changes, holding him an extra few minutes in the morning before I leave.
Month 4: When life gives you crap, better contain it good or the dog will eat it.
We take a lot of things for granted, like diaper pails. If you think changing a poopy blowout diaper is bad, wait til said poopy diaper gets left out because your oh-so-trusting dog actually decides all of the sudden to take an interest in the garbage. The result is not good my friends, not good. Do yourself a favor and do one quick sweep before leaving the area. That will serve you good later on when baby becomes mobile.
Month 5: Life is often three steps forward, two steps back.
This is the month that AJ started to do a lot of amazing things, like use his fingers, laugh for real, play with toys, teething, etc...but also the month that he regressed in a lot of things...rolling over, sleeping, etc. Sometimes life is just that... three steps ahead and two steps back. Being there for the journey of it all is still every bit amazing.
Month 6: Infant clothing sizing makes absolutely no sense.
At 4 months, this kid is already up to 18 month clothing. Ummmm WTF? Also equally bad as ladies clothing, all brands differ slightly in size. Hannah Anderson sizing seems to make sense (it's based on weight and length and not "months" like all other companies). Too bad Hannah Anderson stuff costs an arm and a leg.
Month 7: Persistence isn't necessarily the key.
Sometimes, you try and you try and then you realize that some things just don't work out. That's why God invented suppositories.
Month 8: Don't treat the symptoms, stop the source.
If you haven't seen this already, you gotta. At 8 months, the little guy loved playing with our Roomba. So much that he HATES it when it returns to the base unit for charging. So, instead of stopping it every time, my little engineer realized he could keep it from ever returning by stacking the base unit on TOP of the Roomba.
Month 9: Sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better.
As a mother, this was one of the toughest times for me. 9 months of chronic sleep deprivation was really starting to take a toll on my personal life. We made the hard decision to let AJ cry it out. What I learned about myself was that I can endure any pain and brush it off (come on now, labor is a pretty big deal), but I will never forget the pain I felt the day that we closed the door and let him cry for 30 minutes in his room. I will also never forget the days following though, where my child transformed into a more independent and happier child. The fact that he continued to smile every day and love us even more. I know now that I did the right thing.
Month 10: Surround yourself with what you love.
AJ loves his binkies. In fact, he loves them so much that he prefers to have one in his mouth, and another in his hands. In fact, two in his hands if you'd let him. It's always funny seeing how happy he is with what he loves. I love how babies remind us that it's our choice to make ourselves happy - to surround ourselves with love and positivity instead of dwelling in negativity. Find what you love, and when in doubt, get more of it!
Month 11: Anything tastes better when you put cheese on it.
'Nuff said.
Month 12: So little is actually needed in your life, when your heart is full.
There's very little that I buy for myself now. Not necessarily because we know that a baby might ruin nice new things...or because we have no time to enjoy hobbies. But because, our new hobby is him! Seriously, playing with him (OK, sometimes just playing with his toys) brings back so many memories of my own childhood that I feel like my old grown up toys...are just not fun anymore.
