A Year in Review

Wowzers, a year has past since the day that Thomas was born.  The time really does seem to pass by in a blink and then as you sit and reflect all the hard times, the nights of not sleeping and illnesses seem to fade away. 

Thomas is already a year old.  How do you measure a year with your first child?   There are so many things that have changed in our family this year, some major, some minor.   I feel like my words cannot do justice to my feelings and emotions of this past year. 

For Mike and I, Thomas has completely changed our world for the better.  I look at life with a different lens and could sit for hours watching Thomas learn and play with his friends, animals and his daddy.  I love teaching him new things and then realizing that he does know _________.”

It has also changed how I look at and feel about my husband.  I love Mike in a completely different way.  When we met, I loved him for the man he was and father he could possibly be.  Now I look at him with our son and he is one of the most amazing fathers I have ever seen.   As Thomas grows, his bond with Mike continues to become stronger, more playful and these two will someday be best friends like Mike is with his dad and brother.  I am a very lucky mother and wife to have these two to call my own.

As a Mother, I have learned many different things in this year.  I have learned that my heart can love more than I ever thought possible.  I have found that I can operate on much less sleep than I ever thought I could, let’s be honest I haven’t slept longer than 6 hours in 365 days.   With just one hug I have learned that I can change Thomas’ world and kiss and love his hurts away.  I have survived the first year of  nursing a child, 365 days of providing nourishment and comfort for him.  The sacred bond that Thomas and I have from nursing is something that I will forever be grateful we were able to accomplish.   I have found that I am able to multi task so much more than I ever thought I could.  I have learned that to be called a mother is more than delivering a child, it is putting that child before your needs on a daily basis and never looking back.  I have learned that no matter how many babies are “sleeping through the night” or taking a bottle, no amount of rationalization or bribing will make Thomas change his determined mind.   Finally, I have learned that after 41 hours of labor NOTHING seems too hard physically to accomplish :-)

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our first year as a family.  Thank you to Mike and to Thomas for choosing me to spend your life with.  I love you and our family more than I could ever think possible.

Looking back on how Thomas’ physical appearance has changed along with all his successes each month was heartwarming.  Below are my 2 favorite pictures from the day we met our son.