12 Things I've Learned in 12 Months

As our son's 1st birthday approaches, I ask the question, "where has this year gone?" It seems like only yesterday, my water broke at the Des Plaines Pancake House only to deliver my sweetheart 15 short hours later. For one thing, I can't imagine my life any other way. I've been somewhat house bound, a slave to flannel pj bottoms, soiled sweatshirts, and the infamous sports bras. Its been a year since I left that utterly senseless and awful job I was a slave to, and yet I feel like I am on the clock 24 hours a day. I do not regret one second. However, I am definitely not the same. My newborn has been long gone and before my eyes, a little boy with words, likes, dislikes, affection, and curiosity has emerged. So, being the learner lover I am, I've thought about qualities and abilities I did not have one year ago.

12. I can peel and quarter a grape at lightening speed - - fast enough to satisfy his demand for the sweet, juicy fruit.

11. I can change a crib sheet in record time without cursing, crying, bruising, or scraping my wrists or hands.

10. I can let my house go. If you know me personally, you know my borderline obsessive/compulsive behavior disorder. Cleaning is stress relief for me and it burns calories, but I can force myself to let it go (at least until he is asleep for the night)

9. You can never take enough pictures. If I have 8 pictures of the same pose, I can never decide which ones to delete.

8. I'm actually going to go through childhood again - - and damn it, it might be a little more bearable this time.

7. Boys are wonderful. This statement comes from a mom who always thought she'd give birth to a baby girl first.

6. Things will never go my way all the time. A disastrous welt on his cheek two days before his 1st birthday party is my most recent lesson.

5. The lugubrious cicadas of the world are insignificant. I do not hear their constant noise anymore.

4. Patience is a muscle in the heart that we continue to build - my neighbor wrote me a note with those words I will never forget.

3. Sleep is over-rated. Seriously..who needs it???

2. Life is precious.

1. In the midst of chaos, weariness, selflessness, marriage, kids, a barking dog, bills, home repairs, accidents, and a dedicated & hardworking husband who walks in from the snow in his work boots right after I finish washing the kitchen floor........there is LOVE, at the very CENTER of it all - like a giant, beating heart pumping life succinctly to everything outward. I know how cliche it is to quote the great John Lennon and the Beatles, but I can't help it when I say to myself...

"and in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."

Happy Birthday Son!