Year in review

“It was the best of times.” I can think of no better way to sum up the last year with our little munchkin. (Thank you, Charles Dickens.)

When I awoke in labor at 1 a.m. a year ago today, I knew that the moment our sweet bundle arrived, life would never be the same. And, indeed, when he made his entrance at 2 a.m. the following day, my and Tom’s lives changed forever. Overall and by far, it’s been for the better. But, for those of you who know your lit, there have been some of those “worst of times” moments, too.

We’ve had sleepless nights. We’ve had episodes of extreme exhaustion and stress that made me feel like throwing a Wii across the room was a good idea. (It wasn’t.) We’ve had days of watching our little boy suffer through scary-high temperatures and sickness.

But, most importantly, we’ve had endless amounts of joy watching him grow. Seeing his first smiles, hearing his first laugh, watching him learn to sit, stand, and crawl on his own. (We’re still waiting for those first steps.) It’s all been more fun than I could have imagined.

The “best” of times have included some pretty hilarious moments, too. There was the time that Tom awoke in a middle-of-the-night panic, flogging what he thought was a black snake in our bed, sparking me to write about “The Dumb Things that New Mothers Do.”

Then, there was the Great Diaper Blow Out of 2011. And, the time that I launched a shopping cart—with Jacob in it—towards a terrified little old lady. Ah, the memories.

Over the past 366 days, whether we felt like we were in the “best of times” or the “worst of times,” one thing is certain: there was never a dull moment.

So, baby Jacob, as we celebrate your first year of life with a trip to the zoo today and cake and ice cream tomorrow, let me first say “thank you” for being the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to your dad and me. We are so blessed to have you as our son, and because of your sweet presence in our lives, we will forever and always be in the “best of times.”