All In A Year

I find myself very sentimental as November 3rd is fast approaching. For most of you this is just another Saturday and you wont recall this date last year or prior years as it`s just another day. Yet for my husband and I it`s a day we will never forget. On November 3rd, 2011 at 4:56pm we welcomed our beautiful little boy Phineas to the world. Watching your child grow comes with a blunder of mixed emotions. On one hand you want to stop time at 1 week, then 8 weeks, then again at 4 months, 5 months and so on with the hope of holding on to every special moment, however; with each passing phase you learn to embrace their new skills and look forward to tomorrow. Children accumulate talent so quickly and you begin to celebrate this with them as they master crawling, waving goodbye and walking.  I always thought it would feel like eternity before Phin would stand on his own, say momma or clap his hands and here he is at 11.5 months and I can hardly believe last year at this time he was still inside of me. A year ago I was anxiously awaiting his arrival, curious about his eye color, the size of his hands, what his giggle would sound like or what genetic attributes he had inherited.  Now in less than 2 weeks he will have graduated from baby to toddler. That pint sized peanut who rested quietly on my chest as a newborn is now bouldering around, chatting, giggling, waving, crawling and in to absolutely everything! It may sound inconceivable but Phin has gained over 15lbs and sprouted 11.5 inches since last year. Today, while I prepared dinner he managed to pull every pot, pan and wooden spoon from the cupboard. After 5 minutes of drumming around he unloaded 3 drawers of tea towels, Tupperware and Ziploc bags.  Needless to say my kitchen was nothing short of a disaster and yet I find myself grasping him a little tighter in the evenings when he wants to snuggle. I breathe in as much baby smell as I possibly can during the day knowing this too will pass. When I look around at my messy house and the path of destruction he leaves in his wake I find myself eagerly awaiting the day when he will be able to tidy up after himself. How bittersweet motherhood is!
The past 12 months have been a roller coaster of learning for all of us. We have made it through year 1! As sad as I am to pack up baby clothes every month as Phin out grows shoes, sweaters, onesies and hats I am enamored with him each and every day and I cant wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Phin, I simply adore you Happy 1st Birthday darling!
x0x0 Love Momma