A Brief Look at the Last Year on the eve of Gabriel's birthday

As we prepare for Gabriel's birthday party, I find myself feeling particularly sentimental and teary. I look back at this week last year and am overwhelmed by our birth story and am truly amazed at all the changes that have taken place. Last year, I worked so hard to wrap things up at work, with a focus on transferring my coaches and responsibilities to my replacement, and how I would come back to the team after my maternity leave. I was also focused on getting our house and life ready for our little guy. Fast-forward to today and our life looks so different: there isn't a question about making room for G, he has a presence in just about every room! I quit my job and he is a part of nearly every part of our life. Wow. My head is spinning with all that has happened and changed over the last year.... but even more than that, I simply can't believe my little baby is already turning into a toddler!

May 2010

May 2011

My days are now immensely different, both from not working a traditional job and because I am now on Gabriel's schedule, trying to fit in what I can in the "in-between" moments. I also feel different. Here's an attempt to capture some of these differences:

• I am officially a waterworks. I don't understand it, but I can go from totally happy and smiling to a complete wreck in less than a second. The tears are summoned by everything from thinking about Gabriel, watching the news (good and bad stories), anything to do with babies, Sarah McLachlan commercials (you know, the ones with the sad puppies), whenever someone else cries, student loans, talking about breastfeeding... I do hope I recover from this post pregnancy syndrome!!!
• I used to spend all day talking to students, clients, my coaches, and team members. Now I spend my day narrating everything I'm doing to someone who totally doesn't understand what I'm saying. He is immensely cuter than anyone I have ever worked with though :)
• I am developing some serious guns from lifting my little guy!
• I have forgotten what it is like to sleep in, having gotten about 5-6 hours of sleep a night for the past year! I am tired.
• Podi and Meko have officially been replaced as the most photographed things in our life.
• My patience has grown by an immeasurable amount... I am seriously amazed. Who knew it was hiding in here? Though, to be fair, even though it has grown, I must still only have a limited amount because I have less patience for other things in my life (like Podi and Meko!).
• My craft/art room is completely transformed into a fabulous nursery for my little guy.
• I shop for boy's clothes more than I shop for my own!
• My transition muscle is slowly buidling. My flow is to hyper focus, dive in and get something done. Now I have half started projects/tasks waiting for me to circle back around to them in the next "in-between" moment. I am slowly getting better at just sliding into this new way of doing things.
• My body... enough said.
• I have spent over three hours everyday (8+ hours the first several months)over the last year either nursing Gabriel or pumping for him. Wow! It really is a full-time job.

This last year has been full of a lot of change and a ton of work, but Gabriel is the sweetest little guy I have ever met and we are so fortunate to share our life with him. As I type this, I was nearly two hours into Gabriel's labor at this time last year! Just over 24 hours before we'd meet him for the first time.