Happy Birthday My Baby...A Year In Pictures

A WHOLE YEAR HAS GONE BY. I truly cannot believe that, even as I type. I mean, when I was pregnant, everyone told me to enjoy every moment because "it goes so fast". But as you may recall, it was a tad difficult to revel in the enjoyment while I was suffering from Le Puke Extraordinaire.



But they weren't kidding. I keep telling people that where the pregnancy felt like an eternity of endurance, babydom has been the blink of an eye. That's the thing about motherhood. Every cliché turns out to be true. You just have to learn how to wait out the painful parts...sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively.



As for this poor ghost town of a blog, there's really not much to say about the fact that it has SOOO fallen by the wayside, other than to mention I've been a wee bit busy. You other new mamas who still manage to post are to be commended. Seriously. I am in awe.



But I have just had a really hard time finding any free time anymore. Or as I like to say...any "me" time. It's one of the hardest things about being a full time Mom. I spend every waking hour...no scratch that...every waking, sleeping, breathing hour with my child.



I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. It's called Attachment Parenting. Feel free to call me a hippy.

I know it's not for everyone, but it works for me. Mr. Blogger, for as much as he would stop an oncoming train for Miss Keira, isn't quite as big a fan of the co-sleeping aspect of this philosophy as I am. But as I said when someone asked what I do about that conflict...um, well, I usually get my way. Yeah, I know. Bitch.



So I've learned to balance the fact that I don't sleep a whole lot, or get to blowdry my hair on a consistent basis (hello natural curls...goodbye 5-hour salon straightening sessions) with the plain-as-day evidence that Keira is thriving on lots of love.



Trust me, I consider myself neither saint nor martyr. Ask MB. He deals with one tired, weepy mess on a far more consistent basis than I would like to admit. And there is many an evening when he is greeted with "Here. Your turn. I'm taking a damn shower."

But in general...yeah. I love it. Every frizzy-haired, no makeup, all day in my jammies minute of it.

I love parent-baby gym class,



and playgroup with tons of babies crawling all over each other while Mommies can tell the truth to each other,



and music class where Keira gets to shake her bonbon, and the television permanently playing just the music channels (especially the Showtunes channel 'cause Mommy knows all the songs and Keira finds the re-enactments HILARIOUS).

We got to take her to her first UCLA game,



celebrate Halloween while escaping the fires all over San Diego County,



go to England with a baby on an eleven hour plane ride and survive,






And celebrate her first Christmas.





I am not fond of the teething, but I thank the gods that invented Gripe Water.

I could do without one illness after another being passed around the three of us, but I keep telling myself she's building up immunities. At least I hope so.

I wish to God I knew how to turn my brain off sometimes from the consistent worry over trying to do everything, be everything. Be Super Mom. Be Super Wife.

So far I'm just Super Insomniac.

But you, my sweet baby, are a year old today. What a year we have ALL had. And look how you've grown.





I'd do it ALL again in a heartbeat.



Happy birthday!