that was the year that was

OH HAI! I remember this blog! January is almost over and I haven’t really written about Anna turning 1. SHE TURNED 1! Go, baby. You made it.

I’ve been wanting to sit down and write something thoughtful and meaningful. But those thoughts have not arrived, and here January is almost up. So, hmm. Thinking caps on. GO.

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN INSANE. This year has been a lesson in things you can do without. A bedroom. A swing/exersaucer/wipes-warmer/jumperoo/bottle-warmer/nursery full of toys and cuddly things. Television. A computer (for a little while, anyway). Ironically, this lesson was learned in the process of trying to get a bigger house, for, ostensibly, more… stuff?

Well, guess what? We don’t need it. 99.9 percent of it anyway. Do not need. Window dressing, most of it. What a life lesson. So now we have a bit more room to stretch out and enjoy and, well, it looks like we’ve got a long way to go until we’re fully settled in. It’s a great chance to get rid of a lot of useless stuff as we re-invent our household. What are we holding on to this stuff for?

Anyway: Anna. You are amazing and beautiful. And nothing at all like I thought you would be. I cannot believe you came from me. My pregnancy was fairly miserable. No glamorous, glowing pregnancy photos of me and my belly here. But then you showed up into our world and since then everything’s been pretty darn good, although we have our share of difficulties. Yes, you could be better at sleeping through the night. Yes, I would like to one day resign from my position as Human Pacifier. But I can take it. I have such confidence that you are going to be all right. Because you are just so perfect. Watching you grow this year has been a true gift. Thank you for joining our family and making us more complete. I cannot imagine how we got by without you.