Last week, baby boy turned 10 months old. And all of sudden, I found myself saying "where did my baby go?!" This is not a baby anymore! He's a curious, crawling, alert little boy. I didn't expect him to be like this so quickly. I thought he would be a 5-month old baby for so much longer. I hate to sound like a cliche, but it's all going so fast!
It got me thinking about our lives at this time last year. A year ago, I was getting to the "big as a house" stage of my pregnancy. I couldn't think past my due date in February, let alone imagine Christmas with a 10 month old. An almost-toddler with eight teeth and an insatiable curiosity.
A year ago, my Christmas gifts were baby pajamas and toys. As I opened each gift, I tried to imagine the baby who would be using them. I remember rushing around trying to finish preparing the baby's room, trying to pack my suitcase for the hospital and cooking up a storm to fill our freezer for the return from the hospital.
This year, I'm mentally preparing for my return to work in just over a month. Thinking about baby's first birthday. Preparing my mom for her job as our first daycare provider. How quickly things change!
My husband and I find ourselves marveling at baby boy's every move, hugging and kissing him and clinging desperately to this magical age because before we know it, he'll be a teenager.
I have to admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of months 7 through 9, as my baby became newly mobile and was going through a major separation anxiety phase. At that point, I began to look forward to going back to work. I also dreaded it because I couldn't imagine how this mama's boy would handle it.
But these days he's so much more independent and cheerful. He's spending more alone time with his daddy and his grandparents without missing me. His motor skills are improving and his daily discoveries are bringing him (and us) all kinds of joy. Life is good in our little family.
Now suddenly I'm not so thrilled to be leaving my little man behind while I go back to work in a few short weeks. I know he'll be totally fine, but I will be sad to miss out on his daily changes and progress. Ah well, that's life. It's time for mama to start bringing home some bacon!
In the meantime I intend to enjoy every second of the next few weeks, especially baby boy's first Christmas!
Happy holidays everyone!
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