One Year Reflections

We survived a whole year!

 The pirate themed bash was a success. I may have lost a bit of sanity in the process, but in the end, all went well. Complete with bottles washed ashore, a treasure map and a dress up table- all in attendance seemed happy and thrilled by the festivities (if for no other reason I am glad that people still know the art of faking it!). 


Caden did so well. The trick was keeping him at home for most of the day to stay on schedule and then bringing him after he had his lunch and morning nap. He was passed around a bit- but stayed with grandPaul and Uncle Trav most of the time. It was so crazy to see how many small children were around, it really put things into perspective for me, I have a ONE year old... I mean obviously before now, it has set in that I have a child, but seeing other kids, and the kids that I grew up with have kids or girlfriends or adult stuff just makes me realize that I really am no longer a kid, and someday, my baby will be in my shoes. It is all just surreal.

He had so many gifts, Toys R Us should enlist me to be a promoter of some sort, I really don't get enough rewards from them for all the business I send their way! Luckily, only one gift of the many could not be returned- I managed to get everything unwrapped, put away and thank-yous written by the next day! I still have to address and deliver said thank-you's- but the bulk of the leg work is complete! I am an avid believer in Thank-You's. I think sincerity and appreciation is a lost art, and I'll be damned if my child grows up to be a spoiled generation Squiddid or whatever crazy-ass name they give them. I was raised to say thank you for what I had, I wrote out cards for holidays and birthdays, and my son will do the same. Even for my dear grandmother who spoiled me beyond belief- I could fill ten million cards and have enough arthritis to curse every Pulitzer winner in the last century and it still wouldn't do justice to everything she has done fr me in my lifetime... but that won't stop me from writing them! To this day, I STILL write thank-you cards!



Another new discovery is walking. A blessing and a curse, which I was well prepared for. He is so proud of himself, and it just makes me want to cry to see him be such a toddler! My little teeny baby that spent his first week in an incubator... walking! He still has ZERO teeth, but insists on feeding himself and doesn't want much to do with jarred baby food... so mealtime is a messy chaotic circus! 

He is now very good at using "Momma" "Dadda", "Doggy" "Kitty" "Truck" and "Good Job" in his own version of Dutch of course, but I can tell when is trying to say something and I know that sentences and the endless string of "NO" and "why" are just a short throw away. 

So... with all of that, mommy is hanging in there. The new job is going better. It is very busy, and I am feeling more confident with myself but I am still a ways off from being back to my old "swing of things." I feel like I have been struggling more at home, the balance between marriage and family is a difficult one to master. With my new job, and the hubby's role in his jobs- it makes it hard on both of us to come to terms with how "we" fit into each others lives without getting nit-picky. Everything is a constant work in progress, a moving target. Nothing is easy, and there are no simple answers. What works for one person or one couple won't always work for another, but at the end of the day- there needs to be two people going towards the same goal, otherwise you aren't playing the same game.