My Baby is Almost 1!

I can't believe it - I filled out invitations for Brenden's first birthday party last night! It just hit me that we've almost made it through his first year already. I don't really feel sad at the time past because being a mom has been easier and more fun as time passes. I will always treasure memories of Brenden as a newborn, but I think the toddler stage is going to be more enjoyable for all of us.

This first year has been the most wonderful and grueling year of my life. From the awe of Brenden's birth to the difficult recovery... from the joy of seeing his smile and hearing his laugh for the first time to the excrutiating sleepless nights.

I think the hardest thing about being a mom right now is having so little time for myself. I feel bad about it, but I miss all the time I used to have to sleep and read. Most times I think I might have some time to myself, I end up cleaning or running errands instead. I see other moms who seem to take it all in stride and it makes me feel selfish for craving time to myself. But I know they probably wouldn't object if we were all given an extra hour every day where the rest of the world paused and we weren't allowed to do anything but relax.

But speaking of time to myself, I AM actually taking time for myself today to go to the bookstore by myself. I'm going to get a soy decaf coffee drink (in deference to Brenden's sensitivity to caffeine and dairy, two of my loves) and spend some time reading and preparing for my interview. That's right, I have an interview tomorrow with American Family Insurance! It's for an office support position and it sounds like a great opportunity. I called the agent on Thursday to follow up on my resume, and I ended up talking myself into an interview! My initial impression of the agent and the job is very good, so I hope it works out. And my commute would be 10 minutes, which is unbelievable after commuting up to an hour in Seattle.

I am looking forward to working again, but I need to work on weaning Brenden. He is doing pretty well with a sippy cup and he seems to like the taste of soy milk. We need to make sure he doesn't have an allergy to it like he does with dairy. I will probably still nurse him at night for a while. I am so grateful to have been able to nurse Brenden, but I'm looking forward to not having to worry about timing feedings.

We are also looking at some daycares for Brenden next week. We don't know if we'll actually need one, but we want to take the time to check them out in advance. It all depends on what my salary ends up being and how much Adam needs to work. I actually prefer to take Brenden to daycare at least part time. He loves playing with other kids and I think it would be good for him. Ideally Adam would work part-time, mostly during the day, and we would find a great daycare for Brenden while Adam is at work. We'll see how this all works out!