New Year's Eve

As Her Little Ladyship was winding down for the evening, Minion #2 and I were discussing what was happening at this time last year. At 6pm we were finally allowed to leave the hospital. It was 7 pm before we actually got all three of us in the car. It was cold, rainy, dark and foggy, and New Year's Eve to boot. NOT a good time to be on the road with your infant daughter in the car for the first time. She was 49 hours old, and both Minions were stunned that the hospital staff had actually let her just take her home. We read comic books and play video games, for goodness sake!

We arrived home, terrified. I was already exhausted, and hurting. For some reason, I had never calculated on the fact that I would be recovering from the birth. Walking and even sitting hurt so badly I wanted to cry, and I ended up doing just that several times. Add to this that we were in charge of this tiny, demanding little creature and we had only the vaguest idea of how to properly take care of her.

As Her Little Ladyship's first birthday approached, I was mourning the fact that she wasn't my baby any more. I was remembering all of the wonderful moments. For some reason, tonight I'm remembering all of the difficult moments, and suddenly I'm not missing the last year any more. I'm glad that we've gotten a lot more experienced, a lot more sure of ourselves. She's immeasurably easier to take care of, and she's not only interactive, but affectionate and downright fun. I love our time together now - instead of slaving to meet her demands, we actually play.

This is the best time so far, and I'm looking forward to what the new year brings. Happy New Year!