One year later

The Allens are back!

I just read my last post - April 6, 2010. You should read it too! :) The day Toby and I were heading to the hospital... the last day it was just "us." My oh my, where has the year gone? It seems like I was just sitting here in the same spot on this same couch, uncomfortably pregnant and wondering how in the world I was going to know how to be a mother. And it's already been a whole year!!!

It would be an understatement to say I've learned a lot this year... a HUGE understatement. I mean, I knew my life would change, but it seems like the me from one year ago isn't even me anymore. Weird. One year ago, I was quitting my job, wrapping up grad school, hanging out with friends, going out with my husband, and living a semi-carefree life. Today, I'm cleaning up puke and poop and making up songs about banana pancakes and toothbrushing. I'm dancing like a crazy person to shows like Imagination Movers and The Wiggles. I wash clothes and mop floors and cook and clean toilets. I've learned to be dependent on my dear husband who goes to work everyday to make sure we can live a comfortable life. I love him for that. Rather than stressing about making my boss happy with my work, I stress about diaper rashes, new teeth, fevers, the consistency of poop, and whether or not I'm going to be able to effectively teach my son his ABCs and how to count to 10 and the colors of the rainbow. But never in a million billion years, would I change one single thing.

People are right when they say you forget about the bad stuff. Well, they're semi-right. I don't think I'll ever forget the first 2 months of Cooper's life... a diagnosis that seemed to take forever (he's allergic to milk) and a small bout of post-partum depression - no doubt due to non-stop crying and sleep deprivation. But all the great things that we have celebrated over the year have FAR outweighed the first few months of craziness. When he smiled and laughed for the first time, when he learned to roll over and crawl... when he got his first tooth and said "mama" for the first time - like really said Mama... when he took his first steps toward Dada, learned how to ride his 4-wheeler, and made his first best friend... even getting his first bloody nose and a forehead covered in bruises. I hope I never ever forget these memories because they are the best. And they make me so proud.

It's been a great year with great change, and I know the Allen family has many more great things coming. But in the meantime, if you ever stop by, you might find Cooper and me dancing and singing songs like... Oooooh, banana pancakes. Banana Pancakes... we mash bananas and we make pancakes. Oh yummy pancakes, my favorite pancakes... too bad Cooper, you can't have syrup. :)

Newborn Cooper...

11-month old Cooper...