It’s amazing how much your life can change in a year. Last year at this time I was still recovering
from a bullet wound. How insane is
that? I still struggle with the reality
of this statement, “My husband shot me . . . in the ass.” I gained a little weight after the accident, and I was complaining about my new squishiness to a very wise girl
friend who replied, “maybe your body’s getting ready for a baby.” Not two weeks
later did I discover that I was pregnant.
I actually took the pregnancy tests at my
parents’ house. I wasn't feeling one hundred
percent, and my mom suggested that I might be pregnant. No way,
I remember thinking. However, we did
just return from our honeymoon in Samoa – the land of coconut milk and honey
and all things fertile. I remember
feeling like I was in trouble when I saw that little plus sign. You spend years praying you don’t get
pregnant (oops, cat’s out the bag. Didn’t wait till I was married), and then
when you see that positive test it’s very surreal. The Great Samoan Hunter was on a work trip in
San Francisco. That was quite the phone
call. Honey, I have something to tell
you. Are you sitting down?
The past year flew by, but the past three months truly evaporated before my eyes. This little human who was once sleepy and sedentary is now fully awake, kicking and grabbing and squealing. We're reminded daily by friends, family, and strangers (those are always entertaining conversations) how fast time flies. Twelve weeks has passed since my little human made her arrival into our world. I told the Great Samoan Hunter yesterday that those twelve weeks have been the happiest of my life. I never fathomed one year ago that my life could be filled with this much love.
Here's a snippet of what our little love bug is up to:
- Discovering her voice. Everyday she extends her range, which delights us both. The changing table seems to be her choice locale for chatting/singing. It's great fun hearing her 'talk' and express different emotions.
- Discovering her hands. She will extend her right hand and S.T.A.R.E. I wonder if she thinks it will disappear if she looks long enough. She also loves to eat her hands -- she seems to be after her thumbs, but can't figure out how to isolate them.
- Smiling for days. This child smiles with her whole face -- her eyes, her dimples, her eyebrows. Smiling is her favorite.
- Napping not so much. We struggle with sleep. Nighttime is not such a battle. Catnaps seem to be the rave -- ten minutes here, thirty minutes there. Occasionally we will get a two or three hour nap, and I seriously don't know what to do with myself. I go into baby withdrawals and break out in hives. Hello, my name is Hailey, and I am an addict. I'm addicted to my child.
- Eating like a champion. She is Samoan.
- Playing on her mat. She loves her hanging animal friends and has started batting and grabbing and swiping at them. She's also started scooting herself around on her back from one end to the other. I am not ready for her to be mobile yet, though she desperately wants to move.
- Delighting all those who are lucky enough to meet her.
This list could go on for days and days. It's difficult to write about how much you love your child without overdosing in cliches and cheesy love song lines. I can't help it, she lights up my life.
I put together a random slideshow of Malia's first twelve months on the planet. I plan to do these updates monthly so family and friends near and far can see her growth. Notice how the pictures start out really sleepy and then become really smiley. Be sure to click the upper left hand corner to turn on the music. Last night I previewed the slideshow with the Great Samoan Hunter in bed. I am pretty sure he teared up too.
Also, here's a video of her playing on her mat last night. Pure delight!
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