When Realization Sets In...

When Realization Sets In…
Today I was sitting in Sierra Grille when a woman came by and asked how old Hayden was. I smiled and told her that she would turn one next month. Then it dawned on me, Hayden is turning one next month.
I always thought it was weird when mothers would count the age of their children by weeks.
How old is your baby?
29 and a half weeks.
Oh…. So, like seven months?
No, 29 and a half weeks.
Oh. Okay.
I always rounded up, sometimes down. She was a month, then she was six and a half months… but today I realized that soon enough, I would just say that she’s a one year old.
It feels like just yesterday I couldn’t wait for her to arrive. I was about two tons, my feet were the size of cement blocks (that could only fit into huge Uggs), and my fingers resembled sausage links. Then, I blinked, and she was here. And now she’s turning one.
I took a good friend of mine to Buy Buy Baby to register for her baby shower. Her baby is due in June. In the car, on the way, she kept saying that she was nervous. She didn’t know what she needed. I just reassured her that I would guide her. It would be fine. We got there, grabbed the scanner and off we went. I can go through the aisles in that store with my eyes closed. I was amazed that she didn’t know what a Bumbo was. I couldn’t believe that she didn’t know the difference between an excersaucer and a jumperoo. She had no idea that she needed a bucket car seat and then would need a stationary one after the baby was 21 pounds. She was shocked by the amount of things she needed to register for. I was shocked that she didn’t know the amount of things she needed to register for.
Fast forward to today. After my revelation that my baby was just about no longer a baby, I began to think back about my own registry. I must have blocked it out because it was such a difficult time. I didn’t have any friends who could take me to register. I was a brave soul, going at it alone.
I just scanned. If I thought something looked cute, I scanned it. If it was at eye level, I scanned it. I didn’t realize until two weeks before Hayden was due that I didn’t have a single thing to feed her. I had no idea if I would breastfeed or how I would do it. No bottles, no formula. What I did have though was two strollers, three grocery cart covers, and the scariest stuffed animal that would sing strange songs. I panicked. I called my husband Paul and said that we had to go to Buy Buy Baby immediately. Now, I’m sure you don’t normally see nine month pregnant ladies crying in the breastfeeding/bottle section of baby stores, but that day, if you were there, you did. I cried. Paul was horrified. I was devastated and sure that I was going to be the worst Mom in the world.
Needless to say, I figured it out. It wasn’t easy, but my little girl, rest assured, is very well fed.
In retrospect, I still can’t believe that my baby will be one next month, but Lord knows I’ve come so far. I am quite a different woman than the one who burst into tears a year ago. I’m an encyclopedia of knowledge on breastfeeding, the different types of formula and the perks of each brand of bottles. This year has flown and my baby has grown up quickly. I guess I’ve grown up a lot too. I know every Mommy says it, but it couldn’t be truer, the first year flies by. It has been the hardest, most rewarding, grueling year of my life. I plan on enjoying every minute of the next five weeks. As far as I’m concerned, Hayden is still only 47 weeks old.