We rang in the New Year in true new-parent style with microwaved take-and-bake dinners enjoyed by candlelight followed by falling asleep well before the ball began to drop in Time's Square. I think we whispered Happy New Year to each other at some point in the night as I crawled back under the covers after diapering and nursing Roscoe back to sleep. But that is how it goes these days.
As so many people told us it would, becoming a parent changes everything. For better and for worse. 2009 was indeed life changing, and one of the very best years that we've had so far. Obvious highlights include my pregnancy and Roscoe's birth. Even the aftermath is worthy.
The way in which the past 7 months have whizzed by is both alarming and a relief. It's scary to think of the pace at which the clock will turn from here on out. Before we know it we'll have lots of little Roscoes underfoot and this very special time will feel like forever ago. Coincidentally, as Tina Fey so appropriately expressed, "It is the year after the baby comes that is like someone hitting you every day in the face with a hammer." As a consequence of this truth, I'm relieved we are well past the halfway mark!
In the end, I proclaim 2009 the year of the Buddy System*. There have been countless days at the end of which the only thing keeping me sane and showered was Andy. Andy's pep talks have become world famous--at least in my world. In addition to all the baby related stuff of 2009, a meaningful highlight to note was the almost daily confirmation that I picked the right man for me, and the right dad for my kid.
It's not every day that you fall in love with your future baby daddy as young as I did, but I'm proud that I had good sense, even then, to pick a guy like Andy to hang out with. And now that we're here I can't imagine what the experience of raising kids might be like without someone like him at my side. So for all the little sisters out there: take care to marry a man who will partner with you to raise your babes, and who will love them with as much dedication and heart as he loves you. Believe me. You will need it, and it will mean everything.
Cheers to another crazy year ahead in 2010!
*According to Wikipedia: The buddy system is a procedure in which two people, the buddies, operate together as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other. In adventurous or dangerous activities, where the buddies are often equals, the main benefit of the system is improved safety: each may be able to prevent the other from becoming a casualty or rescue the other in a crisis.
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