Memories

Yesterday Clara, my baby girl, turned one.  The reality of this has hit me hard - and unexpectedly.  People's birthday wishes for her kept bringing tears to my eyes!  What is that?!  I did not have this kind of reaction with Cooper.  I think the reason for this is twofold.  One, with Cooper I was able to take my time with his babyhood.  I didn't have to work; I didn't have any other demands on my time.  It was just him and me.  And I loved it.  It was peaceful, and gradual, and special.  Baby number two has been a completely different experience.  She was born, and we hit the ground running!  Keeping up with Cooper is a busy job, and Clara has been schlepped around from the very beginning.  Adding to that, I went back to work when she was about 4 months old.  Now, suddenly, a year has passed and I simply can't believe it.  To say the past 12 months are a blur is an understatement.  Luckily we do have quite a bit of photographic documentation, and I don't know what I'd do without my (ever-present) iPhone to quickly snap pictures and video of the little things.  The second reason, I think, that I'm emotional about Clara growing up is because we're *pretty* sure that we are content with having only two children.  So that means that all the baby stuff is behind me!  I can't believe it.  Although I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that is relieved.  I definitely go back and forth! 

So I wanted another way to preserve our memories.  A place to document milestones and present Cooper's daily hilarious quotes.  I hope this can be a place where we can look back and remember the little moments that sometimes get lost in the blur.  Hopefully I can be more committed to this than I have been with my kids' baby books.  Yikes.  It's worth a try!  And maybe, in the process, there will be a few other people who enjoy it, too.