One month and counting

Exactly one month from today I will be sitting at my desk at work. This image comes to me with mixed feelings. I'm excited because I do really like my job and it will be nice to re-establish that sense of 'purpose' as well as re-enter the adult world. But I'm sad, because it means no longer being able to spend my days with Austin. In reality, I can't believe how quickly the year has flown by.

My last day of work was on Jan. 27, 2006 -- which means in the last calendar year, I put in exactly 19 days into being a productive member of the workforce. I remember this time last year, I was waddling around, and lovingly being called a beached whale by Ryan (good thing I have a sense of humour). At that point, I was counting down the days until I left work as I had had enough of trying to lug my fat ass -- technically my fat belly -- out of bed, squeezing myself into presentable-looking clothes that no longer fit, and putting in a full day of work without tiring myself out by walking to and from the bathroom all day long. In fact, I was so big, and carrying so low, that there were bets around the office and amongst my friends, of whether or not I would make it to my last day. (Heck, there was even speculation that I wouldn't make it to the Bon Jovi concert, which was 22 days before my due date!)

We all know now that I did, because I spent the next four weeks waiting and waiting and waiting. In that month, I met friends for lunch; spent an awful lot of time hanging out with (and going to the movies with, and going to lunch with, and going for walks with) Vone and Lilo (thanks Vone!); watched the first season of 24; cleaned my house; and even re-organized my kitchen. I tried everything I could think of to induce labour -- and trust me, all those old wives' tales DO NOT WORK.

And then finally, on Feb. 24, Austin came into this world (with a little prompt from induction drugs) and my world hasn't been the same since.

It's been a crazy world but a good one. I can't tell you what I remember from the first few weeks, because I remember being overwhelmed and tired and happy and tired and stressed and tired. But we managed and by the time he was a few weeks old, I felt like I had a handle on this motherhood thing. In the first month, I managed to get around, with short trips to the mall or to Vone's.

But the most vivid memory I have of early days is when Ryan and I took him to the Raptors game. He was 5 weeks old. Although I was a little nervous about the whole thing at the time, it went over really well and I remember thinking that it's not so difficult taking a baby with you. Of course, now I look at the pictures of him at the game and I think "what the hell were we thinking? Was he really that small?"

And then somehow winter turned into spring, and spring turned into summer, and summer turned into fall and here it is winter again. Over the next few weeks, I'll probably take more walks down memory lane from this past year. When I left work, I thought that a year is an awfully long time. Now all I can think of is how short a year really is.