I am the mother of a 1 year-old

Today is preparation for the magical transformation that is going from being the mother of a baby to the mother of a toddler. Who let me be in charge of this little life? Obviously I'm not doing that bad of a job, because she's made it to 1 without any life-threatening illnesses, no calls to child services and she is overall very happy. When I say happy, I really mean it. Abigail, upon learning how to smile at 3 weeks old, has always been friendly. Her favourite thing to now is to smile big and say "Hi" to anyone who makes eye contact with her. Surely I didn't teach her that and neither did hubby, because though we are casually cordial, we certainly aren't friendly to strangers. But I digress.

This time last year I was in labour. DH was video chatting with his cousin while I sat on an exercise ball trying to cope with contractions, because that is what my pre-natal classes told me to do. It didn't work. In fact, none of the coping techniques didn't work. Unfortunately for me, my contractions never really ever evened out, though the pain didn't seem to care about that. I laboured all night and gave in to the epidural at 5:30 in the morning. Thank the Lord almighty for this sweet invention. Though I still have occasional bouts of lower back pain which I swear is at the spot where the catheter was; in the moment it was totally worth it.

At 8:55am, we welcomed our little Abigail into the world. Life has never been the same and hasn't been any sweeter since.

I am in love with this little girl - who is no longer my baby girl, and love seeing who she is becoming. Somehow, DH and I are responsible for who this little girl is and I wouldn't change a bit. She is friendly, outgoing, inquisitive, bold, energetic, happy, bright and alert. She is the joy of my heart and I am so blessed to have her in my life. I hate that she is growing so fast, because it means scrambling to cherish those important moments when she is young, but at the same rate, I can't wait for her to show me what she can do next.

My resolve for the next year is to blog regularly. I want to chronicle my life now that I am back to work and Abby is in daycare. I want to record and cherish the moments that my family makes as we grow. Somewhere in there I hope I get to entertain or educate you...perhaps just for you to nod your head in agreement or lend a helping hand.

So here's to a new year of adventures and picture-perfect moments along the way.