One Year with Aaron

Happy first birthday to our sweet baby Aaron. I’ve spent a lot of time recently reflecting on the last year. I mean… what a year! Being completely honest, it’s hard for me to think about this year without crying.

Someone recently asked me what the hardest part of the last year was. And I know they meant the hardest part of motherhood over the last year. And as much as I wish I was lucky enough to look back at my first year of motherhood and Aaron’s first year as a person with all happy thoughts and memories… that’s just not my reality. I’d give anything to honestly have some cliche answer like ‘lack of sleep.’

We started our year with a pretty traumatic birth experience and then a week in the NICU. And then a few days after bringing Aaron home from the hospital, the world shut down from the pandemic. I will forever be thankful for the extra time I had at home with my family, but it was a scary and stressful time with no idea when I would be going back to work or getting paid again. While I was still recovering and dealing with emotional rollercoaster that comes with postpartum life, we lost my grandpa to COVID. And just when things felt like they couldn’t get worse, my dad got sick and passed away from cancer.

It’s been the hardest year of my life. And Aaron has been a shining light through all of it.

His smile, his funny little laugh, his hugs, and his big slobbery open mouth kisses are the best parts of my day.

He is the friendliest little human I’ve ever met. He waves at everyone in the grocery store and the people we pass walking by the beach. (Even if they’re in their car or half a mile away and can’t see him). His smile and wave has brought so much joy to the people who know him and to a ton of strangers.

He’s been smiling since he was a week old. (Even if the pediatrician tried to tell us he was too young to smile).

I’ve loved watching him learn and grow this year. From the first time he intentionally rolled over (on FaceTime with my sister) to crawling all over the place to now standing like such a big boy. How did we go so quickly from the tiny little baby who we always ended up carrying home on our walks because he would cry every single time to now telling us he wants to “go” outside.

He now has a full head of blonde hair and a full smile with 8 teeth.

Aaron spends most of his days at ‘daddy day care’ and there’s nothing better than seeing those two play together. He laughs harder at his daddy’s jokes than anything else. And he seems to have Jon’s taste in food. He eats onions and olives and dates.

I’m sure I’m not the first mom to say this, but I truly feel like the luckiest person in the world to be his mom.

Aaron, thank you for choosing me. Only God knew how much I would need you.