1 year!

(unhappy at being oversqueezed but about to dig in to her delicious millefoglie cake)

So, we made it! To quote my friend Nic, "One down, the rest of our lives to go!"

Sofia had her first birthday on Friday, and it was a lovely day. They had a little party for her at daycare (apparently she loved being the center of attention), then we had a family lunch at a great restaurant in the park. She got some fun gifts (including a new pair of sunglasses from moi -- in the hopes that she'd stop grabbing everyone else's glasses now that she has her own - good idea, in theory) and the day was memorable, for her parents at least, even if she won't remember a second of it!

Then we left for the terme (spa) with Mema and Pop Pop, where things were nice but a bit tougher. Seems that as soon as Sofia realized she had turned 1, she decided she wanted her independence, so now she's fighting us on fun things like changing her or feeding her, putting her in the car, that sort of daily, unavoidable event. *sigh* More experienced parents listen to our tales of woe and smile knowingly. I have a feeling this is the beginning of the end.

Anyway, reflecting on the fact that 1 whole year has passed since the birth of Sofia, I mainly feel relief. It's been a rough year. From her birth week in the hospital being induced, to the C-section to all our nursing problems and mastitis and then pumping for 10 months, then her not sleeping...when I think back on it, it's nothing short of a miracle that (a) I'm still halfway sane and (b) that Andrea and I never even uttered the word "divorce"!!

But, seriously, for all the pain of the past year, the joy has been threefold. Sofia is a strong, smart, healthy, funny, loving creature who makes us belly laugh daily. She reminds me of the fundamentals of life: to love and be loved, to find joy in the small things, to appreciate the details. That look of amazement on her face is inspiring and I thank her for it. So, yeah, she keeps us on our toes and there are times, often over this past year, that we've despaired, thought there was no way we could find the energy to complete another day. But then she does something, learns something. Like today for example. Probably due to some more teething, I was up with her from 4 to 6 am and was practically crying as I put my shoes on for work. And then, I walked her down to the car and as I gave her my usual "See you later, Sofia" and a kiss on the cheek, she raised her tiny little hand, smiled and waved goodbye. And, right then, for the millionth time in the past 365 days, my heart did a little dance and I thanked the universe for making her just the way she is.

Happy 1st birthday, Peanut (a.k.a. Princess Poopie, Poopie Goldberg, Poopy or Mirtillino)!

p.s. Can't forget a shout-out to Sofia's baby Daddy! Andrea - THANK YOU, for everything, and that includes not throwing me off the balcony, even when I may have asked you to. =) Ti amo, grazie di essere mio compagno di avventura, sempre e nonostante.