One Year

Peyton turned one today. I can’t believe it! It’s gone by so fast. Everyone said it would and I didn’t ever imagine we would reach this stage.

I can’t believe the changes either. He’s walking and blabbering. He’ll bring me a book when he wants me to read to him. He can climb and descend the stairs on his knees. He will laugh his head off when we do silly things. These are all great milestones! Then there’s also the times he cries when we take something away or say “no.” He throws “tantrums” when he doesn’t get his way. He throws his food on the floor when he’s not interested. Sometimes I wish we could go back!

Today was a great day for a first birthday. Peyton took a 2 hour nap  (a rarity!). The hub and I took off work early, picked up Peyton, and went to dinner. Peyton ate really well (semi-rarity!). We came home and he shoved a chocolate cupcake in his mouth. Then a nice bath and off to bed. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Returning to Normal

I have talked to many of my friends about the recovery after having a baby and they have all told me that it surprised them how long it takes. Now, I am not talking about the weight gain, but “down there.” Even though Nicole Kidman was back to a skinny stick two weeks later, I am pretty sure she was still recovering in other places.

When I talked to my friends, the first thing I said was, “Why didn’t you freakin’ tell me about the recovery?” Many said they didn’t want to scare me. Well, I was already pregnant, not like I could go back! I cannot stress how much I wished someone had told me about the recovery. (I still have to finish my post with details about the recovery immediately after labor.)

At four months, I saw a friend who had her baby five days before I had Peyton. I told her she looked great. “It’s been hard,” she said. We commiserated over the loose skin on our bellies. “Man,” she said. “The worst are my breasts. I mean, they are jacked up.”

And recently, I was discussing about losing the weight with Yoga Mama, who also mentioned that it took her five months to feel normal. So, it’s a very common reality but no one seems to talk about it. We have all these books about pregnancy and then it seems to stop there. No advice or help about after labor — definitely the time when you need the most help and have a lot of questions!