WHO KNOWS WHERE THE TIME GOES

A young co-worker of mine who recently gave birth to an adorable bouncing baby boy brought her little bundle of love into the office today.

All productivity came to a halt as we gathered 'round the wee one.

You could almost hear our collective estrogen level rise at once, and the office was suddenly to the rafters with mothering instinct, breast feeding tips and heroic childbirth stories.

"I can't believe he is already two days old!" the young mother lamented.

"Hold on to your hat," I told her.  "They grow up fast."

How well  I know.

My son, Daniel, turned 19 today.

Seems like only yesterday I was at the hospital, dilated two centimeters and thinking childbirth wasn't so bad and I could go thru it all without an epidural.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

What WAS I thinking!

At seven centimeters, I caved.  BRING ME THE DAMN NEEDLE!  Thankfully, I never felt even a sting.

A mere 13 hours of gnawing on a damp washcloth between timed commands of "Push!" and voila!  Out popped Daniel John. Lots of bond hair. Beautiful blue eyes.

'Tis also hard to believe that 19 years ago today I was the most "nested' and organized a pregnant mother could be.  Baby clothes Drefted and waiting. All but alphabatized. House ship shape.

Then we brought Daniel home,  and life was never quite the same.

Thought I was ready, come what may.

But no one is really ever fully prepared for parenthood.

Or for how fast the years fly.

A whirling merry go round.

Joypainlaughtertears. Joypainlaughtertears.

From the moment I first saw Daniel, the second he was born, I knew...

Absolutely the love of my life. 

From infancy to 19 in the blink of an eye...

So thankful. So proud. So amazed.

Who knows where the time goes...