37 years old and 16 months

Zara is almost 16 months old and today I am 37 years old.  Birthdays always seem to bring me to a nice place of reflection, a milestone of sorts looking back over the past year and all the changes, evolutions, trials and tribulations.  This past year has been one of the most wonderful and most challenging of my life.  Becoming a mother has fulfilled something inside of me that was looking to be filled for as long as I can remember but it is also challenging.  It seems almost impossible to keep up with taking care of another little soul while working, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and getting ready to move house but as long as I stay in the moment most everything gets done and I have fun taking this little lady along with me.  Zara is becoming such a strong minded, independent, smart, communicative, beautiful and sweet little lady.  I am amazed at her evolution this past 4 months.  Since she turned one year it seems that everyday it is something new.  She is climbing up on anything and everything, new words sneak out of her mouth daily, she is actually napping for longer, running, playing at the park more independently and telling us what she wants, when her diaper is dirty, and signing up a storm.  All of it amazes me and when I take a moment to reflect I just smile.  All of it is so worth it.  Just as Zara is getting more and more curious about all the junk we have stored in this little town home of ours we are going to move.  Darren and I have been looking for a house since this past summer and the perfect house has fallen into our lap in the perfect time in the perfect scenario and we even sold our townhome without putting in on the market and will close on our place on April 1st.  The picture above is Zara and lucy playing in our new backyard.  It will be nice to have a few extra rooms, to be able to unpack with child proofing in mind and have a nice storage shed outside to store all of the little things we do not want Zara getting into, and it is amazing how we have time to update the bathroom and kitchen before we move in so that we are moving into our little creation and do not have to live in a construction zone.  Life is so beautiful, I feel so blessed and I am so happy.  I do not even ming that I seem to be creeping closer and closer to 40:)  I will deal with that another day...Until next time....