Five
The first time around, becoming a mother felt something like learning to swim: thrilling one minute and near-drowning the next. I was simultaneously amazed at the new world that had opened up before me and terrified by the unknown expanse ahead, but day by day my little fish and I paddled along, navigating new waters together, finding our way as we went.
Five years ago today, what I experienced in the split second after becoming a mother for the second time was completely different... an instantaneous, effortless dive into the depths of love itself, the intensity of the connection as crushing as the ocean. From the moment I laid eyes on Judah, he was a part of me, like I had known him for ever and ever; like he had birthed me instead of the other way around.
Looking through these photographs blows my mind: the transformation from the angelic, cuddly baby he was into the fiercely independent, costume-obsessed, silly, wild, hilarious drama queen he is today has happened impossibly fast...
...and yet somehow I can't remember what life was like without him.
Happy, happy birthday, Judah... it's certainly a happy, happy day for me.
love,
mommy