At Long Last

The Flickr caption of this photo reads "FINALLY I get to hold Ayize in my arms!" The feeling I experience as I type these first blog words are also FINALLY, because at last, I am putting these words online from my brain (where they originated) to paper (in the form of a series of time-consuming, photo-laden, hand-captioned books I've been making Ayize) to today's next evolution, my MacBook (which seems like the easiest, most environmentally-friendly, longest-lasting method of preserving some of these memories for him when he is older).

So now, a word about the title -- "Party of Two" seems fitting given that it has been me and Baby Boy from the get-go. Pregnancy, the baby's birth, and the months that have followed have been me and Ayize, solo but thriving. I say this because yesterday we "officially" became a twosome, but unofficially it has always been this way.

But with officialdom, it feels that finally, we are truly free to move on, away from the toxic and emotionally-taxing environment that has been clouding our sunny days for so many long weeks.

So here we go, moving forward...at long last.

But - before I take this blog back in time to the beginning of the baby boat ride that has been my life this past year, let me start with this morning.

Yesterday was yesterday. Today was our fresh start.

I woke up and Ayize rolled over in bed (co-sleeping is helping us survive this whole teething gig) and looked at me with sleepy eyes and an expression that teetered for a moment on the brink of possibility...would his lips turn down into a pout, I wondered, or would they slowly rise up at the corners into a sleepy morning smile? As usual, he went the glass half-full route - I guess he really is a mama's boy - and I knew we were off to a beautiful start on a beautiful morning.

So let the journey begin, come what may. We're ready as we'll ever be.