[Seek] Twenty-two

 

[Advent 24]

My eldest child is twenty-two years old today. 

That makes me old. You see, when I turned twenty-two, I had already been married for nearly a year. I was dreaming of having children. I was ... young. I was also out of my mind, apparently. I look at twenty-two year olds now and think - what was I thinking? I was so young and had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

Granted, what I was getting myself into was a marriage that has lasted nearly twenty-five years now, and into motherhood, which has lasted twenty-two years and counting. And I wouldn't trade that for the world.

What I want to know is this - where did the time go? Before Alex was born, time didn't pass nearly as quickly as it has since. Even this quarantide has gone faster than the three weeks before his birth. I'm not sure what I was thinking, taking that time off from work, but it seemed a good idea at the time. I nested, and nested some more, and nearly drove my husband crazy with my nesting and my consumption of garlic-laden foodstuffs.

And then Alex was born and liked to be held and definitely did not like to be put down or sleep without touching another human being. But that was ok. I didn't mind snuggling with him, carrying him in the baby sling, or sidecarring his crib to our bed so that he could safely sleep next to me. 

Who would have guessed that the infant who needed constant touch would turn into someone who prefers to avoid physical contact? But that's ok. He still hugs his mother every now and then. 

Happy Birthday, Alexander! May this next year bring you new and great adventures ... hopefully in real life, but definitely as Dungeon Master!