another year older

This is probably becoming a theme on here (please forgive me if you are sick of it already), but I can't believe how much things have changed over the course of a year. As a kid, a year seems to take forever, but as an adult, it is merely the blink of an eye. So, while pregnancy seems like a distant memory in my head, just last year at this time I was big and nearly ready to explode. If I didn't have a baby living in my house and/or the pregnant pictures to prove that I really went through the whole process, I don't think I'd believe it ...

But, getting to the point of this post:

My birthday usually falls on or around Labor Day.

"How funny!" I used to think. "Being in labor on Labor Day!"

Not so much anymore.

Now I think it is a cruel, cruel joke after having been through natural labor myself ... Who wants to be reminded of twenty-three hours (for me, at least ... I think my mom suffered longer) of huffing and puffing? I guess getting through it in one, albeit altered, piece is cause for some celebration ...

And getting to that point again:

Despite the blur that my life has been, a moment from Labor Day Weekend (last year) sticks out at the forefront of my mind and is directly related to my being pregnant. So, I thought I'd share ...

A couple blocks or so from our house is a small (and very delicious) ice-cream establishment. Since the family was together for a Labor Day cook-out, we decided that it would be fun to take a walk over and purchase a nice, cool treat to cap off the day. As we approached the only busy intersection on our route, the light was obviously ready to change. Apparently in a hurry to get their ice-cream, my husband and the rest of our group made a move to quickly cross the street. Lagging behind anyway (at this point, I was carrying about forty extra pounds of baby weight), and not wanting to be separated, I tried to increase my own pace and run after them.

Quick note to self: Next time you are nine months pregnant and have done little more than walk throughout the duration of said pregnancy, do NOT try to run! Seriously. Under any circumstance. Don't do it. You'll look incredibly stupid and nearly kill yourself as you try to stop. You were a science teacher, were you not? Ever hear of momentum?! How about inertia?!

I'm lucky I didn't set off my own labor and wind up in the hospital on Labor Day, too!

So, even though I'm far from being nine months pregnant this year (as in, I'm not), I'd like to think that the past year hasn't changed me too much. Obviously, I'm a mother now (which was a deeply profound and wonderful change), but in terms of everything else, I'm still the same old Emily I was last year.

Save for one thing ... I can run again.

So, happy birthday to me and happy Labor Day everyone!