Nature has taken its course and it has decided to go the fast track. I am sure all parents who have been through the agony of the first few sleepless months of worrying about every little gram their newborn gained, hours of sleep slept and number of diapers soiled, understands how unbelievably quickly that first birthday comes and goes. When sleep can only be squeezed into 2-3 hours intervals 24-hours around the clock, those first weeks seems to stretch into eternity. For me, it was a shock to be in a routine that was so predictable and yet uncontrollable. Before I knew it, the first three months were gone and then I mourned them that they would never be back. How silly we humans are! Or at least this human. Every month I couldn’t believe it was another month. There was that magic of seeing Kaya grow and be able to do more and more. That sweet anticipation of what the next month will bring and how our lives with him would change. What will it be like when he can play with toys? Or when he can eat solids? Or when he can crawl? When it did come, I still felt a little nostalgia for what was past. But alas, on the to future: what will it be like when he can walk on his own? When he can TALK and express himself? Parenthood is sweet anticipation and a nod to the past through our photos and memories. That contradiction of wanting to savor every moment and the curiosity of what is to come. Of course this is all irrelevant to Kaya who is just happy he finally got a red battery-operated sports car from his nanny and doesn’t have to continue playing with his educational, safe, wooden toys that Mommy bought from Germany! Happy first birthday, Kaya