Our baby boy turns one today. It was a year of crazy ups and downs, phases that felt endless and stages that pass in the blink of an eye. After your first child you think you’re ready for it all, but there are always new worries that crop up, and each child has different innate traits and abilities that offer new surprises. The first year can truly feel like a lifetime but now that I look back, I wonder how it is we got here so fast.
When Gabe was just shy of one, we moved to Shanghai and I hardly knew a soul. And now we will leave China just after Zach completes his first year. How naïve I was back then about motherhood, about my ability to take on new challenges, and about what it would be like to live somewhere new.
I can’t say I’ve figured everything out in the last three years, but I am much more confident now. No matter what life throws our way I know I can handle it. Zach may be small, but he is mighty. And he makes his voice heard in our family no matter what.
Zach, you complete our family and we love you more than you will ever know. We are so excited to see what you do next!
An Ocean Away 
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