A Real Adult

Turning 30 has been the emotional roller coaster I expected.  Maybe expecting that brought it on?  In any case thirty seems like a really BIG number.  Three whole decades.  Growing up I always thought of adults as thirty year olds.  When I couldn't place an age on someone I could easily attach "thirty-something," which could encompass a good 20 year span.  Basically in my mind someone who looked responsible was therefore around thirty and was dubbed a "real adult".  Parents, teachers, business people all fit the bill.  So here I was at the doorway of "real adulthood" and I didn't feel ready for that title.  I wasn't ready to close the door on my twenties even though I haven't been acting like my young twenties self in quite some time.  In reality being married, owning a house and having a child all made me a real adult far before the clock struck 5:17am on August 18th.  This year I was already awake to ring in my birthday at the exact moment I was born.  I don't recall another birthday when I was already awake to receive my mom's text or call to wish me a happy birthday at the exact minute I was born.  This year she was just downstairs sleeping on the couch when I received my birthday text.  I can blame it on a new tooth, or another sleep regression, but we've been up pretty early for a couple of weeks now.  I guess that is what made me a true adult before the calendar officially said so.  Having to function on a few hours of sleep and realizing that you do function just fine makes you an adult.  The idea of sleeping until 8am sounds pretty appealing, but honestly that just isn't going to happen these days.  What time was I wide awake and ready for the day on our birthday overnight away from Becker?  Six o'clock sharp buddy!  He has trained my mind and body.

My mom spent the day with us as Mark had to work.  We walked to get bagels for breakfast with Becker and both dogs.  When Mark got home we had Champagne and cake.  Becker got to have cake for dinner and he was thrilled.  Of course, it was an applesauce, spice cake with flax meal so it had it's redeeming qualities and we took the frosting off of his piece.

Checking out the candle placement.

Cake for dinner.  Best thing ever.

When we cut the cake I realized the people around me each represented a decade in my life.  My mom represents my first ten years when a child is very attached to parents.  I represent my own adolescence when you go through all those challenges that mold the person you become.  Mark represents my twenties when we grew up together starting as what now seems like young kids and doing all the things that has made us adults and brings us to today as parents of Becker.  Becker is our future, the next ten years and beyond.  After following a friend's 365 photo project much of this year, I decided to start a project of my own.  I was going to wait until 2013 to get started, but decided to commemorate my 30th year and to build a family collage.  Now is as good a time as any and it will give me a glimpse of who we were at 30 when I turn 40.  Here is photo #1: