Thoughts on turning 30.

I turned 30 yesterday.

This morning Brandon asked if I feel 30 and if I feel any different. Of course this is the sort of question that people ask everyone on their birthday, no matter how old they turn. But for some reason, I think most people consider the 30th birthday a "special" one, an "important" one, and a birthday that is just different from other birthdays.

While I don't feel 30 (I am not sure exactly what 30 feels like), I can say that I feel "different," not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual/emotional/mental sense. I feel like I see the world differently now, like I am some wise spiritual guru who just knows more. Because that's how it feels now--like I just know more (and not in the book sense).

Perhaps the single most important thing that I know now that I didn't 2 years ago, is that I love being a mom. I love everything there is about being Max's mom, even the temper tantrums when we have to leave the park. Sure, there are days where I get a little stressed out and need some time to myself, but more often than not, I can't think of a place I would rather be than chilling with Max. Obviously I am only 2 years into this gig, so it's a little early to judge, but I think I am pretty good at this mother thing. More importantly, though, I love it and can't see myself doing anything else.

New words, 23 months

At this point, Max is saying around 150 words at least. Here are a few of the new ones:

siren, sorry, blue, big (and he loves the combination of blue truck, big truck, and big blue truck), Cheerios, nut (short for Peanut, Lindsey's kid), bike (and he often combines this with "cool"), there you are, there it is, Lucy, Shell-Shell, sleep, nap, sad, dinner, help, get up, knock, roll up (as in a Fruit Roll Up), sneeze, salad, park, squirrel, poof (as in cheesey poof), and chimes.

In other news, last night Max had my make-up on his cheeks and was rolling his popper in mud puddles (yes, we were outside) over and over again.