2008 In Review

As this year comes to a close I thought I might look back at where I've been in 2008.

In January I got pregnant.

In February I found out I was pregnant.

March and April dragged on in anticipation for the "fun part" of pregnancy to arrive.

In May we found out Will was a boy and not a Willimeana.

June was bumpy, we learned Will had clubfeet and would require some hard work to correct.

In July I wigged out when I failed my 1-hour glucose test. Thank God the 3 hour was fine.

August saw Tropical Storm Fay, which flooded us up to our eyeballs.

In September I got un-pregnant.

October was maternity leave and very little sleep.

November I finally got the hang of being a Stay At Home Mom, just in time to go back to work.

And December was family filled, my Dad visited, Will enjoyed his first Christmas and Mark became a stay at home Dad.

So 2008 was The Year I was Pregnant. Which was a lovely contrast to 2007: The Year I Failed to Get Pregnant. I am planning on making 2009 The Year I Win the Most KickAss Mom Ever Award.

Christmas Through New Eyes

I saw my first Christmas through Mommy eyes. I don't know if it is becoming a mother, being broke or mere personal growth, but man!! This year - the time with family, the season of joy and love, the real things - really stood out.

Will is too young to remember any of this year's celebration, but I took a few photos to tell him about it. I will probably leave out the part about how Mommy & Daddy didn't get him anything. But I will be sure to tell him about the loving gifts sent from far away and the visit from my Dad. I will tell him about the family dinner with Mark's side and the supper we hosted for my side. I will tell him about all the people who were eager to meet him and be part of his first Christmas.

Times are tight, Mark is finishing his EE degree and working weekends, while I work 4 days a week. The ends keep getting met, but I'm really not sure how. So, for Christmas I made 40billion cookies for gifts. I was so agitated in the days leading up to the 25th thinking that our homemade packages would be scoffed at by the friends and family who would most certainly being showering us with store bought presents. In truth our loved ones seemed thrilled to receive their treats (we made chocolate chip, butter cookies and ginger snaps). And the gifts we received were heartfelt and came with no expectation of equivalent monetary reciprocation. Mark and I shared a more modest gift exchange as well. Our gifts were under $60 total, but they were perfect.

I will treasure the memory of our very intimate first Christmas as a family of 3. This year I was so very content with nothing more than sharing a moment with my son and my husband beside our tree and rejoicing in the love we share.