2012 was an amazing year for our family, and it strikes me as I sit to write this recap that while it is missing typical things like summer lake weekends and elaborate trips, it is bursting with awesomeness and an ever-present theme of BABY, BABY, BABY. :) That will happen during the year that you become first time parents, I suppose. As we enjoy these last couple of days winding down one year and welcoming another, I marvel at the speed of time, but also bow my head in thanks for the infinite blessings and incomparable levels of joy that 2012 brought our way.
Herewith, our year in review. I'm skipping links again this year because I'm writing this during naps and bedtime, and there just aren't enough minutes. Click through the archives for corresponding months as much as you'd like though. :) As I do each year, I had such fun clicking through our stories and reliving our blessings, one by one. I hope you enjoy, too.
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January: we quietly welcomed a new year at home with yummy appetizers and television for company, and while we didn't stay up late enough to see the ball drop and the clock strike midnight, we toasted to a year we knew would be full of blessings. We fell asleep with full hearts and so much anticipation for what was to come. Five was our number, in years of wedded bliss as well as Cooper's years in our family, and we happily celebrated both occasions. We began sharing our most important secret and welcomed friends, family and colleagues into the celebration of our sweet Baby C. I began spottily documenting my pregnancy here, and I was terrible at it the whole way through. Our joy turned for a bit to sorrow as we said goodbye to our sweet furry friend Sydney who had colored our lives with love for more than fifteen years. I can't believe it has almost been a year since she left us; I still miss her so much.
February: the month of love delivered in a big way for us with a cozy Valentines Day dinner out with dessert at home and a similar quiet celebration for my birthday. As I turned 33, I opened a few of the first gifts Husband had purchased for our wee one, and it began to feel almost real in such an awesome, long awaited kind of way. And speaking of long awaited, February brought our twenty week ultrasound and in addition to getting to watch our babe flip about on the ultrasound screen for an extended period of time, we also learned that we were going to be parents to a sweet baby girl and I began to really imagine life as a Mama. Ash and Everly came to Chicago to register for baby stuff with us and turned what could have been a dreadfully tedious task into a joyous and productive day.
March: we escaped to the sunshine for a babymoon in Sanibel, Florida and relaxed in heavenly sand-filled bliss for a week. We swam and walked and talked and ate and read and slept beneath umbrellas to a soundtrack of crashing waves. We knew it was our last period of quiet relaxation for a long time, and we really soaked up every single minute. We were hard at work searching for a new home and this month, we found a keeper and made things official, signing away our lives and leaving with stunned faces and our very own keys. My Mom and her lovely friends threw my first baby shower in Morgantown and it was spectacular. Baby girl and I were loved and celebrated within an inch of our lives and I left knowing for sure how lucky and how loved our girl would always be.
April: we celebrated another lovely Easter with church and baskets filled with goodies for the boys and a little egg dyeing for me to keep things extra festive. We began to see peeks of sunshine here and there, and my Mom came to Chicago to help us with the daunting task of packing up our home for yet another move. She celebrated her birthday with us, and amidst packing tape and boxes galore, we paused to fete her with cake and balloons and a yummy dinner. Baby girl and I enjoyed our second shower, this time home in Chicago at my lovely SIL's house. It was another amazing day full of friends who love us and lots of celebration for a much loved wee one.
May: this time, both of my parents came to help with the big move, and we truly couldn't have survived without them. They packed and unpacked, taped, carried, organized and assembled for days, helping us to make our new house feel like home and more importantly, like a cozy and warm place to welcome a new baby. It was my first move hugely pregnant and frankly, I hope it will be my last. It's no way to move. :) We spent the entire month in nesting mode, putting together all of the baby's things and finalizing her room. We also got our very first yard complete with sod and lovely landscaping which Husband expertly cared for all summer long. Since we were too close to go-time with the baby, we didn't welcome summer lakeside this year, but rather enjoyed a quiet Memorial Day weekend at home. We did escape to the lake the week prior though, and enjoyed our third and final baby shower courtesy of MIL and her awesome friends. It was such fun. We celebrated our Moms for Mother's Day, and although I wasn't quite a Mama yet, I still enjoyed the day from a different perspective.
June: there is a lot we could say about wrapping up work things, officially entering BabyWatch 2012, celebrating Father's Day and doing our best to enjoy our final days as a family of four versus five, but really all that matters is that this was our most joyful month, because on its final day, we welcomed Rowan Marie, our long awaited miracle baby, and our lives shifted forever beneath our feet. My due date was June 27, my water broke around 5:30 am June 29 and we had our girl in our arms at 5:50 am June 30. It was a wild 24 hours and an awesome wave of joy that wiped us out and sucked us under, never to be seen again.
July: these weeks were a blur of adjusting to parenthood, sleepless nights and days spent settling into a new normal, getting our rhythm as a family, and getting to know each other entirely anew. We celebrated the fourth of July quietly on our sofa, baby in arms as the city exploded in fireworks all around us. Jack turned seven and we had a party for him smack in the center of our chaotic new world and even though he was disoriented, he still enjoyed his song and cake and presents. Rowan hit the one month mark, and even though we didn't know it at the time, we began the colic period and screaming, pacing, bouncing on the exercise ball and swaying began to fill our days.
August: I had my postpartum doc appointment and was cleared for working out, a release I'd be craving for weeks at this point, and although I was slow and rocky out there, it felt amazing to move again. Colic and reflux continued to rule our days and we wiled them away in search of comfort for Rowan and coping mechanisms for ourselves. We adored our girl beyond measure, and it was a struggle to balance that love with the stressful, jarring reality of a baby that was often uncomfortable and unhappy. We pressed on and enjoyed many bright moments alongside the crazier ones. We took our first roadtrip as a family and introduced Rowan to the lake. She was calm by the water and seemed to like boat rides and rocking sessions on Mimi's patio very much indeed. She hit the two month mark and had her first vaccinations at her well baby check up. (spoiler: it sucked, but then it was fine)
September: colic and reflux kept us guessing and there were joyous weeks of smiles and personality galore, but also more weeks of screaming and a seemingly inconsolable baby. Our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric GI doctor, and this was really when we began to see signs of improvement (new bottles, new medicines, new philosophies for burping and feeding, and the realization that time would be our ultimate healer, and that we were nearing the alleged end). We participated in the Paws Walk and took Rowan to the pumpkin patch and apple orchard where we enjoyed an awesome fall day. She hit the three month mark and we lined up for the annual Mutt Strut with our sweet girl happily snoozing in her stroller the entire way. We paused to remember 9.11 and honor its heroes, and Rowan thrilled us with her very first laugh and took a strong affinity for two toys in particular (bee friend and puff the dragon).
October: we endured the last of the colicky days and took Rowan on an eight hour road trip to visit my parents in Morgantown. It was a spectacular fall weekend and we had a great time visiting and playing and eating yummy meals. My parents friends came in droves to meet Miss R, and she enjoyed being the center of attention for nearly a week. Back in Chicago, our girl began rolling over consistently and slept in her room overnight for the first time. Nanny B started working with us, R turned four months old and enjoyed her first Halloween dressed first as a puppy and then a ladybug, I returned to work and we started the process of settling into a new normal once again.
November: adjustment was the name of the game for November, and although we had a few rocky days here and there, we mostly took it in our stride and while I missed R terribly, we settled into a new rhythm and Nanny B turned out to be a wonderful match for our family. Rowan was a busy girl in her fifth month, getting her first teeth, trying (and loving!) cereal for the first time and returning to the lake for her first Turkey Day. We were overwhelmed with gratitude this year, and closed out the month with a fun visit with Great Aunt Suz and Nana, and decking the Casa Carretta halls in anticipation of R's first Christmas.
December: that brings us here, where we're ending the final month of 2012 on such a high note. We packed our days with holiday strolls and visits to Santa (Claus AND Paws), hosted my family in Chicago for the merriest first Christmas in history, walked through Zoo Lights, ate yummy dinners out and celebrated a lovely holiday at home with those we love most. There were holiday parties in the mix too, and R was an angel in her festive outfits throughout the entire season. And today we are poised to enjoy the final days of 2012 at home. Rowan is six months old today, and she is almost sitting on her own, has tried carrots and squash along with her beloved cereal, and is exploding with personality like never before. We can't wait to see what 2013 brings our family, and whether we're awake or asleep (likely the latter), we'll happily ring it in at the stroke of midnight tomorrow.
Happy New Year, friends. Thanks as always for stopping by; we hope you'll come back often. xo
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