Saturday, January 02, 2010

2009...my year in review


i've been in quite a reflective state these past few days and both lovella's blog and RW's blog have inspired me to write a new year's post of my own. okay, so "inspired" is just a nice way of saying that i've totally ripped off their ideas to use on my blog. the pictures i posted often have nothing to do with that particular month besides the fact that they were taken in that month. finding childless pictures can be a real challenge sometimes.

january 2009: tristan and his friend tyler locked themselves in my car while simultaneously jamming tyler's finger in the door. that was a fun experience which cost us a new car window. we also took tristan to disneyland for the first time with josh's entire family and celebrated my 29th birthday while there.



i learned that i can't help but panic in crisis situations (okay, i guess i already knew that about myself) and that disneyland is even more magical when viewed through a child's eyes.

february 2009: the "big" ultrasound that kept getting postponed finally happened, tristan got settled into his new big boy bed and i made chicken fried steak for the first time.



i learned that i am not a fan of deep-frying foods no matter how good they may taste and that the words "it looks like you're having a boy" somehow made me even happier the second time around.

march 2009: my friend christy flew down for her annual visit, i enjoyed a night away for a fun scottish tea and then crashed my car head-on into a very large oncoming truck just days before my parents came to visit.



i learned that being awake during surgery is not something i ever hope to repeat, that God's peace is a miraculous thing and that it is possible to treasure my mom and dad more than i ever have before.

april 2009: an angel otherwise known as ginny pumpernickle began taking me to twice-weekly NST appointments with the occasional hospital visit thrown in. friends and family showered me and samuel with gifts and cherie flew down to help her invalid sister mother her little boy.



i learned just how humbling it is to have to rely on others for so many things and that the term "bed rest" is not at all as nice as it sounds.

may 2009: in between endless NST, physical therapy, OB and orthopedic appointments, i had plenty of cravings, false labor contractions and sciatic nerve pain. i started hobbling around with a cane and got quite good at zipping around the kitchen on my "spinny chair".



i learned that our church family is amazing when it comes to providing meals for families in need, that just because the first baby is 2 weeks early doesn't mean the second baby will be early, and that the fear of labor can be knocked right out of you when you get to that severely uncomfortable pregnant state.

june 2009: we had a boy. we named him samuel. my parents came down yet again to help us out and i took my first real steps without a cane or a walker the day after he was born. we all saw lots and lots of spit-up that first month. lots.



i learned that God truly delights in the little details when the nurse who listened intently to my unborn baby's heartbeat during my surgery, not knowing whether he was going to be okay, got to hand my completely healthy son to me less than 3 months later.

july 2009: samuel and tristan had their first visit to the zoo, i adjusted to life with 2 kids after josh returned to work and our new nephew jacob was born.



i learned that two kids is more than double the work of one kid, that some things totally come back, just like riding a bicycle, and that God saw fit to bless me with a good sleeper, for which i still thank Him every night. (those are my beautiful friends j'lene and zandra with me at zandra's baby shower.)

august 2009: we started potty training tristan in earnest, he began resisting his nap and staying up till all hours of the night, and i began seeing a chiropractor for my whiplash pain.



i learned that we are not beyond bribing our kids and that chiropractors can be miracle workers.

september 2009: we finally said goodbye to napping and, after the adjustment period, were all much happier in the end. samuel turned 3 months old and the bright new world of sibling interaction opened up before us.



i learned that letting go of the nap is better than fighting a child to sleep, that a baby swing can be a very marvelous thing, and that absolutely nothing could have prepared me for way my heart would melt to see my big little boy loving his baby brother.

october 2009: cherie and ben came down for a visit, i had an extremely stressful time carting both kids to the zoo and back by myself, and i finally found a cookie recipe that my husband goes ga-ga over.



i learned that my sister and i are more alike than i knew, that tristan loves helping me in the kitchen and that trick-or-treating is probably best left alone for the next few years.

november 2009: i challenged myself to blog every other day which was very close to being successful and tristan got the Worst Ear Infection Ever.



i learned that i'm happiest blogging only when i want to, not because i feel i have to, and that ear infections really really suck, even if you're not the one experiencing it.

december 2009: my baby started solids and got plugged up, i finally decided to get off my butt and do something about the extra pounds, and my little sister got engaged.



i learned that i just can't help myself when it comes to telling my gullible child all about santa, that prune juice really does the trick and that christmas with kids just keeps getting more and more fun.

it has been a crazy year, but i've grown in so many ways because of all that's happened. still, i was quite happy to turn the calender page over to 2010 yesterday....i'm ready to start fresh.


4 comments:

Lovella ♥ said...

I'm kind of embarassed to be leaving a comment at 5:50 am on a Sunday morning but I have no wee ones to keep me up at night. . .I'm just at that delightful stage you have to look forward to in a few more decades.
Well . .I'm delighted to borrowed an idea. .I do it all the time .. like the time I borrowed your idea to start a blog. .
It was great hearing the snippets of the stories that have been your life the last year. wow .. you've been through a lot and it still amazes me how you write it so beautifully.
Blessings on the next year. ..I hope it is going to be wonderful for you. . a wedding .. a goal . . .and who knows what else .. God ..and that is so exciting.

Unknown said...

What a year, it was fun seeing it recapped. Have a great 2010!

Anonymous said...

Wow Heidi, that was quite the year of adventures for you - so many blessings out of hard times.
So glad your Mom and Dad could see you again, please give Tristan and Samuel hugs and kisses from Aunt Flo - I think 3 is a great age too!

rachel joy said...

What a great post! And what a year 2009 was for you. Praising God for all he brought your little family through.