news

i have been lax on posting lately. although i've never had a huge readership, i do miss getting the few comments i do get when i post! i am way behind on leaving comments myself & hopefully today is a nice lazy day i get to do just that!

the quick recap:

-christmas was awesome. my sister & bil came up (they are so great with that & we really owe them a trip to see them soon!) they did perfect on presents- one each for all of us- including the dog! they chose well too, as did we. all gifts were personal & thoughtful, yet not breaking the bank- exactly what we wanted. they got pumpkin a baby remote so she could have her own & leave mommy & daddy's alone. she loves it! please note though- it is yet another baby item that bears a close resemblance to male gam.etes... along with her spoons that she absolutely loves & the hub hates!
-my folks surprised us by coming up the day after christmas- even though they swore they weren't traveling until after the holiday you literally couldn't keep them from their granddaughter! they spoiled her rotten & she was pretty much showered with gifts from them...
-new years was pretty perfect. we went out for japanese with our friends & pumpkin was very well behaved- even winning over the world's grumpiest waiter! dinner was delicious & we got dessert & watched movies at home to ring in the new year. the obligatory neighborhood fireworks scared the dog & woke up the baby, and then she was up a few times due to getting her 3rd tooth (1st front tooth). she is currently extremely clingy & cranky, but the good news is that she does say 'mama'. the bad news is she only says it with a miserable little cry, but i still love it! especially since i know she means me! she is getting so big so quickly, the past 9 months have flown by quicker than anything i could ever have imagined. she is a little girl now- full of personality, fearless & determined, but sweet & happy at the same time. she is more than i ever hoped for!

as we said goodbye to 2009 i have to say that i am not sad to see it go. it may ultimately be the fitting end to a decade that had the best & worst in it. (even though technically next new years is truly the end of the decade, but who's counting- other than historians...) i have seen a roundup of the decade on quite a few blogs in the past few days, and while i don't have the patience to go through every year i would like to reflect on the high (and low) lights of the past 9 years.

-2000 started off with me moving myself down to my current little city for college. my first move on my own- no built in support system of friends i've known for my entire life & living on my own (albeit in a dorm apartment) for pretty much the first time. the hub was still the boyfriend and was on tour with his band. i got serious about school & after a break up & then getting back together- the hub & i got serious(er) about each other.

-the next 3 years include lots of school- hard work, not quite enough partying for a respectable college student, making great lifelong friends & testing myself & my relationships- all typical early 20-something stuff.

-2003-2005 found me getting into my career. the real education begins after college graduation. this time period the hub & i also moved twice- finally into our own home. we got married (almost exactly 5 years ago now) and i quit smoking and started at my current firm.

-2006 was a little crazy health wise- it was the year of the kidney. being rushed to the er and subsequently finding out that i had an undiagnosed congenital defect slowly killing my right kidney for the last 26 years that was now on the verge of turning septic & possibly killing me were it not found, was not so fun. neither was living with a stent for months while figuring out if i needed to have my kidney removed. or actually having it removed. or recovering. but i got through it & am now as close to 100% as possible. and pretty unaffected by the year of the kidney.

-2006-2008 was the ttc years. dealing with some crazy life stuff (never ending kitchen renovation & the hub's attempt at owning a business that was thwarted by bad partnership, a roommate that while a great friend caused a ton of tension) all added to the frustration and heartache that typically come with ttc & if. finally in 2008 we started with an re- all tests come back fine- officially 'unexplained infertility' and we start to scrape everything we have left together for a last ditch clomid challenge test combo with iui #1. knowing it's a long shot we are prepared for either more answers, or more frustration as we wait to save up for more iui's. surprise- bfp! july 26th is the happiest day of my life.

-2008-2009. fairly uneventful pregnancy. ~love~ being pregnant & savor almost every moment. fallout with the mil- stress i don't need. then comes the last week of being pregnant & gaining almost 8 pounds of water- hello induction for possible pre-e. 15 hours of induced labor & 3 hours of pushing & here's pumpkin. the perfect little girl with curly hair & a good set of lungs. but only get to see her for 30 seconds before she is whisked to nicu for inhaled meconium. finally get to see her 7 hours later & it's love at first (2nd) sight. after a little bumpy road we both get this nursing thing down & she grows like a weed. an amazing little girl who hits her milestones without breaking a sweat- she continues to amaze us. we can't imagine life without her- and though the memories are now fuzzier- every second of heartache was worth it for her.

-2009 is also the year that brought a shortened work week, a very scary audit & 2 layoffs within 3 months. um- no income and 2 parents home with an infant... life is hard. even so we are able to take a few trips to see family & a big couple plane rides and we meet nancy! i am surprised to actually get my job back and the office moves too. we experience our firsts as a family all year long, but every day makes me thankful to be here, with my wonderful family. i look forward to 2010 as being better than this past year has been- in all ways except one. having our pumpkin this year makes it all worthwhile. every hard month, every day wondering whether we would have enough to pay the bills, just looking at our miracle i knew we'd make it through. and while we aren't there quite yet- we are good. we are happy, if not yet comfortable. we are appreciative & blessed. i can still say that 2009 technically sucked in many ways & it's hard to not get better from here. i am looking forward to this next year of first birthday, walking, talking toddlerhood. hoping to be moving forward in my career, but remembering to take the time for enjoying my hard won miracle family.

here's to a happy new year for all. and a wonderful new decade ahead.