Every December, I take the time to reflect on the year I’ve had as we move into the New Year. This year I was a little overwhelmed by how much has happened. What began as a simple year with simple plans turned into a busy year with several huge, life-altering changes…
January of 2011, Richard and I decided we’d make the year about our health. We’d try and lose some weight and figure out why we were having such a hard time getting pregnant. That was the extent of our lofty goals. The next several months were dedicated to just that. I set up a few appointments with my doctors and launched our new diet plan. Looking back, it might have been the calm before the storm, haha!
In April, though, we made our first huge life change… I left my job with the National Park Service to stay at home for a while. It was a big decision and one we took very seriously. I’d been unhappy for a long while, but it was still a tough choice. I loved what I did and took a lot of pride and joy from helping my employees. I really enjoyed some of the new responsibilities I had. However, I took my job almost too seriously. I worried and obsessed over everything. I came home in tears more often than not. I started apologizing in my sleep. It’s hard to name exactly what went wrong or why I needed to leave. I couldn’t take care of my house anymore; I couldn’t take care of myself anymore. I barely had the energy to do anything. So, we agreed that I should take a break. I’d take some time to get my health in order and find myself again. My last day in the office was May 19, 2011.
June, my baby sister got married. I cleaned my house, caught up on laundry, read a book or two, and generally took it easy. It wasn’t all fun and games, though. I was pretty upset about my diagnosis – PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It looked like pregnancy would be a long time coming with a less than helpful OBGYN. So, Richard and I bought a dog…
Loki joined our family in July. Based on Lil Pea’s growth, it appears that Loki joined us just a few days AFTER she joined us… Oops!! Maybe not the best time for a new puppy after all. We didn’t find out about Lil Pea until July 19th. Richard pushed for me to test and thus occurred our second (or third, if you count Loki) major life change…. A positive pregnancy test!!
Needless to say, I was over the moon and promptly went out and found a new OBGYN. Meanwhile, Richard’s mom had decided that maybe Florida wasn’t the place she wanted to be. Richard and I began looking for apartments in the Charles Town area. We didn’t have much luck so we visited my friend and real estate agent, Reinie, to see if she had any recommendations. Naturally, she thought, with a new baby on the way maybe it was time for us to upgrade. That opened up a world of possibilities, IF we could get approved on Richard’s income alone. It was a big “yes; wait, no, maybe not” process. Finally, we found a guy who thought he could make it all work. Next thing we know, we’re looking at houses!
It was a long process. August and September flew by with our first ultrasound and putting an offer in on a home we fell in love with. We missed the first house; the highest/best offer was outside of our price range. Then we found out that we weren’t as pregnant as we thought we were. Lil Pea was just 7 weeks along rather than the 12 we’d calculated. It seemed we had more time, so we slowed down and went out on the hunt again.
In October we closed on our new house (another huge life change)! Our new place will be the perfect home to raise our children in! We couldn’t possibly be happier here. We’ve put together a great little nursery and continue to feather the nest. We’ve got so many ideas about things we can do to the house; it should keep us busy for the next 30 years. Haha! Best of all, I get to continue to stay home from work and dedicate myself to taking care of our family!! Sure, finances will be tighter. For us, this is an opportunity we can’t refuse.
So here we are… the first day of 2012. We have affectionately termed it “Year of the Baby.” I feel excited and nervous and humbled and so full of happiness, I just might burst. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to…! This is going to be the most amazing year yet!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!
