Happy New Year

And what a year it has been...

When I reflect on all that has happened, I begin to feel fatigued.
So I wrote it all down in a very abridged timeline:

January

I was hugely pregnant, sick and miserable. My nephew Sam was born, I took my students through a cave while 8 months pregnant, Obama was inaugurated.

February

Had Ben! Then we found out Ben would need surgery.
Ben: first bath, first walk outside, visits from grandparents

March

Josh moved to Jefferson City for work. We bought the Prius and started seeds.
Ben: met great-grandparents, smiles, holds his head up, rolls to his side

April

Saw a fox for the first time (at our house, that is), we hardened plants outside, I joined La Leche League and started cloth diapering.
Ben: started playing with and reaching for toys, met his great-great grandma, slept through the night (a couple of times), babbles, rolls over

May

Josh moved back home and we got donkeys, chickens, and ducks. We then planted gardens and fruit trees.
Ben: had his first surgery, first trip to the zoo, first bad thunderstorm

June

Time to pick black raspberries, redo the kitchen floor, and I started sewing.
Ben: first baseball game, first swim, had staph infection

July

Sewed cloth diapers, fox got some of the chickens, started parents as teachers.
Ben: started sleeping in his own room, sitting up

August

Started back to work and I wasn't too happy about it.
Ben: first tooth, started eating food, first trip to the fair

September

We began major insurance battles after finding out Ben needs another surgery.

Ben: crawling, first cold, tooth #2, feeds himself finger food

October

We went to Glade Top Trail and Roaring River to enjoy the fall leaves.
Ben: tooth #3 and #4, pulling up to standing, peek a boo, Halloween

November

Bracing ourselves for the second surgery.
Ben: says mamama and addy indiscriminately, waves on occasion, separation anxiety

December

We had Christmas with both sides of my grandparents (Bolivar and Sullivan), both sets of parents (both in Ozark thankfully), and Josh's extended family (also Ozark), and made it to the Christmas Eve Vesper's service at church. We were Christmased out by December 26th.
Ben: first Christmas!, started helmet therapy, takes things out of containers, walks with push toys, doesn't like Santa

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In addition to all of that, I wrote 182 blog entries this year, which is exactly one entry for every two days of the year. Blogging has kept us living in the moment and has proven to be a great way for me to document Ben's milestones and adventures. After looking back through the list, I can't believe out timing with some things, like Josh having to move for work just after Ben was born, us deciding to buy livestock and plant our gardens the month of Ben's surgery, and how bar Ben has come, in spite of the two surgeries this year. I am also reminded of how much our family has to be grateful for and what an amazing year this has been.