2013.

This was on 12/31/12. Exactly one year ago, today.

our year in seasons:

SPRING

almost bought the wrong house. contract fell through.

sold a lot of stuff. got rid of tv and internet. 'roughed it' while saving up for a baby, without a game plan on how we would be able to afford said baby. moved in with our parents in april.

living with my parents was actually pretty freakin awesome.

oh, i gained 60 pounds. lilah only weighed 8 lb 6 oz.

went on quite a few strolls with all 3 of my babies.

was a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's weddings with my other two bests.

celebrated our first year wedding anniversary by eating year old cake.

had a surprise 'children book' themed baby shower. loved every second. this really made me feel so special. thanks to you all, you know who you are.

had a planned baby shower. felt empowered and showered. knew i could do this mom thing, because i had a network of supportive, loving people. 

read many books to 'sprout'. this remains a favorite.

had an amazing experience at the spirit fair with the dwc.

made up my mind that we WOULD go to the farm regardless of expenses and travel risks. 

had an exam by legendary midwife, pamela, of The Farm midwives.

hung out in the wholeo.

got a blood clot as a direct result of stubbornly insisting on the farm roadtrip adventure. overnight hospital stay. was proud that my intuition knew i had a blood clot even though the doctor on the phone said to 'take an aspirin.' this was a good lesson on listening to my instincts. 'twas also a costly lesson.

threw away 4 years of stashed mums. made room for baby. wondering if throwing these away was a good choice?

chopped my hair for a mom cut.

saw "wicked" with the most important women in my life (lilah included)!

endured 22 hours of labor, and successfully lived through an emergent c-section while birthing the most beautiful and loving child i've ever known. my proudest accomplishment to date.

SUMMER

watched my best friend become a daddy. fell even more in love with him.

cooled off in the pool with my new best babe.

adored and admired her for countless hours. memorized lip lines, hand dimples, and only took breaks from staring to shift senses to smelling. loved smelling her baby's breath.

blissfully bonded with this child. living at home gave me uninterrupted time to bond and stare and love and cuddle. the c-section bought me 2 extra weeks of time off work. turned the negatives into positives. 

met our (hopefully) next governor while breastfeeding.
TEAM WENDY!

took LG to her first protest. 

ACTUALLY BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOUSE! FINALLY! 

smudged our new house, cleansing the energy and giving us a blank slate to work with.

moved in August. began home improvement projects. 

AUTUMN

first halloween.

baptism.  

first thanksgiving.


WINTER

enjoyed the ice day with my lil family.

bundled up this lil snowcub a number of times.

enjoyed time outside in all the seasons. decided fall and spring are undoubtedly more convenient for walking a baby. our walks dwindled in the winter, hehe.

first santa visit.

said goodbye to a friend. grieved. still praying for his mother and father, sister, fiance, and son.  still thinking often of my best friends in college, and the good times we shared. it's easy for life to look perfect in a blog where all the happy times are documented and shared with an online presence. nobody takes photos at funerals or burials. but there were tears in 2013, as well as smiles. and a part of me feels guilty for even sharing how wonderful my year was, knowing the intense pain that john's family endured this year. their reality is my greatest fear in life. all i can do is give to the best of my ability and meditate. listen to God's encouragement and follow my heart. give comfort. remember him, and honor him everytime i light a candle.

woke up christmas morning in our new house, with our new baby, and told her all about santa. god willing, i'll do the same thing next year, since she will have no memory of this. i hope someday she looks through this blog and knows how magical she has made my life.

I love the feeling of a new year. There is buzzing energy all around. People are motivated and united to make positive changes. We get rid of our old stuff, and make room for new experiences. This year was undoubtedly the most exciting year of my life. I've never been so grateful. 

xoxo,

L