Last January I was so sad that my sister didn't live near by. She had come for Christmas and I was so tired from running around trying to spend every last minute with her. Then the inevitable sadness once she boarded her plane and flew back home. Mid January she phoned and announced her intention to move back here. It took till June but she packed up her life, quit her job, made a stop over in Europe and landed back here the last week of May.
In January we also found a local church that we love. We are still settling in there. We were in one small group last winter but it didn't start up again in the fall so we hope to finds another this January. We had baby G dedicated in late November and I felt like we at last had a home church.
In February my fears were confirmed when J-man was diagnosed as developmentally delayed. They found no overt reason for his lack of development, and referred us to the child development office. He finally started to walk around 21 months, and saying some words by 24 months. The last few months of the year his vocabulary has rapidly increased as has his comprehension. We have another assessment coming up soon so we'll see how he is progressing and whether the therapies we are doing are helping.
March brought the news that I was pregnant. We were a bit shocked as conceiving J-man had been a long and medical filled journey, yet this time it was easy ;-) I can't say I enjoyed being pregnant as I felt awful for the first half and then the last half I just felt huge! But the end result is well worth it! Baby G has been a blessing to us, we marvel everyday that she is ours.
30 years of life were celebrated by me and family in June! I still wonder how I can be this old? Shouldn't I be mature by now, or at least know what I want to do when I grow up???J-man also turned 2 - it feels like we just had him but time is obviously flying!
July brought the sad news of our friend Nathan's death. His death was so sudden and shocking to us. We grieved both the loss of him and the loss felt by his family. It still makes no sense to us why it happened. Rosanna, his wife, has an amazing blog titled after a song Nate wrote the day before he died. We still pray daily for her and the entire Toews family.
Our summer months were filled with camping, and hanging out as a family. We spent most of our holidays sick but did manage a few outings to Harrison and Minter Garden's.
In the fall I said good-bye to work and began my maternity leave. I spent 2 glorious weeks catching up on sleep and snuggling with J-man before baby G arrived in a record 24 minutes. We are a different family now and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Baby G was a much healthier baby than J-man, which was a great relief to me. No second hospital stays or incubators. She continues to grow and delight us!
So what have a learned in one year?
- Love those around you as you never know when they will be gone.
- Appreciate what you have as it could all change tomorrow.
- Babies are cute but keep you up at night ;-)
- Family is wonderful, especially when they are close by to babysit - LOL
- Pray, pray, pray without ceasing!
- All children are gifts and sometimes what makes them different also makes them unique and special.
- I have food, clothing, and shelter - I am better off than 99% of the world!
***New photos are up on J-crew. If you want to see them, send me an email and I'll send you an invite!
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