2018 was filled with chasing toddlers while pregnant, and then chasing toddlers with a newborn in tow. So to say it was crazy...is probably an understatement :)
Despite the craziness, the Lord was incredibly gracious to our family. We are now a family of 5 {!}, when just a few short years ago, we were hoping that the next year would be "our year" to start our family. What an incredible blessing!
Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 {I can't believe this is my 10th Year in Review post!}
In January, we were still keeping our pregnancy a secret, but we were so excited for our newest little one! We got to see our sweet baby {and confirm that we were only having one this time!} at our first ultrasound. I was trying to navigate life with both Eli and Maddie walking and starting to get into everything. Eli had his first eye doctor appointment, where they determined he would need glasses.
Eli's glasses came in February and it was SO adorable to watch him be able to "see" for the very first time! I got to celebrate my 33rd birthday with friends and family, even getting a fun birthday date out with Mike. We also made our public announcement for our little tiebreaker! We found out we were having a boy, and we were so excited to share the news with the world :)
March brought another bleeding scare and another ER visit. Thankfully everything checked out, and our sweet baby was doing just fine, while Mama recovered from the scare of yet another SCH. My belly continued to grow, and we revealed the name of our sweet baby boy: Aiden Michael. Eli and Maddie transitioned down to 1 nap, and they had their first official egg hunt at Granny's for Easter.
We bought a house in April! Which is crazy, because we didn't really look for that long. We spent most of the month packing and then moving from our rent house in Plano to our new home in Melissa. I reached the halfway point of my pregnancy, a little amazed that I looked bigger this time around at 20 weeks haha. And Mike got a promotion at work and moved into a new role.
In May, we continued getting settled in our new home and community. We also started our Summer Bucket List, which included going to the Children's Aquarium and playing in the spray fountain at City Hall. Grandma came to town, and Eli and Maddie had a BLAST with her.
We continued our fun summer adventures in June. From celebrating National Donut Day and eating ice cream for the first time, to eating watermelon and taking wagon rides around the neighborhood, we fully embraced all things summer. Eli got his very first haircut {!} and we were able to enjoy a fun week of swim lessons with our cousins and Grandma. Which meant we then spent a lot of time at our new neighborhood pool! I was able to see our sweet baby Aiden on ultrasound again, passed my glucose test, and got my shots.
In July, we took a road trip to see Grandma and Grandpa, celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, and I got a fun overnight Mama getaway. The summer was definitely getting hotter, and I was definitely getting bigger and slower, so our summer activities tended to be a lot simpler toward the end of June {bubbles, sidewalk chalk, reading books, painting with water}. But we did manage to celebrate National Ice Cream Day! We started getting more things together for Aiden: putting together the crib, making freezer meals, and working on his nursery.
August was officially baby month! I was working hard to get more things checked off our summer bucket list, while also trying to get things ready for Aiden. I finally finished his woodland nursery, and then we started the waiting game. I had one round of serious contractions that came on strong and then basically stopped for a week. But once real labor started, we were so excited to meet our sweet boy! Aiden Michael was born, and we became a family of 5!
September was a crazy whirlwind. We were so excited to welcome Aiden, and Eli and Maddie were so excited to be a big brother and big sister. And then life with 3 little ones under 2 settled in, and boy was it crazy! I didn't share the full extent of my postpartum complications until October, but September was a pretty scary and life-altering month for me. It started a chain of events that I am still working through even as the year closes, but the Lord was gracious to spare my life. We had a fun reunion with our Redeemer family, and Aiden hit his 1 month milestone!
We were still in survival mode in October. My mom was gracious to put her life on hold to come stay with us, which allowed us to do way more than I would have every done if she hadn't been here {like go on a neighborhood nature walk or paint pumpkins}. October also brought our first round of sickness for poor baby Aiden. While he was definitely miserable, we were thankful it wasn't more serious. Since everyone was sick, we didn't get to show off our fun family costume for Halloween, but Maddie still enjoyed her tiger costume at home :)
November started to feel a little more normal, but I was still struggling. The whole 3 kiddo thing was kicking my butt! We survived the 2ish month of 3 kids under 2 {but barely}. Eli and Maddie turned 2 years old {!} and we were able to celebrate with a fun Two Cool, Two Sweet birthday party with family. Aiden celebrated his first Thanksgiving, and also started physical therapy for his torticollis and plagiocephaly. I was also able to surprise Mike with a fun Ron Swanson-themed birthday dinner!
We started off December with our Advent readings and songs. Sadly, we decided not to decorate for Christmas this year {wasn't worth the fight with toddlers}, but we still tried to do some fun Christmas things. We attended our city's Christmas parade, and Laura helped us decorate Christmas cookies. I celebrated being in remission from Crohn's after my initial diagnosis 6 years ago. We enjoyed a fun Christmas with family, getting to see Christmas lights, wearing matching family pajamas, enjoying opening presents, and just spending time together. Aiden turned 4 months and we reflected on the completion of our Embryo Adoption journey.
-------
2018 was a year full of toddlers, pregnancy, and a newborn. We are beyond grateful for how the Lord has grown and blessed our family, and we look forward to continuing to figure out life as a family of 5! Thank you Jesus for our beautiful family!
No comments:
Post a Comment