This is a combination post. I'm going to summarize what 2009 was like for me, and if you stick with me, you'll get the latest info. on Avery because she is six weeks old today!
When I really take a look at what 2009 was like for me, I realize how insane it was! I'll give a month-by-month shot of what took place in the life of Beth.
January ~ we finished up our trip in the States for the holidays and headed back to Kazakhstan. I'm not going to lie ~ I was not happy to go back. I was headed back to a job that completely drained and depleted me and I had five months of it left. But thankfully, I had made some good teacher friends there and we all helped each other survive the final 5 months of the school year. Also, Huzz and I went skiing! How many people can say they've been skiing in Kazakhstan?
February ~ We moved into our third and final apartment while living in Kazakhstan. Huzz and I celebrated Valentine's Day at our favorite Italian restaurant in Almaty, and it was a miracle that we did, too. Since language was always an issue for us, we didn't make any reservations. However, the maitre'd for some reason always remembered us when we'd go in...Huzz even had a "usual" that this guy always remembered, and he sat us at a nice, little corner table and while we were there, we watched
every table fill up in the restaurant. Towards the end of this month, I became pregnant, but I didn't know it yet!
March ~ On the 19th, I found out we were expecting! I had been suspicious for about a week, but the first test I had taken was negative, so I waited a week to take another one. And that one was clearly positive!
April ~ We took a vacation to Istanbul, Turkey, where we stayed in the tiniest hotel room for 10 days. It was quite romantic, except for the fact that every night at dinner, my morning sickness would kick in and we had to head back to the hotel and hang out for the rest of the night. While we were in Turkey, we found out that our best friends were expecting
TWINS and were due just four days after me! Just when you think you can't be more surprised....God surprises you! This is a picture of me on a boat tour we took. Even though it was so cold outside, I was not feeling well if I sat inside the boat, so outside it was!
May ~ We tried to enjoy the last days of our time in Kazakhstan. We did a lot of hiking and day trips with our friends.
June ~ I finished up my school year of teaching in Kazakhstan and Huzz enjoyed watching Kazakhstan play England in football at the local stadium. We set foot back on US soil at the end of the month and were very happy to do so!
July ~ We were back for only a few days before we jumped in the car and made trips to Iowa for Huzz's grandparents' burial services and to Minnesota for my family's reunion at the lake. It was so good to see everyone again and have a chance to relax. We also headed out to Seattle with Huzz's family for a few days. It was so hot there, we had to go to a movie to get air conditioned!
August ~ We moved into our house at the beginning of the month. I also went to my 10 year high school reunion. Am I really that old? Four of us were pregnant at the reunion! Actually, there were five of us, but the other one was actually in labor while at dinner and she was gone by the time we took this picture.
September ~ There must not have been a whole lot happening during September....I remember going to lots of Rockies games! And I remember the beginning of getting to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy.
October ~ Huzz turned the big 3-0 and my cousin, Tad, got married. I made the road trip to Omaha when I was 36 weeks for the wedding!
November ~ My due date was the 19th, so I spent most of the month anticipating the arrival of our little one! My feet got so swollen, it hurt to walk. On the 23rd, I made the decision to induce on the morning of the 24th and Avery came in the afternoon! We were released on Thanksgiving day and headed down to my parents' house, where all the family was anxious to see us...and by "us," I mean Avery, of course!
December ~ Much of December is a blur, as the first month of having a baby usually is for first-time parents! I turned 29 on the 19th, and we celebrated Christmas with both sides of the family.
As far as New Year's resolutions, I have a few things I'd like to accomplish this year.
1. Lose all the baby weight, + another 20 pounds or so. That latter part will be the more difficult part. If I can get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, I'll be happy with myself, but if I can lose more than that, I'll be really proud of myself.
2. Get our house organized. We live in an older home that has tiny closets and tiny bedrooms. Not everything has a place right now, so things are piling up and it is driving me
crazy. I don't want to live like this anymore!
3. Paint the walls. We have had renters in our house for the past 4 years and the walls show it. We need lots of patching to be done and I'd like to paint some colors, starting with painting Avery's bedroom.
4. Do some gardening. I want the front of our house to look pleasing from the outside, so that is first priority. If possible, I'd like to get our backyard in tip-top shape, too. We have lots of room to grow veggies and lots of plants. I know nothing about gardening, but I'll be learning.
5. It seems like I need a 5th thing because 5 things I'd like to accomplish this year sounds much better than 4 things I'd like to accomplish this year.... Oh, I know! I want to make all of Avery's baby food. My parents gave me an awesome baby food maker that steams and purees all in one.
Okay, and now for Miss Avery:
She is six weeks old today! I can't believe it's already been six weeks since she joined our family.
Avery, you are such a joy to have in our lives! You are getting so much fun. You are consistently smiling at us and cooing, especially at your stuffed animals in your crib. Last night, you slept in your crib all night long, waking up to eat every 3-4 hours. You are a good eater! Sometimes when I sit down to feed you, you show your disdain for taking longer than you liked by entering attack mode on me! You are definitely getting plenty to eat, as your dirty diaper production is right on cue. You are feeling more and more heavy and I'm guessing you might be nearing 9 pounds. Avery, we are so blessed that God chose us to be your parents and we can't imagine our lives without you now!
