Christmas 2012

{archived from 2010}

Well, I'd say that 2010 was an eventful year for me...mostly because I've finagled Christmas cards into the budget again. (You know that the planet would implode if I didn't.)

We kicked off 2010 in our favorite place...and counting down the days until the arrival of Baby Boy #2. In a word, I was enormous. (Think: barge.) Looking back at the pictures still makes me do a double-take. Though, looking from the pictures to the Blake and back again, well, one certainly explains the other, doesn't it?

The end of winter combined with the end of pregnancy really precipitated a general Hunkering Down of sorts in January and February. Ian and I celebrated our birthdays with gusto, and we spent a lot of time gluing raw pasta to construction paper. Well, Ian spent a lot of time gluing raw pasta to construction paper. I spent a lot of time reading books about getting babies from the inside to the outside--something I'd never done, and something that seemed a bit problematic to me.

In February, we said goodbye to Joe's wonderful Grandpa and were able to attend his funeral in Utah. It was wonderful to see so much family, and we always appreciate spending time in the Happy Valley. (Below, I'm posing with the saber-teeth at the Dinosaur Museum at BYU. Note the similarity of our curvatures.)

As my due date approached, we became more and more uncomfortable with hospital birth and opted for a change in prenatal care. What resulted was a wonderful, safe, and complication-free home birth. (Note: I said complication-free. Please do not confuse that with 'easy.' Because that would make me a liar. And you know where liars go...) Also? Sooooo great to be able to climb into my own bed after it was done. Many thanks go to my wonderful midwife (and her team!) and to my assembled team of cheerleaders (Namely Joe and my friend, Florence)...Apparently I can even get a pat on the back--according to Joe (in his own words), "[I] wasn't even mean!" Fantastic. That's what I was going for.

Annnnnd.....OhYesIDid include a labor picture...

Our first night out was to the Boston Museum of Science (where we've been members since last Spring). Other than a troop of Cub Scouts declaring choruses of "Ewwww, gross" at the sight of my nursing cover, I'd say the outing was a resounding success!

Basically, from March-on-out, my activities revolved around a new baby and an abnormally-smart 4 year-old. Can anyone else relate? We soon became bored with the pasta-gluing craft and moved on, both of us in our separate directions. *sigh* Ian went more down the Play Doh Route...I, on the other hand, found that my sewing machine would help me slay the dragon of the baby blues. (As several of my friends can attest, there were certainly days when I'm pretty sure not a home existed on the planet more well-equipped with table runners.)

Finally, about July, (when it seemed that the swelling in my ankles was about finished--just in time for flip-flop season, even), I think we hit our stride and found a routine. We even went out during the day sometimes! Our family travels took us to Palmyra, New York and Toronto, Ontario (side note: if you ever want to see true joy in a child's eyes, watch them use their passport for the first time).

Meanwhile, 2010 saw me become a home-preschool-er. There are few things I've enjoyed more than teaching Ian at home. We'll see what kindergarten brings, but for now, we (and the other family in our co-op) are having a blast. It also helps that our children are geniuses, but WhatCanISay? =)

Joe and I continue to serve on the North America Northeast Regional Board of Families Supporting Adoption and have loved each and every aspect of that role. We were able to play a role in the regional conference in Kirtland, Ohio and enjoyed every minute! Considering the biggest snafu of the whole event was yours truly mistakenly getting myself locked out of the Kirtland Temple after a nursing break, I'd say the conference was a big success! We love our role advocating for adoption and continue to encourage you to refer anyone with an unplanned pregnancy to learn more about the miracle of adoption.

We have officially lived in Massachusetts longer than our family has lived anywhere else--so we really feel like this is where we're "from." We love it here! We love being local tourists and continue to explore this amazing place we call HOME. (Lots of this exploring we owe to our superior Boston Craigslist...we've had lots of luck in that department this year, as well. You haven't seen a Craigslist until you've seen a Boston Craigslist. Trust me. Cross my heart.)

A big pursuit (crusade?) of mine this year has been to become more natural in our family's food choices. It's been so fun learning how to make our own dairy (like sour cream, yogurt and butter), and to start seeing the benefits of minimizing (and hopefully eliminating) processed foods. (Note: I'm still an emotional baker by nature, which means that I certainly haven't reaped all of the benefits of our 'from scratch' eating habits. Butter is still butter...and it still sticks to my thighs like glue. Ha!) I've loved the feelings of well-being and self-reliance (and tasty meals!) that have come from the realization that our diets don't have to be filled with by-products of corn and soy. Annnnnnnnnnd that is all I will say about that...for now.

And as always, I'm still a little bit too dependent on NPR, and listen to it often enough to worry that, someday, when Blake runs into Melissa Block, he's going to hear her voice and wonder if she's his real mother.

{...and sometimes Mama only gets in a picture when she takes it herself.}