2012: A Post-Apocalyptic Recap
2012. What a year. This year has brought so many wonderful things into my life. If I thought 2011 was good, well, 2012 was even better. Both 2011 and 2012 brought some heartache for the blueberries, but the good times sure outweighed the bad times. 2012 has been jam-packed full of changes. And it flew by even faster than 2011. How is that possible? Some days, I feel like I blinked and months went by. I find myself cherishing the time with my family more than I ever have, especially after the terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary. At any moment, everything can be taken away so quickly (though, not due to an apocalypse in 2012 as people thought the Mayans had predicted). I don't want to regret a second. Perhaps that apocalypse is still coming! So, what happened this year?
- I started blogging regularly and remembered that I love to write. I re-discovered the emotional outlet that writing can be and am so happy that I have made the time to continue doing it. Not only have I made a record of my past year, but I am finding that writing is helping to combat the "mommy brain." I no longer feel like my brain is turning into mush! It's extremely liberating to remember that I am not "just" a mom!
- I had a baby. A 10 pound, 5 ounce baby boy. At home! It was the most amazing experience I have ever had. I still look at my dining room and think, "WOW! I pushed out a baby in there!" I am so incredibly thankful for my great midwife, great doulas, and great husband for giving me the support I needed. That baby is now 6 months old, and continues to be just as big. He's 23 pounds, 5 ounces! In 6 months, he has more than doubled his high birth weight. He's now sitting, almost crawling, smiling, laughing, and reminding us of the most important things every day. He's a sturdy boy who also seems to have inherited his mother's "accident prone" tendency. Thank goodness he's my second. If he was my first, I think we would have been at the hospital a couple of times already!
- E has grown into such a little boy. He is no longer a baby, and is a complete little boy. He is running, talking, and growing into his personality more every day. He is a bit of a firecracker with a temper that mirrors his father's and a stubborn streak that mirrors his mother's. He has a smile that will break your heart and make you forget that he just stole your phone and hid it under the couch. Like all 2 year olds, he loves to ask "Why?" I find myself answering "why" questions over and over and over again every day. "Hide" is his favourite game and, if you let him, he will play that with you for hours. He loves his brother. Often, he will bring A a toy unprompted when he is upset. Or, if he's playing in his room and he hears A cry, he will run out, give A a hug, and say, "Ok Laric?" Many times a day I find myself smiling and near tears because of how sweet he is to his brother. But, like all big siblings, he's not always sweet. Just yesterday, he was upset when I told him he couldn't have a snack and went and pushed A over. Pretty soon, A will be bigger than E, and then E will find out he's not always the boss!
- Mrblueberry accepted a new job in a mainstream classroom. He was excited to teach neurotypical kids instead of kids with autism. But, he may have slightly misjudged how much more work mainstream teaching is. He has spent a lot more time after school and on weekends doing planning and report cards. It's a lot harder than he anticipated.
- Mrblueberry's grandmother passed away this summer. After his grandfather passed away in 2011, it was a hard year for her. Amidst family drama, she fought off c-diff more than once and was in the hospital several times. Then, after A was born, she made one last trip up to see everyone, and a week later she passed away. One year after her husband. We are so thankful that she got to meet A and that we got to see her one last time.
- After being a member of momstown for two years, I applied for and accepted a position as Event Coordinator in March. I run eight events a month and am loving it. I get to take the boys out about twice a week as part of my job! And, I get to use some of my classroom ideas as well. That degree on the wall isn't going to waste any more! I do have to admit that having to go out to an event is hard some days. There are days (like the -20 C days!) that I wish I could just declare a pajama day and stay at home. But, all in all, I love going out to all the different events around the city and meeting so many different moms. I'm so thankful that I was given this opportunity to work for such a great company. The fact that I also get to work with great friends makes it even better.
- After A was born, I decided I needed to make a change in my life. I needed to become more active. I needed to stop making excuses for why I couldn't exercise or lose the baby weight. I was tired of getting tired walking up stairs, or dancing with E. I wanted to dance with my boys and not get tired! So, with more than a little trepidation, I made a huge decision. I committed to training for and running the Vancouver BMO half-marathon with momstown and Team in Training. Now, if you don't know me, you may not know that I am not a runner. Far from it. I always thought that people who ran for long distances were crazy. Especially when they were running those long distances in the cold, Edmonton winters. I still wouldn't call myself a runner, but I am running. Not only am I running, I am raising money for a fantastic charity with some other fabulous mamas. Together, we are trying to raise $40,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada! We have a long way to go still, so if you would like to help out at all, please check it out here!
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