January 2011 started out with a bang! We had Ryan’s 1st birthday party, which was an awesome monster-themed party. My baby boy was getting so big! I started working on my VBAC to-do list because Steve and I decided we wanted to start trying to conceive over the summer.
Then in February, my husband lost his job, but we found the positives of it and enjoyed the family time. We thought this would delay our plans for baby #2 and just took everything a day at a time… it is what it is!
March turned out to be pretty slow. Apparently I wrote way too many sponsored posts on this blog, lol. Otherwise we were busy as a family, enjoying Steve’s time off with us!
In April I wrote about my experience with extended breastfeeding. Ryan was 15 months old, I reached my goal of nursing for at least a year, and was starting to feel like “a pacifier, a lovey, a bottle and a pillow.” Little did I know that we’d still be nursing 9 months later!! Haha.
April is Cesarean Awareness Month and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the bi-annual ICAN conference (International Cesarean Awareness Network) in St. Louis. It was amazing; one of the best experiences of my life. I met wonderful people (was even interviewed by Pam England!) and learned a lot–about birth and about myself.
Then… Steve got a new job! And a super awesome one actually related to his college degree–environmental/mechanical engineering. Baby making plans were back on!
We struggled for a bit with a tantrum-throwing toddler. Terrible twos come before age 2, didn’t you know?
Part of my prep work for the next pregnancy and a successful VBAC was dealing with the baby blues/PPD/whatever I experienced the first time around. I wrote about it and how to deal with it.
One of my favorite posts: “Before I was a Mom…” was written in May 2011. Steve and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary (with a quiet escape to a hidden hideaway), Ryan had his FIRST haircut at ~17 months old, and I did some adventurous: went flying with a toddler for a trip to Colorado.
And then the BIG NEWS 🙂 June 9th, I found out I was PREGNANT! And started planning our homebirth with a husband who was totally supportive and on board.
I prepared a list for interviewing a homebirth midwife and, in the meantime, had a hideous appointment with an OB who basically told me I’d fail. We’ll show him, eh?
We found out the sex of our baby and announced it with a super cute cupcake surprise party.
Things were quiet for awhile… we were house hunting… spent a weekend in northern Wisconsin on a lake… then closed on our new house on October 31st.
I posted some facts for an informed decision on having a VBAC, hoping to dissolve some typical fears surrounding the idea.
I made matching skeleton Halloween costumes for the whole family–including a pregnant one for myself 🙂 They were a big hit! And I shared my top ten pregnancy must-have products… ya know, since this is my second time and I’m an old pro now!
November and December flew by with the holidays and getting settled in the new house.
We celebrated Christmas and then Ryan, my itty bitty baby boy, turned TWO… we had a quiet family celebration on his birthday and are planning his party for next weekend–after all the holiday craziness.
And New Year’s Eve? I spent at home with Steve and Ryan, sipping sparkling grape juice, eating popcorn, and watching a movie–all in a cozy monkey-covered snuggie 🙂
PHEW! Thank goodness for this blog diary or I wouldn’t remember a thing that happened, haha. It’s fun to look back and it seems like I was just writing this post for my 2010 recap. Crazy. Can’t wait to see what 2012 will bring!
How was your 2011? What are you hoping for in 2012?
Sounds like a wonderful year! Congrats and here is to an even better 2012!
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Wishing you the best in 2012!
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It’s been a busy year huh? Here’s to even more happiness & success in 2012!
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This is a lot for one year!
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