new year...

It's crazy to me that all of a sudden we're watching another year come to an end and yet a new one just begin. For some reason, this year especially has seemed to fly by faster that any of those before it. This has certainly been an eventful year filled with excitement, anticipation and joy, making up for years passed that have been wrought with sadness and heartache.

The most momentous event for us this year (and for 2014, I'm sure) is expecting our first baby. The process was a difficult and long one for us, although I say this with certain restraint as I know others have struggled far longer than we did to welcome their own precious little ones into this world. It was a process of learning, of growing, of patience, of encouragement, of faith and of companionship. When I felt discouraged, my husband was always there to build my hopes back up again and vice versa.

The irony - if you can call it that - of our exciting news came at the same time that Boston endured some of its darkest days; we found out I was pregnant just days after the Boston Marathon Bombing and just moments before the police caught the surviving bomber hiding out in Watertown. Amidst all the bloodshed, tears and horror, we were able to experience one of life's greatest joys. I can still remember coming home and taking the home pregnancy test; I wasn't feeling sick or tired or particularly 'pregnant' - I just knew I was late and figured I would take a test for grins and giggles. I did not at all expect to see those two solid pink lines emerge on the stick. Being the Type A person I am, I had a whole scheme planned on how I was going to reveal the news to my husband, none of which actually happened. I emerged from the bathroom with the stick, walked to where he sat on the couch avidly watching the news and just said, "So what do you think this means?" I'll never forget his face; shocked joy. And so began our journey of the last 9+ months.

 

The other joyful event that marks this year was my brother's wedding. He was the last of us three siblings to get married and it was an exciting time for all of us. We spent a lovely weekend up in Maine where they had planned their ceremony and reception, enjoying time together with family and friends, old and new. My pregnancy was still new, so we were still basking in that excitement as well and it was just a purely beautiful time for our family. The irony of this event was that it fell on my late father's birthday; although not intentional, I believe it was a significant way to tie in his memory to the occasion; when the dense fog that veiled the mountain suddenly cleared just minutes before their wedding ceremony was to begin, we all knew that he was making his presence known and his blessing heard.

This was also the last year of my 20's. Although it doesn't really feel any different being 30 instead of 29, I think this year more than any other has offered a significant shift in how I view myself; this year began yet another chapter in our lives and offered a new role for both my husband and myself - parents. It's amazing how quickly your thought processes can completely change and how suddenly everything becomes just a little more complicated, but in the most fantastic way. 

Certainly plenty of other events occurred throughout the year that served to shape us in one way or another. We did quite a bit of work on the house - projects my husband wanted to get done before the baby came along like adding a deck and patio to the  back of the house and replacing the tub in our main floor bathroom. My mother and I succeeded in planting a new perennial garden in the backyard all by ourselves, me pregnant and all. We finished our nursery and it looks exactly like I had envisioned it. My doting husband did an excellent job painting the gray and white stripes I'd been talking about for months and all the little decorative accents I'd collected along the way worked together perfectly to create the little nautical haven for our little sailor.

Now as I sit and reflect on this past year, I can only hope and pray that 2014 offers even more joy, excitement and self-reflection. I fully expect to learn things I never knew before as a woman, as a mother and as a wife and it is my prayer that I will live up to the role that God has dealt me.