2007: A Year in Review

This year I decided to forgo writing a Christmas letter; there was just too much to do this December. However, Josh and I thought it would be nice to post an end-of year blog in lieu of the formal Christmas letter.

This year began with the exciting news that we were expecting a baby. We found out just two weeks before Christmas ’06. We were able to tell Josh’s family our joyful news in person as we spent the holidays last year in Seattle. We returned to Maryland on January 1st and the next day I began bleeding. We were afraid we might lose the baby; however, God sustained the pregnancy—and for that we are forever grateful. On a sadder note, Josh lost his grandmother, Ruby, on January 6th. She was born in 1908, which made her 99 years old. She was a precious woman, and Josh loved her deeply. January also saw the celebration of Kim’s brother, Brian’s, wedding on January 13th to Jecholia Jessee.

In March Josh was given an incredible opportunity to go to Brazil with two colleagues. He spent two weeks working with bow makers in the small town of Guarana, just outside of Vittoria, Brazil. He also was able to travel to Southern Brazil to several towns near Porto Allegre. He was fascinated how different the two regions were. In southern Brazil Josh felt like he could have been in Barvaria, as the area was settled by Germans about 200 years ago. This trip was a dream come true for Josh. Brazil is known for its growth of pernambuco, the wood used to make bows. Josh has always wanted to see the forests and meet the bow makers of Brazil. Now he has, and he hopes to return some day soon.

In April, Josh and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary. In one sense our wedding seems like just yesterday, and in other ways I feel like Josh and I have been together forever. Marriage is wonderful this year. We made it through the throes of 1st year adjustments, and as we quickly approach our third anniversary we are comfortable and really enjoying one another’s company.

In June, I said goodbye to an 11 year career at Covenant Life School. I transitioned out of my position as director last year and transitioned to part time Educational Therapist. At the close of the school year in June, I packed 11 years of files, books, and memories into four lonely boxes whilst saying goodbye to teaching and hello to motherhood. I am still doing some educational testing from home and working with one student. However, as excited as I was about the coming baby, I did go through a bit of an identity crisis this summer.

Most of the summer was spent awaiting our daughter’s arrival while I desperately made efforts to stay cool. Our bathroom was the coolest room in the house, and many times Josh found me hanging out in there in front of the air conditioning vent. My other strategy was to spend hours and hours in my parents pool. Refreshing cool water and the lack of gravity made my very pregnant body feel wonderful.
Kate arrived on August 16th at 8:01 p.m. weighing 7 lbs. 2 oz. She was beautiful from day one. We have been holding on tightly as the rollercoaster ride of parenthood took off in full force. In late August Kim took Kate to the pediatrician because she had a fever. Little did we know that that would land us in the hospital for five days until her fever broke. All manner of tests, including a spinal tap, were run to eliminate any possibility of infection or disease. The doctors ended up calling the whole thing a prenatal viral fever that just had to run its course. Kate has been a needy baby in many ways, but she has been a complete joy in our lives. It’s hard to remember life without her.

September was a celebration of family. Brenden, our nephew, turned one year old just as Shaun and Debbie announced the exciting news that Baby #2 was on the way. (We have since learned that they are having a little boy, Collin Richard, in late April). Our cousins, Lindsey and Brian Knott, are also expecting their 2nd baby in June. (No more babies from us just yet. Kate is all we can handle right now.) Josh’s mom, Ann, came in early September to provide some help and much needed rest. She was my source of sanity, as we had just come home from the 5 day hospital stay. We all were emotionally and physically spent when Ann arrived. She was our angle! Josh’s sister, Shawna, came at the end of September for a long weekend. She too came at a pivotal time. Kate was dealing with a lot of reflux and dietary concerns and Shawna’s motherly expertise was a godsend! It was also very special to have Shawna here over Josh’s birthday.

October seemed a blur as we got into the routine of infant parenting—diapers, feedings at wee hours of the morning, crying, more diapers, visits to the doctor, mixing bottles of formula, figuring out how to assemble baby toys and stuff, even more diapers, lack of any recognizable schedule or sleep, lots of loads of laundry to wash off baby spit-up, and so on. It was so busy in our house this autumn that we hardly noticed the incredible fall as the oak and maple trees around us all turned into blazing autumn colors. One thing we did manage to do this autumn was settle into a new church. Josh and I have been discussing and praying about the need to find a new church home for more than a year now. God really helped us see that the time was right for the change, and after some searching we found peace, acceptance, and felt God's presence at the Gaithersburg Church of the Nazarene. It was a harder transition for me, as I had been at the same church for almost 20 years. Yet, we are enjoying meeting new friends and getting involved there.

In November we started this blog; so most of the events in the last two months of the year can be read about in the blog archives. (And there are some cute videos of Kate, so I hope you’ll check out past entries.)

On December 23rd Josh’s 2nd grandmother passed away. Theodora Henry was 90 years old. Josh treasures the memories he has. We are all sad to see her go.

The rest of our year is a whirlwind of pediatrician appointments, dirty diapers, 2 a.m. bottles and wonderful smiles and coos from Baby Kate. Our little one is 4 months old now. We really enjoyed celebrating Christmas with her. It made the holidays extra special to have a baby around. We can’t wait to see what next year holds!

Happy New Year!