- Sam and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary.
- Sam quit his job at a large law firm to start his own practice with two other partners.
- I grappled with the idea to work full time or to stay at home with Banner. After MUCH contemplation, discussion, and intense thought, I resigned from my school counseling job and began subbing while also being able to stay at home with my boy. It was one of the hardest - but best - decisions I have made.
- We renovated the kitchen: painted, new counters, new sink, new gas stove.
- I had knee surgery, and we found out I have a rheumatoid disease which explains the pain and discomfort in my joints.
- Banner learned to crawl, to walk, to climb, to start talking! We watched him celebrate his first New Year's, Valentine's Day, and Passover.
- Banner had his first swim, his first haircut, his first visit to the zoo and the aquarium, and his first walk in the snow.
- I had my first Mother's Day, but it was the first Sam had without his mom.
- We met my nephew, Brycen!
- Kira & Erick and Shelby & Paul got married.
- Sam and I went on a week-long Caribbean cruise! And, while on the ship, we made some new friends from Mexico.
- We got involved: Banner joined a gymnastics class, he started going to Mommy & Me classes, and he goes to story time at the local library.
- We did holidays perfectly! Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur, Father's Day, birthdays, July 4th, and so many traditional events.
- We celebrated Banner's first birthday!
- My best friend welcomed her third child, Corey.
- We found out we will have another nephew in March!
- We threw Mom a fabulous surprise birthday party!
- Kira turned 30 and Trey turned 21 on the same day Grandpa died.
- We said goodbye to Grandpa.
- We celebrated Sam's 30th birthday in a fun way!
- I learned to put my baby to bed without a bottle, to live with only one nap time a day, and to finally learn what it was like to have a baby NOT puke on me all the time!
- Big Tex burned down, Obama won the election, Desperate Housewives ended, Whitney Houston died, we're still grieving the heinous attack at Sandy Hook Elementary, and Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast.
- My little frog celebrated Halloween in a big way.
- We learned to let other people put Banner to bed at night - and we are SO grateful to Aunt Gayle, NaNa, Aunt Kiki, and Grandma for all their help in babysitting Banner when we have needed help this year - which ended up being a LOT with doctor's appointments and physical therapy.
- Cherie and I took a road trip to visit our favorite group of redheads!
- We were obsessed with the 2012 summer Olympics - mostly the women's gymnastics events.
- I survived a whole year without Oprah.
- We watched some great shows: Parenthood, Private Practice, Gray's Anatomy, Glee, and the weirdest new addition: The Walking Dead.
- We attended some great parties, awesome showers, and fun friend get-togethers.
- Banner adopted his first angel.
- We learned more about what it means to be a parent, how to communicate with each other better, how to embrace the most amazing moments, and how not to take things for granted.
May 2013 be a good year for you and yours! Happy New Year!
