2018 in Review

I love recapping each year in these blog posts. Being able to look back and reflect on the year is so much fun, and a reminder of how quickly time goes by. To be honest, 2018 wasn't my year. A lot of great things happened - buying a house, welcoming Reese - but overall it was a tough one. I am writing another blog post that goes into depth as to why, but in general my head just wasn't right. Pregnancy did a number on my emotions and work absolutely drained me. I found myself wishing away too many days to count and if anything good came of it, it made me realize exactly how I do not want to live my life. It took having Reese to force myself to slow down, enjoy the little things and to realize I need to take better care of myself.Regardless, 2018 will always be the year we bought a house, the year Finn turned 2, and the year Reese was born. Here are some other highlights:

January

We kicked off 2018 by finally signing a contract on what would be our home! We found a spec home - one that a builder was in the process of building - just outside of town. The listing we found only had a picture of the framed out house, but we met with the builder and did a walk through and knew that this was going to be our house.

February

In February, David and I celebrated my 30th birthday with a trip to the Bahamas. It was the longest trip away from Finn for the both of us, but it was so wonderful to relax in the sunshine with one another. We spent a lot of time doing nothing, and some time fishing as well. Looking back on that trip now I realize the timing couldn't have been more perfect - 2018 was about to get a lot crazier!

March

March was a big month for us! We found out we were expecting Baby G #2 and shared the news with our families right away. We also had to move out of our apartment by the end of March because our initial closing date was the middle of the month. Like all construction, things were delayed, so we moved into my in-laws for a few weeks. 

April

In April, we closed on our house! We spent the first weekend after we moved in with my entire family celebrating my Grandpa's birthday. My parents came into town and helped us settle in. My morning sickness was kicking in pretty badly at this point so it was nice to have the extra hands.

May

In May we celebrated Mother's Day, announced our pregnancy, and Finn turned two! I wasn't feeling great throughout the early days of my pregnancy, so May was a bit of a wash, but we celebrated with a party at our house and Finn was surrounded by lots of love.

June

My workload was ridiculous this summer and in June things really ramped up. We settled into our house and spent lots of time enjoying the summer weather.

July

In July, David and I celebrated three years of marriage. We decided to schedule our anatomy scan on our anniversary. We went out to dinner and found out that evening that we were expecting a baby girl! The following week we traveled to the Adirondacks for a relaxing week with my family. I haven't had such a relaxing vacation in a long, long time. It was so fun to be with family, and I loved watching Finn play in the water and ride on the Adirondack train.

August

August was a hot one in Virginia, so we spent a lot of time cooling off in the pool. David celebrated his 31st birthday, and my belly grew even bigger. I started photography classes in August as well, and I loved every second of it!

September

September was wet! I think more than half of September saw rain! Ridiculous. Finn and I drove up to visit my parents for a weekend. Finn still talks about riding Papi's blue tractor and going to the zoo with Moo Moo. 

October

By October, I was freaking out about the pending arrival of Baby G. We finally got her nursery in order after the doctor told us we would likely not make it to her due date. (Lies). Finn dressed like a train conductor for Halloween and loved "trick or treating" for the first time. We also took maternity photos this month.

November

I spent much of November wrapping up projects at work and waiting for Baby G to make an appearance. I thought Baby would show up much earlier than she did, so for most of the month I was full of anxiety and was completed exhausted. My parents made it down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. The morning after, we welcomed sweet baby Reese Catherine to our family.

December

December was full of baby snuggles and toddler giggles. I kept Finn home from daycare in December. Though many people thought I was crazy, it was the best decision I could have made. I loved spending that time with him and it made me realize how much I love being a mom. My mom and sister came to visit for a long weekend, and it was so good for the soul. We decorated for Christmas and Finn met Santa Claus on the Christmas Train. Watching Sweet Finn open presents Christmas morning was the absolute best.