2012 Recap

Well, there goes another year. It's a good thing. A place to start fresh is always nice. 2012 was a whirlwind for me. I felt as though I wandered around without my head a lot. I'm feeling like 2013 may be more for me. They say green is the color of 2013 so things are already headed in the right direction. Allow me a slight recap of our year... all of the good, the bad, and the ugly that I can possibly remember.

~Oia underwent dental surgery. Still feelin' guilty about that one.

~I struggled with a short but powerful bout of postpartum depression. That crap is no joke. It seemed to come early in the new year and lingered until almost summer. May I never, ever experience that again.

~We ventured with breath held nearly 800 miles to The Kaufman Children's Center in West Bloomfield, MI in hopes of a tiny miracle over our apraxic world. We got one. Nancy Kaufman gave it to us. Our lives not perfect, but forever changed. Oia's expressive language since then has exploded. There lies a big ol' black asterick next to this 2012 happening as this was by far the year's highlight for me.

~Oia got new glasses.

~I got a continued lesson on the fragility of life as I've witnessed my best friend battle her biggest dragon yet. Diagnosis' don't discriminate and breast cancer is no exception. This dragon, though, chose to take on an individual who is far stronger and faithful than any woman I know. The dragon has definitely left it's mark, but all that remains standing now is my Suzanne. And frankly, that's all that matters.

~Oia went to her first, non-therapeutic camp. She attended with the help of her shadow were she was exposed to all things turtle for 5 days. Not sure what she got from the experience but I'm glad we worked it out and she tried it.

~We vacationed at Myrtle Beach with one of our most favorite families ever, the Hampton's. The sand, sun, and company was much needed.

~Our baby Esme turned one. Then she learned to walk, all on her own and just like that. And as if that's not enough, the kid started talking. And stating her ABC's to h already, then skips a few to m,n,o,p. She even counts to 10. Seriously, she is just 17 months old. Who is teaching her this stuff?

~The biggest star of the show turned 5. What an amazing girl. Full of life. Full of unconditional love. Simple yet so complex. And FIVE!

~Rob and I celebrated our 8th year of marriage in August (we've been a couple for nearly 15 years!) Hard to believe.

~Heard the words "...wean her out of these braces" this year, which was a delightful shock.

~Oia jumps now, from and off of things. Sometimes she hops from room to room simply because she can. But usually, she just runs. I still remind myself of a time when we wondered if she would ever learn to walk without support. Boy, would she ever.

~Oia started her third and last year of Preschool.

~I tucked away a good bit of pride this fall and hired an attendant. Felt like such an unnatural thing to do as a mother but welcome to the wonderful world of special needs parenting. It's intense. The second item on this list could have possibly been avoided if only I had done this sooner. Oia demands constant one-on-one attention and she deserves it. But so does Esme. Life now with help is nice and just a handful of respite hours a week makes all the difference in the world.

~We potty trained Oia. She still wears a Pull-up at night but who cares? This girl is in undies all of her waking hours and she is equally as proud of herself as we are of her. She is even demanding privacy in the bathroom by choosing to lock us out. She's on her own.

~We pointed our toes towards the big dream of building a one-level home. Prayers for the quick sell of this house would be lovely. It's our only anchor in moving forward.

~Oia just had her first seizure last month. And some funky, mystery, month long rash that had the girl itching out of her skin. Both of which are not welcome back. Lord, it was awful.

~Esme ended the year with a double ear infection and Bronchitis. I, with just Bronchitis.

~And, Oia ended the year with her first loose tooth. Not sure I'm ready for the baby to start falling out yet...

I suppose that's the bulk of it. Not the best of years, that 2012, but certainly not the worst. But forward and onward to 2013. So much is waiting for us. So much to claim as ours. Day by day though... and one thing at a time, while giving thanks all along the way.