1 day until 2009!

November: This month was very special being as my baby turned ONE and we also moved into our first brand spanking new house...lot's of crazy yet memorable times!  I thought that 11-10-08 would be such a climatic pinnacle of emotion and relief for me but honestly it was just a happy, sweet day with lots of cake and presents for Noah.  This picture was Noah on the morning of his birthday, I already miss the fall leaves now that snow is everywhere!

December: The holidays have been crazy, but enjoyable! Noah took his first steps this month which was of course was a wonderful way to say goodbye too 2008 and hello to 2009 with toddler and no longer a baby!  

As I look back to my week of positive recaps from the last year, I have realized that in all my pessimistic worry about how shitty 2008 was, It truly was filled with a lot of happiness and a lot of blessings. Seeing all those pictures of Noah through the months, and reliving those memories was really therapeutic for me!  and while I  am SO ready for 2009, in a way it is bittersweet. My baby is looking more and more like a big boy everyday! Thanks for reading along on this journey with me, hope everyone has a happy and healthy new years and a lovely 2009!

2 days to go....

September: With fall rolling in I was pretty scared of my emotions, figuring the falling leaves and cool weather would bring with it a flood of anxiety and sadness about "this time last year". I was pleasantly surprised how good I felt, and how instead of a flood of these feelings, they were actually slowing creeping away.  Noah was baptized in September and regardless of the pouring rain, we had a nice celebration.

This picture is from my "month" pictures that I did every month on the 10th. This was the "10 month shot" and as you can see, Noah crumpled up the ten quicker than I could snap the picture. I was all frazzled at the time but now looking back I think it's really funny!

October: In October we geared up for Noah's "first halloween", the last of his "first" holidays. It was a busy month for us as we were gearing up to move, looking forward to Noah's first birthday, and generally just anxious for our house to be finished. Noah looked so cute as a little stinker ( skunk) on Halloween. We went pumpkin picking and Noah had his first taste of apple cider donuts. Mommy and Daddy also celebrated 3 years of being married this month. I love this picture because it really shows Noah's silly side, and I have to crack up at those skinny little chicken legs!

3 days to go....

July: In the summer I took advantage of my Monday's "off" and would go for a long walk with Noah first thing in the morning before it got too hot, of course I always had my big hunka camera in tow! I am fortunate to live in an area in NY that is packed with historical sites over looking the beautiful hudson river. On this day I was attempting to get Noah and the view in the shot...not one of my finest pictures but a good memory none the less. I am actually surprised at what a baby Noah was back then because at 8 months old he seemed like such a "big" boy to me! Makes me very nostalgic.... 

August: In August we took our first trip to the Cape, an all time favorite place of mine and my husbands both since childhood. Noah loved the ocean and the pool and we had a really great time on our first family vacation. I am already dreaming about our 2009 trip! 

4 days to go....

May: Noah turned 6 months on May 10th, what a milestone! I had always said if I could get through year one, we would be ok. The six month point was when we turned the corner, when things got a lot brighter! During the spring/summer months I really got a lot of practice out on my camera, and of course Noah was my model. We spent a lot of time in the backyard, this picture was taken in our yard on a cool day in may. I just love Noah's profile and his sweet face in this picture, it's actually one of my favorites ( out of literally thousands). It's kind of hard to imagine him as a little 6 month old now and in a way I think he looks a lot older in this picture. In May we started taking a lot of road trips, hiking, going to the lake, walking on the rail trail. It was the start of a lot of fun times for us as a family.

June: This picture is from a day at my parents house, Noah's first time in the baby pool. At first he was a bit turned off by the experience and the water was pretty cold, but he soon warmed up and had a great time splashing. I think it's funny that we never used that pool again throughout the whole summer since it was way too hot to be outside and I was always afraid he would burn. He did get to enjoy swimming in a big pool and in the ocean, but now until august! 

5 days to go....

March: In march right after our 4 month well baby visit the pediatrician called me back to refer us to a geneticist. She was not sold on it being a transient injury since as she put it, Noah was too normal. March was probably by far the worst month for me, the testing, the waiting, the what-ifs', They were testing for a whole array of metabolic disorders, some of which are fatal. It was truly unbearable at times. But not going to harp on that....

This picture was taken on our changing table, Noah was such a happy baby and I could never stay sad long after looking at this smiling face. March came in like a lion, and out like well...a lion, but it was the start of spring and the start of recovery for me emotionally. 

April: In april we got word that the metabolic tests came back normal, once again no answers to the famous "why", but it was truly a relief! Noah continued to grow, thrive, and develop on track, and the warm spring air was such a welcome change for me. I began to take Noah on long walks, exploring the countryside, snapping pictures of him all the way. Noah sat up unassisted at 5 months which was in April, I was so proud of him! Noah also started rice cereal this month which as we all know was not a big hit. This was the start of my struggle with getting Noah to eat, picky is an understatement! 

6 days to go....

I can't hardly believe that there are only 6 days left until 2009. Where did time go? I will also be turning 28 in 3 weeks so it feels like time is just ticking in my ear!  I have been able to truly enjoy the holiday season and have been doing a lot of reflecting on the past year and my hopes for 2009. I know that this blog hasn't always been the most positive thing to read but it's been filled with a lot of emotion from the past year. 

I want to leave off my last posts of 2008 with positive memories from the year since it was my baby's first year on this earth and those days were so precious to me. A lot of shit went down for us in 2008 but a lot of good happened to. Time to rejoice in the good for once! 

I am going to count down each day with two months, two pictures, and two memories from those months- enjoy a peek into Noah's 2008!

January: This first picture was taken last january, Noah was starting to smile on a regular basis and his personality was starting to emerge. Noah's smiles were a HUGE thing for me because it was the start of him hitting his developmental milestones on target and it was the start of me starting to chill out a bit and enjoy him! In January I also got over my fear of driving on the car alone with the baby and since I was still on maternity leave had a lot of fun going to the mall duringthe day and buying cute clothes for my little man. This picture was taken on a lazy sunday afternoon, Noah was cheesing it up for daddy.

February:

The second picture is from a weekend in february. My husband and I were going out to look for a new "mom" car for me and we dropped Noah off with my parents for the day. I was a wreck, still at the point where I didn't want to leave him. I had just gone back to work and was struggling with that and cherished my weekend time with my boy. I just LOVE this outfit and I remember that day so clearly. Shortly after tummy time Noah puked all over himself, and his adorable coordinated outfit!

Ba Hum B-U-G!

It appears that Noah's low grade fever with no symptoms evolved into a full blown illness within a few short days! Thankfully my mommy instinct told me to take him to the doctors yesterday, turns out he has an ear infection and conjunctivitis in BOTH eyes! I also have a really bad cold on top of my fall a couple days ago so it's just been a crazy week.

I have had a lot of holiday spirit this year and I am enjoying myself on top of the colds we have acquired!! I have so much to be thankful for this year and last year I was such a hot mess that I would take a bad cold any day over how I felt back then! 

Hopefully the antibiotics kick in in time for the Christmas celebrations!