It's belated, but as my only new year's resolution is to blog more often so I can publish my posts as a family year book, I'll go ahead with "The Baileys' 2013 by the numbers..."
1 - mile. I started swimming to help heal my back, and after building up slowly over about 5 months, I can now swim a mile several times a week. I'm slow, but I can do it. After being unable to exercise for over a year, it feels so good to be strong again!
2 - job promotions. Chris moved from intern to "urology year 1" resident. He's really loved the change and has a stellar group of co-workers in the urology department at Mayo. And I was promoted to mom of 2. New perks include the 5 a.m. snug-a-thon and watching the boys learn to be friends.
3 - sewing projects. For an artistically challenged person such as myself, this is a break through. 2 recovered rocking chairs (umm, mostly done by my amazing parents while we waited for S man to arrive), new living room curtains, and an apron for Little J.
4 - weeks old. S man's age when we went to Nags Head in May. Now at 9 months old, he's already a seasoned traveler!
5 - visits from grandparents. We are so grateful they are willing to come all the way to Minnesota to see us! Don't worry, we know the kids are the real draw :)
6 - about how many words J could say at his 2nd birthday in Feb. His language development has truly taken off. Just last night, I overheard him teaching Sam, "The garbage truck opens like this to dump the load at the landfill. On Thursdays. See, that's amazing!"
7 - months of cold weather here in Minnesota. Thank goodness for hot chocolate, a reliable furnace, and a rockstar snow blower.
8 - months of S man in our family. It's been quite a treat getting to know this little adventurer.
9 - weeks Little J, S man, and I spent in Utah. And the boys were able to see all of their 9 cousins during those visits, what a treat!
10 - weeks Chris spent on each "quintile" rotation with different surgical services in the urology department.
11 - number of times I can answer questions that start with "Why" before I call a question break. Yep, we've already hit that stage. J's already delved into some pretty big questions, such as "Why are all the dinosaurs extinct?"
12 - surgeries Chris can now complete. This is approximate, but it is remarkable how much he's learned already.
13 - weeks of preschool. This fall, I organized a preschool coop with three other moms. The highlight was our trip to the fire station.
And, the year-in-review wouldn't be complete without the most recent photo shoot. Side note - The Target portrait studio was awesome - great deal, done in about 30 minutes. Yep, we're members now. So you might be seeing this background again :)
Here's to 14 new adventures in the coming year!
