Farewell 2011

It's extremely bittersweet for me to bid farewell to 2011 - if you had told me this time last year how 2011 would have played out, I wouldn't have believed you! It's been the most amazing year of my life, that's for sure!

2011 didn't get off to the best start for me, and I had begun wondering when my luck would turn around. I believe my very first post of this blog goes into detail of the events leading up to that positive pregnancy test. Right after Christmas I was extremely ill with some kind of infection.....shortly thereafter I was diagnosed with the flu, which I'm sure I caught while my immune system was down from my last infection. Then, I suffered a pretty awful back injury after falling down icy concrete stairs in a parking lot, which kept me from walking and out of work for almost two weeks. I was certainly down on my luck, feeling sorry for myself, and feeling like there was no way my year was going to turn around.

Then, just a month after all of the aforementioned drama, I found out we were expecting the unexpected - our first baby. We had been planning to try to conceive this year, but just not quite so soon! Our last big blowout trip to New Orleans that we had been saving for months for was just 10 days away - we couldn't be pregnant already! That sure threw a kink in our plans. But, the initial shock faded and quickly turned to joy....and we had a wonderful trip! I was on cloud nine the entire time. Everything just seemed more beautiful as I walked around knowing the miracle that was taking place within. When I think about that trip, all I can do is picture myself with a proud grin on my face the entire time. And even though we weren't sharing the news with anyone quite yet because we wanted to make sure everything was fine with the baby, I pretty much announced the news to every single stranger there on that trip. No one would ever have known if things hadn't worked out, and I was able to get the news off my chest and out in the open!

The pregnancy was nothing short of amazing for me - it was something I had dreamed about all my life. I wanted nothing more than to experience being pregnant. It was such a foreign thing to me....whenever I saw a pregnant women, I just wondered how it felt - it was such a surreal concept and I probably just stared in awe. And looking back, it still seems surreal even having now gone through it. But, I know other people must feel the same as me because I would get those same crazy stares when I was out in public!

And then came Ronan - the day he was born was something so indescribable and incredible. I will never forget it as long as I live and am forever grateful for it. He is the most incredible miracle to us! So, as I say goodbye to this year tonight, I will be looking at our beautiful baby's face with gratitude and looking forward to the year to come. I vow to cherish every single moment as we watch him grow this next year. And I wish everyone a very healthy and happy New Year! Enjoy every moment and may you all get everything you wish for in the new year!