2012: Year in Review

I have never been a huge fan of New Years. I for some reason always feel a little down....I think it's the passage of time, and feeling like another year has gone by without me accomplishing much. I don't really feel that way this year. Maybe because we're having such a nice, lazy, family day today...or maybe because it was such an eventful year. It was a tough year in many ways, but definitely eventful.

I blog mostly for myself...so I'll remember things. I so regret not blogging when Connor was a baby--there are so many details I don't remember about his first couple years. I have seen other people create "blog books" and I really need to figure out how to do that, so I can have all these memories on paper as well as in cyber space. Just so I can remember, here is a little Larsen year-in-review:

January 3: Connor gets his cast removed (he had broken his leg in mid-December and was such a good little trooper).

January 6: We find out we're expecting baby #2. This was a planned pregnancy, so I should have been really excited, but I was nervous from the start. Read about it here.


April 4: We find out via Level II ultrasound that we are having another boy. For both kids, Mike and I have asked the technician to seal the gender in an envelope for us to open in private later. On the ultrasound, they saw a little "light spot" on the baby's heart which is a MINOR marker for Down syndrome. None of the major markers were there, and our chances were still 1:360, so we put it out of our minds.Read about it here.

April: I officially make the decision to take a break from teaching to stay home with my kiddos. I knew in my head for a long time, but it was hard for my heart to make the final decision. Read about it here.

June 25: I get put on modified bed rest due to contractions and a positive ffn test. Sucky. Read about it here.

June/July: I make multiple trips to the hospital for preterm labor. They finally put me on some meds to supposedly ease the contractions. Poor Connor spent the summer bouncing between day care and time with a lazy mom on bed rest.

July 30: I go to bed with contractions that are about 12 minutes apart. I should have known it was real labor, but I'd had so many false alarms....

July 31: Our little Bryce was born at 8:40 am. About 20 minutes later, the nurses share their concerns that he may have Down syndrome. The entire week is an emotional blur. Read about it here.

August 1: It is confirmed via blood test that Bryce has an extra 21st chromosome. Read about it here.

August 24: We finally get to bring Bryce home from the hospital after 24 long days of ping-ponging between my boys.

September 15: Our loving families and friends attend the Bryce James Larsen benefit and raised more than enough money to pay off our medical bills. Read about it here.

October: We start the ball rolling to get Bryce enrolled in Early Childhood Special Education.

November 15: My big boy turns 3. This was a tough one for me...he is no longer a baby! Read about it here.

End of November: Mike starts a new job at Best Buy and is so much happier. Despite it being busier and more time consuming, I feel like I have my husband back after a year of being miserable at work.

December 22-26: Family Christmas celebrations--a reminder of what great families we have and how blessed we really are!

It was definitely an eventful, challenging year. But in the end, I have two healthy, happy little boys.One of my greatest blessings came out of 2012. I have adjusted (for the most part) to being a stay at home mom, and we still have a roof over our heads and food on the table despite cutting out a big part of our income. We are blessed, and it is my goal to never forget that. Happy New Year, everyone!