2011: A Year in Review

January:

• We became a family of 3.

February:

• We adjust to being a family of 3.
• Kayla sleeps in a laundry basket. :)
• Packers win the Super Bowl.
• Kayla smiles for the first time (visiting our family in Virginia Beach.)
• Kayla meets her Aunts.

March:

• Kayla learns to love bath time.
• And naked time.
• We move in with Aunt Meg and continue trying to find jobs to move to the Midwest.
• Kayla celebrates St. Patty's Day.
• Kayla gets her first shots, and sleeps the majority of the afternoon.

April:

• Kayla's first road trip to the Midwest.
• Kayla attends her first wedding.
• Kayla get her first hair cut (mullet cut if you will.)
• We celebrate Easter.

May:

• We celebrate my first Mother's Day.
• We take some trips out of the house to meet mommy & daddy's friends.
• Kayla and Samson become best friends.
• We take our first trip down to the trailer as a family of 3.

June:

• We celebrate Daddy's first Father's Day.
• Mommy takes Kayla on her first flight (to Chicago).
• We go on lots of walks and I learn that I LOVE swinging.
• I go swimming for the first time (and LOVE it!)  (I have a bunch of photos from this I never edited.)

July:

• We take our second road trip with Aunt Megan and Samson to Chicago and Milwaukee (so Megan and Lauren can run the half marathon.)
• Kayla starts eating solid foods.
• Kayla learns to sit up, pull myself to standing and crawl.
• Kayla is Aunt Megan and Lauren's #1 cheerleader.
• Kayla gets woken up by the fireworks on the 4th of July.
• Kayla goes to her first Summerfest.

August:

• We take another road trip to Clarion, PA to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Hales and family.
• Kayla attends her first 2 birthday parties.
• We learn that we will be moving to Chicago.
• Kayla learns how to stand on her own.
• We celebrate Daddy's final birthday under 30. :)
• Kayla survives (read: sleeps through) her first earthquake (and hurricane if I remember my dates correctly.)

September:

• Kayla begins to shift weight/take very mini steps.
• We visit some monuments in Downtown DC before we move away.
• Gigi comes down to drive back with Mommy and Kayla.
• Mommy starts work in IL and Daddy has his last day of work in VA.

October:

• We adjust to a new life with a stay at home Daddy (with some help from Gigi and Uncle Brendan.)
• Mommy & Daddy celebrate their 2nd anniversary.
• Kayla walks for the first time.
• Kayla's first trip to Hawaii.
• We learn Kayla HATES sand.
• Kayla's first Halloween (she is a Hula girl at the luau.)  Quiet the memorable first Halloween.

November:

• End of our trip to Hawaii.
• Kayla's first Thanksgiving.
• Mommy's birthday (she's still safely in her 20s.) :)
• Kayla gets baptized (much to her horror.)

December:

• Kayla's first Christmas season.
• Daddy gets a job and we settle on an apartment.
• We make 2 trips to Milwaukee and 2 to Glen Ellyn.
• We spend a lot of time saying no and trying to keep Kayla out of trouble since she's been walking for at least 2 months now.

Needless to say, 2011 was the year of Kayla.  I heard a friend say that this was the best and the worst year of her life (she also had a baby this year.)  I would have to agree.  The highs with Kayla have been so very high, and the lows with PPD and our living/financial/general life situation were low.  I always end up doing some reflection this time of year.  Part of me wants to say "Thank God that's over.  Bring on 2012."  But I honestly don't feel right saying that.  This has been an amazing year.  Yes, being a mother is hard.  Not knowing where you are living is hard.  Being a working mother is stinkin' hard.  Living off of one income is hard.  Living with family (even though you love them infinitely) is hard.  But we made it.  Justin, Kayla & I are a stronger family for it.  Yes, I cannot wait to see what 2012 brings us.  But, despite our difficult times, I will really miss 2011.  I'll never get to be a first time mom again and I will cherish every second of it, even if it was difficult and at times hair-pullingly aggravating.