A Reflection on 2009, A Recovery Year
Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 1:52PM Courtney 2009 was a year of recovery for our family.
In 2008 we had plans and were excited what would come with a new baby in the house. Sadly it ended with us having to bury our new little one and go through the hardest thing we have ever gone through. It was incredibly painful for us to even want to start a New Year and move on from the past but we did. We got through the rough end of 2008 and had a new hope for 2009.
My goals of 2009 were to endure the best I could for my family, get healthy, and eventually get pregnant.
Only three goals, all very hard but ones that I actually did accomplish for the most part.
From January 2009-July 2009 I worked on our diet, went to the gym on a regular basis, got hooked on the 30 Day Shred and became very passionate about healthy eating. I got myself into a body that I could be happy about again and was excited with what I was learning about food. I diverted all the bad feelings I could have had from the situation and found positives that opened up new passions for me. Than, I got pregnant and I let a sort of depression take hold of me in the first and second trimester. I didn't care about what I was eating and spent several days on bed rest so my exercising went out the door. I am now recovering from being careless and getting back into my passion.
Here is a few months that really stood out for us this year:
In February 2009, we took a family vacation to Florida. We stayed with B's Grandma in her amazingly cool retirement community and got to take Avery to Disney World for the first time! We also started a fun little competition with our friends doing an at home Biggest Loser Challenge! It was a lot of fun and in May the results would be posted! I started the competition at 140 (already down from 157 after coming home from the hospital).
In March. Avery turned two and with it came a whole new side to our little girl. I reflected on her first two years of life and loved to see how much she had changed in such a short amount of time. We also welcomed our first nephew into the family at the end of the month!! It was very exciting!
May was a great month for us because we got to do the March of Dimes walk with our friends and family in memory of Ashlyn Rose! It also was a special mothers day for me, one that for the first time I was a mother to an angel so it was very bitter sweet. I also went a little crazy and colored my hair red (which I loved but it was extremely hard to maintain!) and we won the Biggest Loser challenge. I finished at 126, which was a loss of 14 pounds and I think B helped to bring us into the led with another 6 pounds!
August became the busiest month of the whole year. We found out we were pregnant and due in March. Brian and I went on a work trip to San Diego (well he worked and I sat around at the pool!), our family came up to visit for while and than we headed to Myrtle Beach for a trip with some friends. It was so insanely crazy that I almost don't know how we did it but in the end it was a blast and within a year period we got to go to the east coast, west coast, gulf coast and the mountains! Talk about some fun travel times!
October was another month to enjoy, mainly because I love fall!! October in Kansas City means lots of festivals including my favorite the apple festival, a visit to the pumpkin patch and Halloween! Halloween was a blast and Avery loved being a pirate this year, I think she is really starting to understand the holidays which only makes them so much better for a parent! We also found out on the 30th that we were having a third little girl and that everything with the ultrasound was looking fantastic! It was a little relief in a tough pregnancy!
December was a bittersweet end to the year. We had Ashlyn's one year anniversary, and the holiday hustle and bustle. It truly was a great ending to the year, we got almost a foot of snow the week of Christmas and wonderful time with family and friends.
As we look forward to 2010, I am hoping to it will be a year of new beginnings for us. We are expecting in March, Avery will turn 3 and I want to continue my quest for healthy eating, green living and just having a happy wonderful time with my amazing husband and beautiful daughters!
Check out my post tomorrow about my goals for 2010!
Reader Comments (3)
I think you have the cutest little girl in the world, Courtney! It's definitely been quite a year for you. I think I've told you this before, but I think you are so inspiring. Look at all you've accomplished and ARE accomplishing!!! I think 2010 is going to be an awesome year for your family. Happy New Year!
Your 2010 sounds like it will be wonderful. So many blessings in store.
I'm so very sorry for your loss... that is every mother's worst nightmare. I am so sorry. I can't imagine it and I have no words.
I agree 100% with Cassie. You are most definitely inspiring me!! You had so much going on in 2009! I wish you all the best in 2010. I think it's going to be a great year!!