2010 was a really great year. The road of our lives took some radical turns and we are now headed down a completely new path. At the beginning of the year we announced our pregnancy, which started the flow of shopping, decorating, baby showers and thank you notes! Our first baby shower was in May in Indianapolis, the next one in June here in OKC. For the fourth of July we flew into SLC, had a big party and saw some friends before making our way to Green River, Wyoming to have a shower with my family. Lastly was my shower at work. I started at the bank last January and I knew I was pregnant when I interviewed. Of course I didn’t tell them that when I interviewed. I waited until I was about 14 weeks along and I felt like I just couldn’t hide the bump anymore. When I told my boss he said he just thought the “BOK Diet” had finally gotten to me. I think one of my most prominent features was my slender build and having people think that I was getting fat just didn’t sit well with me! I took a picture at 15 weeks and I was so excited to see my little bump pushing out of my t-shirt. It was the funniest to look back on because the further along I got the less pregnant I looked in that 15 week picture. Even now, 4 months post partum, my belly is bigger than it was at 15 weeks.
I’m posting the 15 week picture as well as the 40 week picture. This was the day I went into labor, although Reed wasn’t born until the next night at 9pm. In this picture I had just finished a 6 mile bike ride on my cruiser after waking up feeling quite crampy!
Another favorite about 2010 was the time I’ve spent with my wonderful friend Melissa. Ty was born in February and Mel and I started having breakfast together every week when Ty was just 10 days old. We continued like a tradition and only very seldom did we miss. Once Mel went back to work after 16 weeks of maternity leave, we moved breakfast to Saturdays, so it was the occasional weekend traveling that interfered. I watched Ty grow before my very eyes as Mel watched my belly grow every week. We picked right back up after Reed was born and we are still watching our boys grow up! I’ve learned a lot from her since Ty is 6 months older and now she’s on her 2nd, a baby girl due at the end of April. Here is a pic of Mel at the bagel shop when Ty was just over a week old.
Speaking of friends, 2010 introduced me to the wonderful Kelly Gospodarek! We met on her first day at the pool while we were both hugely pregnant. Sophie was born August 3rd, 25 days before Reed. Swimming was a very important part of my life while pregnant so I was at the pool 3 to 4 times a week. Running was out of the question because it was so uncomfortable but I was still biking in the mornings up until the middle of July when I discovered that I couldn’t comfortably reach my handlebars anymore! So I switched from my road bike to my cruiser and working out on the elliptical. I worked out almost every day of my pregnancy and fully credit my enjoyable pregnancy to it. I hardly had any swelling (that I noticed), I slept great every night, I didn’t have heart burn or any digestive issues and I skipped the morning sickness crap! Okay, I have to thank my mom for great genes and my chiropractor for the restful nights. So, Kelly and I swam together and our husbands turned out to have a lot in common as well so we all get to be great friends! Although Adam has been keeping a watchful eye on Reed whenever he’s around Sophie. I don’t blame him- he’s the father of an adorable girl, but I think he’s suspicious mighty early!
I love that some of my friends have had their babies so close to mine because we are the same and yet so different. I’ve watched as we all make individual decisions and they reflect our different personalities. There is no single correct way to raise a child. If there was, I’m sure they would come with a manual. Mel had Ty in February the day before Nicki had Aiden. Amanda had Piper in June and like I mentioned, Kelly had Sophie in August. 2011 is going to be a major baby year. I have 10, yes 10 friends having babies in 2011. Don't worry guys, I have a list in my blackberry to keep track of all the due dates and chosen names (when available) so I don't forget anyone!
Mike and I have always said that when we had children we would do our best to bring them into our lives and never stop doing the things we love. Reed has adapted very well and started attending his daddy’s races when he was 4 weeks old. Even when cross season started we just bundled him up and off we went! Cyclists are excellent baby makers. Go to any bike race and I promise you that you won’t only see a bunch of children running around the place but you’ll also spot a pregnant wife or two. The kids are running through the park and kicking up the leaves while Reed sits not-so-patiently in my arms waiting for the day he whirl about in reckless abandon.
Having a baby has given Mike and me a new appreciation and understanding for our parents lives. Sometimes I like to sit and hold Reed, looking down into his face and I imagine I am my mom, holding me and looking down into my tiny face. I think about the emotions and feelings I have for him and I know exactly how my mom felt. The picture in my mind is yellow tinged and I’ve slipped back to 1981, we are both wearing polka dot dresses and we are rocking in a big wooden rocking chair with a crisscross back. My mom was amazed just looking into my eyes and wondering what I will be when I grow up. I look at Reed and I think about the man he will become. A gentleman. Successful and driven, he’ll be the best friend anyone could ask for. Loyal and trustworthy and someday he’ll fall in love. He’ll think of a perfect way to propose to his true love and someday when he has a child of his own, he will be standing in the hospital room when his baby takes its first breath and he will know exactly how his daddy felt when he heard that first gasp. He will probably move away and I just pray that Mike and I have the means and are flexible enough to follow him around the country.
beautiful blog sweet friend! what an amazing year!
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