10.

{Kicking off 2012}

And now for your reading pleasure, here are my top 10 most memorable moments of the year 2012. In no particular order...

1. Lynn called my number in the four o'clock hour on January 16th and said, "You've been chosen by a birth mother." My brand new four year old was sitting on the couch, I was in the kitchen, Bryan was at work. I leaned my elbows on the kitchen counter to brace my shaking arms and asked if she was serious. She was.
2. I woke up on January 31st and immediately went to my computer to blog about the dream I had about Baby Girl. Little did I know, I was writing it about an hour before she was born. Over the next few days, we got to hold her, take her "home" from the hospital and subsequently experience an obscene amount of anxiety...then almost as suddenly as it began the anxiety was just gone and we were sent on our way with our daughter. 
3. Seeing Simon become a big brother who loves his little sister has been a highlight of every single day of my life this year; he is so good with her. Watching them together reinforces my belief that God orchestrated all of this some how. 
4. One of my favorite things about having kids is watching them learn right before my eyes....so watching Simon learn to read has been nothing short of amazing to me. In October he could sound out a short word if he was really, really trying and now he can read sentences like "Mom, Pop and Peg had fun in the hot sun" or "Do not fret, we will go to the vet." I freaking love it.
5. On that same note, seeing Cecilia lunge forward army crawl style for the first time was so unexpected and remarkable...and Simon jumping and yelling with excitement made it all the more sweet.
6. Cheering on Simon as he took his first strides in his first running race literally had me fighting back proud, happy tears. Seeing his determined, serious little face was just too much for me.
7. Putting Simon on the bus for the first time wasn't exactly a highlight per se, but it was certainly a moment that carried some weight.
8. On Thanksgiving I said to Bryan, "It'd sure be nice to have a dishwasher by Christmas," and he responded with a simple "OK." True to his word, in plenty of time before Christmas dinner we had a functional dishwasher and essentially a new kitchen to boot. The joy hasn't worn off yet; I doubt it will for a while (the dishwasher is humming away in the background at this very moment). 
9. Every time I finished a new hairstyle for Cecilia this year I thought, "Looky here! A white lady can do chocolate hair!" With the conclusion of each new style came more confidence, skills and bonding time with a certain little miss. I was intimidated by this aspect of having an AA child, but now it's something I love. Maybe by the end of 2013 she'll sit perfectly still for me. Seeing as she'll be almost two, it'll probably be worse...we shall see. 
10. There have been so many great moments for/with my friends and family as well this year that have stuck with me: Watching my husband finish another half ironman. Hitting mile four, five and six with my mom. A text with a picture of a positive pregnancy test. The birth of two God children. The birth of a baby just two weeks after Cecie that has really bonded us moms. Seeing the photo of the home my older sister would come to live in and thinking how grand it looked (and later marveling at how her that house really is). Cheering my other sister as she ran 26.2 miles (in the time she wanted). Seeing the grown up place of a new college grad. Hearing "I got a puppy! He just puked, let me call you back." Hearing "Our portfolio has been submitted." Hearing "My kids have been playing soooooo nice together." Hearing "The procedure worked." And oh, so many more. 

To say it's been a great year wouldn't be saying quite enough. I wonder what 2013 will bring...

Happy New Year :)

{Finishing off 2012}