A Year in Review: Thanks 2008!

So, we are not in Boston today as we had planned. Ade's 18 month checkup was supposed to be Monday morning, but she threw up on the way there. We rescheduled for yesterday afternoon, and sure enough she started getting sick. Dr. Wilson said she has RSV, a common infant virus. I called the airlines, and cancelled our flight, and we are hoping they will waive the cancellation fee. We are disappointed, and Ryan is really heartbroken as we haven't seen his side of the family since May. We plan to head up Jan. 16 instead, so I am leaving everything packed. Our trip will be much more enjoyable without a sick baby! Ade is also confirmed as advanced in speech and petite in size (4% in weight, but 20% in height).

We have 5 days at home with a sick Adelaide instead of a trip to Boston. Hmm. We did join the YMCA, and are really excited to start working out again as part of a join New Year's resolution. Also, we get to bring Ade to the playhouse there for 2 hours a day included in our membership, so that will help a lot on weekends.

I thought I would post a little year in review, looking back on our zany year. First, let me share pics that show exactly how much Ade has changed throughout 2008:




We spent the first few months of the year renovating this house, and then moving on St. Patrick's Day. In Feb. I took Adelaide to Pgh by myself on a plane, in March Ryan headed alone to Boston, and then in April I went to Armonk leaving Ade alone with daddy for the first time. In May we all visited Boston. We went to Disney in June, and had Ade's big first birthday. In the summer, we started seriously sweating the economy as our house sat on the market unsold. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary in Myrtle Beach as usual in August. In September we moved some renters in to the other house, and really got serious about saving money after our first trip away together to Chicago. We visited Pgh in September, and found out my NCSU classes were being cut. As the economy kept getting worse, we made more and more adjustments. In November we closed on our primary mortgage, and this month we have finally seen things begin to settle down. I picked up some courses to teach at Chatham in the Spring, and think things may have changed for the better. Ade has become a running and talking person, as she changed so much over the course of the year. We have learned so much this year, financially, and as a family.

Our goals for 2009 are simple: keep it simple! No buying or renovating houses, and no more major expenses or time-involved projects. We want to plan travel around visiting family, and make our lives a little easier. We intend to work out, stay healthy, do a little landscaping and gardening, and focus on the things that make us happiest. I think we can really make this an excellent year!