The Adventures of Blueberry: Looking back on 2013!

The year all began with a bang as we ushered in 2013 as newlyweds (sort of) and looked forward to starting a family sometime during the year. Little did I know then that I would only need to wait two months before we found out we were expecting baby Blueberry. Hard to imagine that I only made it 2 months of 2013 with the freedom of not being a "mom" before our lives changed completely. I wish we would have lived it up a little more in January and February (although we did travel to ski in Colorado, we were mostly homebodies for once). From March 9, the day we found out were expecting, my life drastically changed. I made it through the morning sickness, despite getting sick during class a couple of times, made it through my body's changes as I grew larger, survived the heat of the Arizona summer (barely) while pregnant, traveled endlessly over the summer, started a new school year (with some of my favorite students and classes to date), and whipped through the labor, birth, and first two months as a mom (although not always gracefully).

Things I discovered in 2013:
- The best sound in the world is the sound of silence after you turn off the shower
- The best sight in the world is the sight of your baby's smiles after seeing your face
- Just how short 2 hours really is (the time between feedings)
- Just how fast 2 months really goes by (the time of maternity leave!)
- The wisdom of my "elders"- from my sisters-in-law who helped me with my endless baby questions, to my friends who took the plunge before me and loaned us so many hand-me-downs that shopping was easy!
- The power of grandmas willing to babysit
- The wonder of how to survive on 5 hours of sleep a night or less
- How to deal with heartburn- GAVISCON
- How to deal with Phoenix heat (I will never be as hot as I was all summer again, unless, of course, I am pregnant for another AZ summer, which I will do all I can in my power to avoid)
- For that matter, the value of air conditioning, short sleeves, and pools
- To enjoy Water Aerobics
- To enjoy Yoga!
- To enjoy "me time", "down time", "quiet time", "time at home", "Kyle time"--- TIME IS SO PRECIOUS!

I cannot WAIT to see what 2014 brings!! I can only imagine that my attention will be predominately focused on Emerson's ongoing development, many milestones, and what adventures this year is already scheduled to bring in travel, love, and life!

Cheers to a wonderful change (looking back on it all, it really is remarkable) and here's to many, many more memories and surprises in 2014!

Love,
Erica,
Kyle,
Emerson