myJaxonIf we don’t go crazy once in a while, we’ll all go crazy. - Hawkeye

The new year started us out in yet another new town with a new apartment. Jesse took a job with Entertainment Publications, which had us moving to the east side of the state. After some unreturned phone calls, I finally found another OBGYN that I loved. I actually had one doctor not call me back because of how far along I was.

I celebrated my 27th birthday and the delivery of our first child in February. One bad winter night, Ian decided to be impatient and arrived early. Eight hours after entering the hospital, Ian Hawthorn was born on the 26th at 5:02 am. He weighed in at 7 pounds and 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

March was a little nerve wracking when Ian developed RSV at 11 days old. After 24 hours in the hospital, two weeks of sleeping on the couch with Ian, and a lot of help from the new grandparents, Jesse and I finally began to get our sanity back. Our sleep was still off, but at least Ian was feeling better and was showing it. He began to interact more by following objects with his eyes and he started smiling.

April had us at the mall so Ian could experience his first visit with the Easter bunny. He was so tiny in the bunny’s arms that you really have to look to see him. Jesse wasn’t crazy about me taking our 4 week son to sit in a guys lap, but it was his first Easter. I doubt we’ll do it again next year. Although, amazingly enough, Ian slept through the entire experience, so I have no idea what he thought of the Easter Bunny.

Ian started sleeping a lot better in May, which meant we started getting more sleep. We were still getting up with him a couple times a night, but there were longer intervals between each time. Plus, my best friend PJ (I’m sorry, Trish) had her first son, which also happens to be my godson. Christopher David was born on May 23rd. We’ve definitely gotten the boys together and they’ll keep both of us on our toys, I’m sure. Memorial day weekend also gave Jesse and I a chance to catch up on our sleep. Ian spent the weekend with Nana. Eight hours of continuous sleep….yeah, not really. I was still getting up thinking Ian was there. I think the last night he was gone I actually made it 5 hours before realizing he hadn’t woken me up. I also managed to only call my mother once a day while he was gone. I would like to mention this took a lot of will power.

We had Ian in the pool in June. He didn’t like it at first, but once we took him out of the floater that we bought for him, he really took to it. He doesn’t like to be splashed, but he loved swimming with Jesse or I and watching the water. Ian also became more vocal and it was amusing watching him make sounds at nothing in particular. June also started the beginning of the “year of weddings”. Joslyn was the first to get married and then she ended up moving to Colorado. I was sad, but I was already on the other side of the state, so we weren’t getting together as often as we used to.

It began to get easier to entertain Ian in July when he realized he could sit up and play with toys on his own. He loves to sit next to his toy chest and pull the toys out. He didn’t know how to put them away yet, but he would let us do that for him just so he could pull them all out again. You could definitely see Ian’s personality start to take shape. If he wanted something, he would let you know it.

Ian started to roll around on the floor in August. Jesse and I realized that life was going to get interesting when we noticed Ian wasn’t where we put him, but a few feet away. He figured out that he could get places by rolling or spinning his body. This just led him to figure out the commando crawl, which he had mastered by the end of the month. Our second wedding also occurred this month and Jesse stood up as a groomsman at Jordan and Beth’s wedding.

While this was a happy time, there was a moment of sadness when we realized that we would have to give Chaos away. She never really adapted well to Ian’s presence and she became more aggressive. Although she never attempted anything with Ian, we felt that it would be best for everyone if she wasn’t around. We couldn’t find another home for her, so we had to take her to the Humane Society. While we didn’t want to do it, we were left with no choice. All year long, we had tossed the idea back and forth and since we finally made the decision, I didn’t want us backing out.

Labor Day weekend had a surprise for us…Ian’s front bottom teeth popped up. Finally, after 2 months of teething, it was over…for a little bit. Jesse and I made another trip to Orchard Beach State Park with Jordan and Beth, but this time Tim and Kathleen came with us instead of Brad and Erin. We had a lot of fun and it was a little strange pumping while camping. Ian spent the weekend with Nana again, so he wasn’t there to help relieve any pressure. I also started the insane project of scanning all of the family photos. I’m still working on them. My sister also decided to get married in a hot air balloon instead of going with a more traditional wedding. She was only engaged for about a month (no she isn’t pregnant), but she wasn’t looking forward to planning a wedding or looking for a dress so they decided to do it quick and easy. Ian and I went down to Ohio for the wedding and he got to see his first hot air balloons. He even got to help chase them down and had fun at the landing site with all the bubbles in the air. Funny thing was, my sister ended up landing in a church’s parking lot, so she still ended up getting married at a church.

Heaven did not help us when Ian mastered crawling in October. Once he figured that out, he didn’t sit still for any length of time. We also didn’t count on how quick he could be and he had us running a couple of times. Jesse and I also celebrated our 4th anniversary together. Although in reality, we had been together 8 years and it really doesn’t seem like it. We also had two more weddings this month. Matt & Carrie tied the know the weekend before our anniversary and Brad & Erin tied the know the weekend after. We must have picked a great time to get married, two other couples picked the same time! These were weddings #4 and #5 of the year. There was still one more wedding (William and Charleen) in November, but with it taking place in Virginia, these were the last ones we were going to. Halloween was also a fun time. Ian dressed up as Pippin from Lord of the Rings (as a Citadel guard from the third movie) and went trick or treating at Jesse’s work. He was definitely an adorable little hobbit.In November, Jesse took part in National Novel Writing month. He had to write 50,000 words by the end of the month, which gave him a start on a novel. His book, Sinblade, is still in the editing process, but once he’s done with it, it’ll be available to buy online at Lulu.com. Ian started eating table foods this month which allowed him to enjoy his first Thanksgiving. He sat at the table with all of us and ate off of my plate. He really enjoyed the sweet potatoes.

Christmas was a little strange this year. For one, I received a new shiny laptop a couple of weeks early and since it was from most of the family, I really didn’t have anything under the tree. However, I had fun helping Ian unwrap all of his toys. I’m still waiting for Jesse to tell me what he wants. He keeps saying nothing since he got me the laptop, but I’m not going to let him get away with that. He’ll get something, but he may have to wait a month or two for it. Ian ended up with a walker that is allowed him to get the idea a lot quicker than I’m ready for. Jesse and I saw his first 4 steps this afternoon and we just know he’ll have it mastered by the time he turns 11 months. We also figured out that we’re going to start looking at buying a house when our lease is up in June. We know we want to stay in this area, but we’re definitely going to need help since this will be our first place. I’m excited for it. I’m tired of moving and I can’t wait to finally be able to decorate my own place. Although, I’ll be even more excited if we get to buy new furniture and get rid of all the second hand/college grade stuff that we currently have.

The year is almost over and I’m still aging. Haven’t they found a cure for that yet? I’m no longer closer to 20, but closer to the big 3-0 and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. Ask me how I feel in a couple of months when I have a birthday. Although, I’ll probably be concentrating on Ian’s first birthday than enjoying mine. We’ll see what Jesse does for it.

Happy New Year Everyone!