The Year in Review

Today is the last day of 2008, which will always be remembered as the year our twins were born! And the year of the white Christmas but that's secondary. We started the year off still living at our friend's place while we waited for the construction of our house to be completed. Around the middle of January I started working fewer hours as I was 30-something weeks pregnant with the twins and very miserable. On the 24th we celebrated my 39th birthday AND signed the closing papers on our house! Moving was interesting, as all I could do was sit and watch and direct where things went.The next month or so was spent getting the new house in order, particularly the nursery! I was completely off work by then so I was home all day, but even so I could only do a little bit each day because it was so hard to move. I also started having twice weekly appointments at the maternal/fetal medicine clinic (high risk ob) so that got pretty hectic. Finally, on the 28th of February, our girls were here! The next several months were just a whirlwind of sleepless nights and adjusting to twin parenthood. Eventually we settled into a routine, although it seemed to change every two to three months as they grew and their nap and feeding needs changed. We made several trips to Crescent Bar over the summer which was always fun. The girls loved the baby pool and we got some breaks of our own to hang by the pool or take the boat out while the grandparents watched them. Also, I officially became a stay-at-home mom as to put them both in daycare would have consumed almost my entire salary. I had always wanted to be at home, anyway, I just didn't think I had the choice. But fortunatly it has worked out and it is both a huge blessing and a dream come true! They are now 10 months old and I'm starting to plan their first birthday party! Looking ahead to 2009, I think I will have lots of fun taking them to the park where they will actually be big enough to play on some of the equipment, taking them to the library for story time, and hopefully getting to know some of the neighbors better and having play dates with them. There will be many more trips to Crescent Bar, and one in which Paul and I will leave them overnight with the grandparents while we go wine tasting in Walla Walla or the Yakima Valley. In August we'll be spending a week at the Oregon Coast. Before you know it, we'll be celebrating Christmas again and the terrible twos will begin...