12.31.10- Day 365

It's the end of 2010! This has been a big year for us! Here's a recap of what's happened in 2010...

January- We found out that we were expecting a baby. We were thrilled and nervous at the same time. Alan finished his first full year of nursing and Susan finished her first semester as a school physical therapist. We visited Beloit, KS for our friend, Allie's, wedding.
February- We announced the good news about the pregnancy to friends and family. I turned 26. We travelled to Kansas City to visit our friends Paul and Bethany.
March- We celebrated our 4th anniversary. Alan had a long awaited hip surgery to fix his labral tear.
April- Alan spent time recovering from surgery and I just chugged along at work.
May- Alan went back to work, I finished the school year, and we revealed that we were having a boy at our gender reveal party.
June- We spent a lot of time getting the house ready for baby and said goodbye to our friend, Sarah, as she headed to Sierra Leone for 6 months.
July- My parents came to Denver to help get the nursery ready. We travelled to Northern California on our babymoon. Alan started applying for CRNA school.
August- I started back to work for my second year in the school system. More CRNA applications. Alan turned 27.
September- I finished everything up at work and got ready for Caleb's arrival. Alan took 2 weeks off and my parents stayed with us for a week after Caleb arrived on September 26th. Birthing our first son was the most difficult thing I've done, as well as the most rewarding.
October- We spent a lot of time just getting used to having a baby. Our friends, Paul and Bethany, came to visit in early October. My sister, Stephanie, and her husband came to visit in late October. Alan interviewed at KU for a position in their CRNA program.
November- We celebrated Thanksgiving with friends and the Hunts. Caleb turned 2 months old and started smiling. Parenting became more and more rewarding.
December- Caleb really started to light up our lives as he is growing and changing everyday. Alan interviewed in Denver at 2 hospitals and in Rhode Island for CRNA positions. Alan was offered a position at KU in late December, which he accepted. My family came to visit just before Christmas. Caleb was dedicated at church. We spent Christmas with Alan's family. Now, Paul and Colby are visiting over the New Year's holiday. Plus, we got our first big snow of the season.

Although I'm nervous about the next year in many ways, I'm also very excited about it. We have many transitions that will happen, including selling our house, buying a house in Kansas City, moving, Alan starting a 3 year graduate program, finding a new job, leaving my beloved current job, and watching Caleb grow from infancy into toddlerhood. I think this upcoming year will be challenging, stretching, but also full of joy. I kind of feel we are transitioning into our "real" adult lives. I'm so proud of Alan and the career he is pursuing and I'm so thankful for my dear little son. I pray that during the next year I learn how to be a better wife and mother to the two most important people in my life! Here's to 2011!