2010 Round Up

For those of you joining us here at the Bugle for the first time - Welcome! The history of the Bugle is that Matt and I used a phony newspaper article to tell our parents about our engagement, and it's since taken on a life of it's own - first with a few special editions, and now with our online version! It's turned into part online family journal and part photo album, with over 400 posts and 600 pictures in the past 2-plus years! Updates happen with varying frequency as you can see from our history, and are heavily weighted with kid updates and pictures - cause let's face it, that's what you want to see! Come visit us often (for real or online!) and let us know what you think!

In lieu of a Christmas update, I thought it would be cool to summarize the year in blog entries! The big event of 2010 was Roddie's arrival, of course, but there was lots of other stuff going on too! Since I am getting ready to head back to work, I am going to break it down by quarter:

First Quarter: Secrets!
We found out that we were expecting Roddie in mid December, so we mainly kept it under wraps through the first quarter - although several people were able to guess due to my severe coffee cutback! We also had another secret to keep - my sister Susan was visiting when she found out that Hartleigh was on the way, I literally read the test with Susan! I felt privileged to share this secret with them and am so pleased that Hartleigh has arrived! Also in the first quarter, it was no secret that Norah turned 2! We had a small party for her here at the house, where Curious George was the highlight! Along with turning 2 came some of the challenges inherent in the terrible twos - that continues, but she (and we!) are coping. My sister Erin and her now fiance Eric also finally made the move back to the East Coast - we were very pleased about that!

Second Quarter: Firsts!
Second Quarter was filled with a lot of firsts - it's when we first realized something was up with my pregnancy - I was regularly being asked if I was due any day already! It was also Norah's first trip to Promised Land State Park in PA, her first Spinners Baseball Game, her first fishing trip (Barbie rod included!) We had a first trip to the beach for the year, first camping trip of the year, had the first of many outdoor baths, first haircut and a first trip to Boston, on the subway! My sister Erin surprised me with a visit in June, and then we both surprised my sister Susan by attending her baby shower in Toronto. We also spent a lot of time and energy in second quarter working towards a second story addition to our house, which ultimately proved to be too expensive.

Third Quarter: Roddie!
The highlight of third quarter, of course, was Roddie's arrival in August! Leading up to his arrival, I was feeling pretty miserable physically. Turns out my ginormous size was due to a condition called Polyhydroamnios - or high amniotic fluid. In addition to my discomfort, this also led to a lot of extra doctor's appointments and stress, but ultimately, Roddie and I are both fine! He is a happy and easygoing baby. Norah started showing what a great sister she was going to be during this time as we prepared for Roddie's arrival, and also started to get the hang of potty training! We wasted no time in getting the kids out to the mountains, as we took a trip to New Hampshire when Roddie was only 5 weeks old!

Fourth Quarter: Maternity Leave
I've been off work since Roddie arrived, and that allowed us to do a little traveling - we went to visit my niece Hartleigh, who arrived in October and stopped in Niagara Falls for a day or two on the way. The highlight of this trip was seeing my parents with all three of their grandchildren at once - I am sure you could see the glow from space! Fourth quarter also included the first Halloween Norah really got into, and some challenging times with her as I regained my strength, both physically and emotionally. Some good pictures of the kids can be found here here and here. As I write this, Roddie has just reached 4 months and is thriving. He's ready to start daycare in the new year when I return to work.

Looking back, 2010 has been great, we've much to be thankful for, including great friends and family. Thanks for stopping by!