Happy New Year?

So it is January and so technically, it is a new year, although it does not quite feel like it yet. Even though we spent the last few days filling grey bins with red ribbons, twinkly lights and colorful ornaments; even though our Christmas trees wait patiently at the curb for their less than cheery final destination; even though the TV is littered with commercials for exercise equipment for those short lived resolutions. Every indication is that it is New Year's but as I warm my 9 month old's chubby feet in my hands, damp and wrinkled from the bathtub, my New Years will be 3 months from now when he turns 1 year old!

It really does seem like our year began last April when we were blessed with our sweet dispositioned Avram. He was born the day before Easter, we had even gone to an Easter egg hunt that morning.


Shortly after he arrived, we sold our house in Chicago in just 6 short weeks when house after house was sitting on the idling real estate market. We managed to find a new house in Madison on just one trip, bought it and planned our move. We moved when Avram was just 2 months old and Dan and I both started new jobs! For me that meant, relicensing in another state, acquiring hospital privileges and learning a whole new clinic, 3 different hospitals and a whole medical system. Whew! Our lives really have been filled with tremendous blessings and equally tremendous stresses this "year". Each step was a true test of "give it to God," as he opened each door and traversed what seemed at times to be insurmountable odds.


As for Avram, what a wonderful baby to have when our lives were in such turmoil! He is the King of "go with the flow", even tempered, self reliant and always with a ready smile for anyone in sight. As things start to finally calm and we are finding our routines, he has developed a very strong mama attachment. He is at his rosy cheek happiest when slung on my hip. He does not really have stranger anxiety but definitely has the separation part. He seems to be fine after a few moments but it is often easier to pick up my little cling monkey than hear that very sad, remorseful wail!


So for the rest of our "year", I really don't have that much planned! We are still in recovery mode! Of course, we will be busy as usual and we will have some travels. We are looking forward to a trip to Virginia to see Dan's family later this month. We will also be heading back to Florida again in late March. We like to travel, however, after returning from our last trip, it finally felt like we were "home" when we walked into the house which was really nice.


Come April, when that baby digs in his cake with those short, fat fingers and scoops mounds of frosting into his mouth, we will also celebrate our new year! Kade and I will turn out our lovely large garden plot, the smell of damp soil around us. We will begin to transplant raspberry canes and strawberry runners. We will plant our cool weather seeds and watch the tiny pea tendrills reach up to grasp their trellis. Maybe we will even get some work done on our house!