It’s still January, so I figure I’m still allowed to do “year end wrap-up” type posts and “new year goal setting” posts. We’ll start with the former.

2010 was a pivotal year in a lot of ways. I was pregnant for more than half of the year, became a mother, learned that my family would be staying in California for three more years, became a “PR Friendly” blogger, and exclusively breastfed my daughter (after breast reduction surgery). Some months, I blogged a lot, and other months, I hardly got anything posted. Sometimes photos were fantastic, and other times, well, an iPhone shot or two was the best I could do.

Here are the highlights… a few links to posts, and a photo from each month (that may or may not have been blogged at the time).

January

After many attempts, I finally figured out how to make homemade french fries. Crispy, delicious, soft in the middle, seasoned french fries. My husband and I were about to go to dinner, but I couldn’t resist experimenting. I remember sitting on the counter, eating them out of the paper bag with him.

(Zora sweetly cuddling her one and only surviving soft toy.)

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February

I was nannying for a family here, and their lemon tree was fruiting like crazy. They gave me about 5 dozen lemons to take home, and I set about finding creative ways to use them. This Raw Lemon Cashew Cookies recipe was really good – tangy, zingy little bits of lemoniness. And after a long time of only having the energy to post iPhone photos, I was very proud of the photography in this one.

(These sweet legs belong to the boy I was taking care of.)

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March

The baby’s room started materializing. Not so much in that it was for Anneliese yet, but I had begun to pack up my childcare things and clear a space for her. This was the beginning of the room I would remember as her first, where I spent the first weeks with her, nursing and cosleeping on her floor bed, changing all of her diapers, so my husband could wake up early and fly without being impaired by sleepiness.

(The start of our garden…)

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April

Crazy Pregnancy Dreams began. I had a bunch of them. I could really feel Anneliese moving around in there (like tumbling, not just butterfly flutters), and it was more than a little weird. I think I felt like I was almost finished with pregnancy, but I had no idea I would be pregnant for 10 months!

(My darling husband giving Zora a much-needed trim.)

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May

I officially started my cloth diapering journey, when my gDiapers, prefolds, and wet bags arrived. Very exciting!

(The two sweet sweet children I was taking care of, being so precious to each other.)

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June

I was sprucing up the house, not exactly nesting because I still felt exhausted, but I had ideas and wanted them carried out. I made a new dog bed for Zora and redecorated the living room.

(Probably one of my favorite family photos – and it was totally accidental. Look at Zora’s face and stance!)

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July

I finished Anneliese’s first bedroom, invented these grain free cookies of awesomeness (which I would later eat MANY of in the early days of nursing and not being able to scrounge up real food), went into labor at 40.5 weeks, continued to labor for two weeks (fielding induction questions). On July 27th, I got to meet my baby girl, and my husband and I became parents.

(The hardest, and most rewarding, day of my life. By far.)

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August

Anneliese’s birth story finally hit the blog, along with reflections on the first month of parenting: breastfeeding, stopping time, snuggling, loneliness, sleep, and more.’

(my curious girl)

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September

I started my gWhiz gDiapers 101 series, which I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback about (and several “you converted me!” emails). I also did my first official product review and giveaway (which also introduced me to the world of babywearing, since the sleepy wrap I already had wasn’t working out for us yet).

(This is what my husband was looking forward to from day 1 of the pregnancy… “flying” the baby)

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October

I wrote about all the visits we had gotten from family members. My mother, my sister, T’s dad, and my dad. It was pretty neat watching them with Anneliese for the first time. I also wrote a babywearing celebration post for international babywearing week. That was a fun (though time consuming) one – as I linked to many other babywearing posts, DIY how-tos, videos, books, and more.

(sweet snuggly nap with papa)

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November

Babywearing had become a daily event in my life, and I’d made a couple ring slings for myself and Anneliese to use. My old blog layout was outdated and no longer truly compatible with wordpress, so I made a new one, which I really like so far. As the holidays approached, I started wondering about what holiday traditions would develop for my little family.

(babywearing shadow)

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December

Somehow, Anneliese inspired a poem. I don’t write poetry, but there it is. Anneliese turned 5 months old, too.

(meeting her Gamma for the first time)

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