Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas! I hope this letter finds you well. Not much news from me this year. Amber did much more than I! She took her first step, said her first word, and turned one year old. And that’s just scratching the surface! Eating, drinking, singing, dancing, teeth, running, playing, communicating, and just being so observant and smart! One of my favorite developments is she now loves books. Even if she doesn’t always let them be read all the way through, she picks out which ones she wants to read, and when!
Amber took her second trip to MA on a train this year. She liked the window and crawling in the narrow hallway. Amber went camping for the first time over the 4th of July, in a tent and all! She did well, even though she didn’t like swimming, and was so interested in everything else she skipped most of her nap time everyday we were Up North. Amber also flew on a plane for the first time, to MA for Thanksgiving. She was great! Slept pretty much the whole way there, and slept until about 10 – 15 minutes shy of the whole flight on the way back. Amber still loves being outside, even through she doesn’t want to touch snow. But her favorite place to be is with Mama, yay!
As for me, the biggest thing outside of Amber, was being the Maid of Honor in my best friend’s wedding in SC in October. It was the first time Amber and I were apart overnight, and it was for four days. But it was a busy four days so I made it through without issue, until someone would ask “Don’t you miss your baby?” Still, it was so great to spend time with Emily, and so nice to see Jericho and my godchildren. I wish I had more time with cuddly Douglas, energetic Tegrim, and princess Ezra. Hopefully soon!
It’s been a wonderfully full-of-family year. Mom flew out almost every month we didn’t go to MA. Dad has seen Amber almost every week we were home, Colette joining him a majority of the time. We’ve gotten together with cousins Derek, Ana C., and Tyler many times – it’s so wonderful they moved to MI. We’ve gotten together with cousins Reesie, Tamara, and Reese many times too – it’s so great they did not move out of MI. We have dinner with our neighbors Elizabeth, Nick, Greer and Addison pretty much weekly, both Amber and I look forward to it. We’ve visited Ma one shy of once a month, and various Aunts and honorary family members have come to visit and/or help more times than I can properly thank them for. Even Michael has come to visit four times this year!
Hope Everyone Has a Happy New Year!
(I should have waited to get letters from other family members before writing this. As it was, this version is little like my first draft, as I started remembered more and more things from the past year in the getting-too-little-and-interrupted-sleep haze. But I still forgot to mention the family reunion Up North over the 4th of July, spreading of Nana and Grandpa’s ashes, and who knows what else!)
(Also forgot the daycare swap- we left TT, but came back less than 4 months later)