2012 Year in Review

It's hard to believe that last week marked the 2 year anniversary of me moving to South Carolina.  It continues to be one of the best decisions we've ever made and I would advise anyone who dreads going to work everyday to look for a new job, even if it means moving away and starting over, it's worth it.  Last year I recapped each month (here), this year since 3/4 of it was spent pregnant I've decided to recap each quarter instead.

January/February/March

We started off the year with a quick dining room makeover:

Before

After

But what stands out the most about the first quarter of the year was how we spent it with Big Blue fever as our beloved Kentucky Wildcats won game after game and reached their eighth national title.  Basketball related highlights of the spring included attending the slaughter (I mean game) in South Carolina in February, having the Bitters' visit for two tournament games, and our impromptu trip in March to the Bluegrass State to witness the frenzy firsthand during the Final Four.

April/May/June 

The first trimester of my pregnancy was thankfully a breeze and filled with so much excitement and joy... and secrets.  We tried to carry on as normal as possible, never mentioning to family, friends, or coworkers that there was a tiny baby starting to grow inside me.  By May we had official pictures and heard a strong thumping heartbeat.  Highlights during these months include a visit from Matt's parents for Mother's Day, our beach vacation with the Crawford's, and then at the end of June taking a trip to KY and TN to make our big announcement.

Coon Pit Reunion 2.0, Ellie will have a new playmate at the next one!

 The bump evolution the first few months of pregnancy:

July/August/September

My second trimester was even more fun than the first because at the beginning of July we finally went completely public with our news and everyone was just as excited as we were.  We found out we were having a baby girl, took a trip to Western Kentucky to see Gran, Matt started working on the nursery, and we had a relaxing beach weekend with the Wheeler's to wrap up the end of the second trimester.

It's a girl!  And she waves hello to us!

Fun times at the farm over Labor Day weekend

The nursery comes together

Lazy beach weekend at Wild Dunes in September

The bump keeps growing:

October/November/December

The third trimester was full of family and traveling.  In October we headed back to Kentucky for the fourth and final time this year to attend the most beautiful baby shower I could have imagined.  Then at the end of October we had another beach weekend, this time with the Mack's on Folly Beach.  In November we hit the road again to spend Thanksgiving in Oak Ridge with both of our families and by December I had become the stereotypical, giant pregnant woman who couldn't do much besides lay on the couch and waddle around helplessly as I finish my part of growing this girl.

Candy bar!!!

3 generations- proud Grandmas-to-be pose with the bump

Taco Boy at the beach, the perfect lunch spot

Thanksgiving 2012- so much to be thankful for

 The bump becomes a beach ball:

We keep hoping that we might end the year holding our baby, but with 2 days left and no signs of any progress at my 39 week appointment two days ago, it doesn't seem likely that this little lady will arrive before her due date.  Thanks for following along on this journey with me this past year, the blog has been such a great way for me to document the pregnancy for myself and I feel honored that friends and family faithfully read it and are interested enough to keep coming back to check in on us!  I will definitely try to keep it up in 2013, although it might just be a bunch of baby pictures with very little else (not that my Mom or Peggy would object to that).  From our little family of three to yours, I wish everyone all the very best for the coming new year!