A year ago...

One year ago I peed on a very important stick and then two hours later we signed the papers to buy our house.  What a year it has been!

I was going to fill this post about all the things we want to fix/upgrade/change about the house, but I just watched a birth video and am feeling sentimental.  So we'll hold off on the things that we want to change and instead let's reminisce about all the things we've done in our completely imperfect home.

Travel back in time with me to 363 days ago.  We had both taken the morning off of work and I decided that it would be a good time to take a pregnancy test.  The best moment in the world was when I came out of the bathroom (Dillon didn't know I had taken the test) and I went up to Dillon for a hug and said "So, I'm pregnant".  And I looked up and he smiled immediately.  I don't even remember what he said but the fact that there was no hesitation, no processing, no look of doubt was so reassuring and wonderful.  

Then we went to the bank and bought ourselves a house.  The previous owner made us promise not to cut down the olive tree.  

A week or so later, when my morning sickness was in full swing, I was in my sister's wedding and approximately 40 people commented on how tired I looked.  Thanks guys, I was.  But I couldn't tell you that I looked so tired because I was COOKING A HUMAN BEING.  

And since then, I spent an incredible amount of time nauseated on the couch.  We painted and set up the nursery.  We brought in even more furniture than you would think we need.  We had panicky "oh God we can't just call the landlord anymore" moments.  I got bigger and bigger and bigger and figured out the best route to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I waddled my pregnant butt around the neighborhood.  I got to do something so special: I labored in my own home.  I held on to the bannister that my family made and I relaxed my way through labor.  We brought our baby home to this house.  I spent even more time on the couch recovering from giving birth.  We shared our house with all our relatives and friends and celebrated the day my son joined God's family.  I have walked miles and miles with that stroller around town.  Both Dillon and I know the places to step so that the floor won't creak after putting the baby in bed.  This is our son's first home.

Exploring the backyard with Daddy

First bath in the sink with the orange countertops

Backyard with Daddy

And soon, he'll be turning sticks into arrows and jumping off the patio outside this house.  We will have a play area downstairs.  We will make cookies in the kitchen and decorate Christmas trees and hang our stockings on our new bannister.  We will make memories.  And I couldn't be more excited to share this place with my son and my husband, and continue to make it ours, and to fill this house with memories!

A year ago we put this picture on facebook and said "Guess what we did today?".  And my aunt Laurie was right when she said "Judging by the smiles I would say you either bought house or made a baby!!! LOL"












P.S. This is what happened to the olive tree