Okay, so Jen asked me to sit down and write a Christmas letter to send out with our card and post on our blog. I gotta tell you, this is tough. I really have no idea what to write about because nothing really happened to us this past year.
That's sarcasm, for all you Nebraska folk (I kid)...
Looking back over 2009, I can hardly believe all that has happened and how much TV I have watched - all in the same year! Obviously there's one BIG event this past year in our lives, (and if you don't know what that is, you haven't been paying attention). The spillover (fallout?) from that has affected every corner of our lives in ways, a year ago, we couldn't have possibly dreamed.
It's been a year of firsts for the two of us. Uh...make that the three of us.
All neat and pretty? On with the show....
Jan - March:
There will be a memory burned into my head for the rest of my life. Jen and I are at Ted's Montana Grill having lunch before her doctor's appointment. It's January 20, Jen's birthday. The TV at the bar across the restaurant was playing President Obama's inauguration. Jen and I are sitting there in the booth, waiting to eat but almost too anxious to do so. Today's the day we find out if we're having a girl or a boy! We were nervous about the news we were going to get, but we knew whatever they told us, we would be happy. Fast-forward a few hours and we're getting some dire news about the state of the pregnancy. The words "procedure" and "bedrest" were being used. We were anxious about the news we would get from the doctor, but we didn't expect that. So began the adventure of the last two semesters of Jen's pregnancy. She had to take off of work for an indefinite amount of time (and she never could go back). Bedrest. A cerclage to stabilize the pregnancy. All scary and unexpected things. But we knew the baby was healthy. And it was a girl. That was something to focus on. Good news.
Only days after being let out of the hospital from the procedure, we were moving into our new house. I was so glad we had already taken care of so much stuff getting the house ready. All our friends and family came to help (thanks again, y'all) and we settled in to what would be our new life. Jen resting on the couch all day, in the bed all night. Weekly doctor's appointments to make sure the cerclage was working. Repeat.
And that was really it. Jen's bedrest (not to mention the winter cold) limited our activity drastically. Occasional trips to the grocery and Target (including riding in the little cart). I seriously don't know how she got through it without going bonkers! We watched lots of TV and we laughed when we could. It wasn't always easy, but it was good.
And we waited.
April - June 10:
In late March/early April, Jen had to be put on bedrest at Vanderbilt Hospital for a few weeks. It made us grateful for the bedrest at home. At least at home, nurses wouln't come in and check Jen's blood pressure in the middle of an episode of Lost (sacreliege!). They let her return home once they decided that, if she went into labor, the baby would be okay. We prepared ourselves for the possibliity of having a preemie and toured the NICU unit. We didn't want that, but we knew if it happened, it would be alright.
The doctor removed the cerclage and we braced ourselves for the inevitable early delivery, but it didn't come. May came and went with a few false labor episodes where we rushed to the hospital, but nothing ever came of it. Finally, the doctor said that we could go ahead and have the baby safely. We agreed.
It was time.
June 11:
After lots of labor-inducing drugs, they had to break Jen's water. So much for worrying about an early delivery. Labor began. We waited. And at 12:11pm, Amelia Lucille Hunter was born. And all the hardship that happened before was worth it.
June 12-September:
We brought our little bundle home and started life as a family.The first few weeks with a baby seem to both fly by and drag on at the same time. You're trying to learn about the baby while she's constantly changing and adapting to being out of the womb. There's a "first" every day and you try to appreicate the moments, all at the same time wishing you had Angelina Jolie's cadre of nannies so you could take a break. Then you miss her when you do get a few moments to yourself. It's like the most awesome nervous breakdown you could ever have. But in the middle of the exhaustion and confusion you have moments of awe and wonder. And you can't help but love this little person in a way you never knew possible. It really is amazing.
After about six weeks we transitioned Millie from sleeping while being held by her Gramma (thanks, Darlene), then being held by Jen, then in a bouncy seat, then finally in her crib. I started working regularly again and life started finding a new kind of normal.
We also started getting out and about again after spending the first half of the year indoors. Although Jen was weak from months of bedrest, we got out and went for walks, watched the family softball games and spent time with friends as often as we could. Jen started going to a "New Moms" group at church. Millie started sleeping through the night, and we were (and are) ever so grateful for that. We even took Millie to visit my folks in Indiana and had a great time (with the exception of a rather messy/hilarious diaper incident on the return trip). We were finding ways of Millie fitting into our life and we were all having fun together.
After settling in to our lives a bit more, I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with my biological mother, Mary Ann Gunner (aka Maggie) and her husband. They came for a brief visit and they were a delight to meet - we had only spoken via the internet to that point. I'm sure we'll spend more time with them as the years go by and continue to get to know each other more.
October-December:
In October, we took Amelia to visit Jen's side of the family in Nebraska. Millie was a great flyer (better than me, actually)! Millie got to spend some quality time with her Gramma and Grampa. It was my first trip to Nebraska without a lot of snow and we had a great time. Millie got to meet all of Jen's family back home, especially Jen's grandmother, Delpha Petersen. We are especially grateful for that, as she is (as of this writing) no longer well.
When we returned from Nebraska, we took Millie to some pumpkin patches and had a great time. The fall colors were really beautiful in Tennessee this year! Then we got her ready for Halloween. Although she can't eat candy, we still got her a cute costume and took her trick-or-treating at Green Hills Mall. So many cute kids around - can't wait to take her next year!
Then the focus turned to Thanksgiving and the holidays. We were hosting a small Thanksgiving meal at our new house with my parents. I wanted my folks to get to enjoy the Christmas decorations and (looking for any excuse to put them up early), got my "Clark Griswold" on. Heh. Busted out a ladder and did lights in our (tiny) front yard. Too much fun!
Thanksgiving day was a great, relaxing day with the five of us. Jen's cooking was phenomenal. She make green bean casserole, Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry stuffing, pumpkin cheesecake and apple pie (my folks brought the turkey). So good! I, Jen and my parents spent the rest of the day playing with Millie and having a great time!
December started with Millie getting her first teeth and really learning how to move around. We got her all dressed up and took her to get her photos with Santa Claus. She was uncertain, but calm and didn't freak out. Santa was really nice (of course - it's not like he'd "blacklist" himself by being naughty), and that was a really fun outing. I've started working full-time again (yay, benefits!) and adjusting to a regular schedule has been tough, but I'm getting there.
And now here we are...Christmas is just around the corner. Millie just turned six months old yesterday, and to celebrate, we fed her solid food for the first time. She is the sunshine in our lives and I couldn't have asked for a better little girl. When I've had a hard day, all I have to do is come home and kiss and hug my girls, and the world seems so much better. It's been a crazy year, but we have much to be grateful for. And I've learned that even when life is tough, you just hang on because you can get through, and it will get better. I've learned to hope more and fear less. And I hope those attributes help me to be a better father and husband, and friend.
Merry Christmas, and here's to many more!
For the Hunter family,
-Chad Hunter
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