Another year has come and gone. 2008 was a difficult year for us, but a rewarding one as well. We had mixed emotions throughout the year ranging from being anxious, nervous, and excited, to having great sadness, and relief. We have come out of 2008 much stronger and feel quite blessed to be healthy and to have wonderful family and friends that supported us through out it all.
2008--A Year In Review
We start with January! Jack had an exciting month. He had an opportunity to start an all-day EAK (Early Admission Kindergarten) class at my school. It was great having him at school with me everyday. He also turned 5 and celebrated at Airtime with family and friends. Mike found out that his job was in jeopardy, so for many weeks to follow he had many worries on top of all the rest. I was 6 months pregnant and was being referred to an outside doctor to handle my high-risk pregnancy. It took many phone calls between Kaiser and Sharp to get everything sorted out, but insurance issues were finally handled and I was able to see my new doctor in February.
In February, I turned 36. I met my new doctor. I started stress tests twice a week to monitor the baby's heart rate and life began getting a little crazy with scheduling appointments and working full time. My mom and sister threw me a baby shower at Souplantation. It was great to see everyone and to get all that cute baby girl stuff. Jack continued doing well at school. Mike changed positions at work and was luckily able to keep his job.
In March, Mike turned 36. My doctor's appointments became more frequent. Baby Kate sent me on two surprise visits to the hospital, as if I needed anything more to worry about. I was on the count down to spring break and the beginning of my maternity leave. We started off spring break with a couple's night out with our good friends, we had Easter at my parent's house, Jack and I went to the beach, and we got some much needed rest. We began anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Kate.
Then April arrived. On April 8th, I went in for my scheduled C-section terrified of the unknown. All went well with my surgery. Children's Hospital was ready for our little girl and transferred her via the underground tunnel immediately following delivery. Children's performed her first procedure within a few hours of her arrival. Baby Kate then had her heart surgery a week later. After 8 hours in surgery, she was stabilized and would now need time to heal. 11 days after surgery, and some tough days in between, Kate finally got to come home with us. We were thrilled and so were the doctors after such a speedy recovery. Mike and I finally felt some relief after many months of worry.
May and June were adjusting months. We all got used to having a new baby in the house. Jack finished up school. We attended his Open House and he received a Perfect Attendance Award in June. It was quite a miracle that he earned that award after everything that was going on. Jack started summer vacation and got ready for swim lessons and CYT camp. Then just when life seemed to be getting back to normal, we learned that our 6 year old dog had lymphoma. We had to put her to sleep.
In July and August, we had a nice visit with Mike's parents who flew out from Maryland. They had a chance to meet Kate and come to our annual family Fourth of July party. Jack went to swim lessons again, Vacation Bible School, and Zoo Camp too. Kate's doctor's appointments were great and the doctors were happy with her progress. Then in August we got ready for the new school year to begin. Jack started Kindergarten and I started my 13th year of teaching.
September and October were a blur. Kate started going to daycare. Mike and I had to adjust our schedules a bit to accommodate both of us working again and just managing the everyday tasks in life. Jack was having a blast in Kindergarten. In October, Kate began sitting up and eating solid foods. Before we knew it Halloween was here and we were busy getting costumes together for the school carnival and Halloween Night.
We finally caught our breath in November. We had Kate's cardiology appointment, which went very well. It was a nice closure to the previous year when we found out on the same day that she had a heart defect. She also got her first two teeth. Mike interviewed for a new position at work and Jack's parent-teacher conference went well. Parent-Teacher Conferences went well this year for me too and before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving.
Although the beginning of December was a little rough with everyone getting sick, we celebrated Christmas with our family in Redondo Beach and then our family the week after. Jack had a great Christmas season. Oh to be a child at Christmas time. Kate, unfortunately, was a bit too young this Christmas, but she is healthy and thriving and we are so blessed that she is a strong girl. Mike got the job he interviewed for, which brings us around full circle. We end our year on a much happier note than we ended last year. We are able to reflect upon the hardships that we had and know that they have made us stronger today. Here's to 2009!
Kate and Mike at our Redondo Beach Family Christmas party.
Jack and I making (and eating) cookies for Santa.
Jack had a great Christmas!
Kate's Favorite Present
All of the cousins at our family Christmas party.
Jack singing Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer on "Reindeer Day" at school before break.
We are enjoying our time off together. Besides all of the holidays and get togethers, we managed to sneak away to Disneyland for the day, while Kate stayed with Mememre and Papa. We also went to Sea World one more time with our 2008 passes. Here's to the rest of our vacation and a great year for all!
