2008: A Year in Review...

Similar to last year we'll wrap up 2008 with a year in review. After all, 2008 was quite an eventful year for us. It was our first full calendar year as parents and one that we will not soon forget. Hope that everyone has a safe and happy New Years.

January: The major event of the month was Aubrey's Baptism. For us, this was a very special event in our daughter's life. Having the entire family come to Richmond to celebrate was truly wonderful. We are very lucky to have families that get along so well together and eager to play an important role in our daughters life.

February: February marked Aubrey's first airplane trip (and only thus far) and visit to Rochester, NY. While the time we spent with family was great, the virus that went around the house was not. That was probably the sickest I have been that I can recall. Everyone was able to regroup and we can laugh about it now. This month we also introduce Aubrey to solid foods.

March: Aubrey got more into her foods (figuratively and literally). Also, Aunt Michelle and Kevin flew in from El Salvador for a visit much to Aubrey's delight. Easter was spent in Roanoke and Aubrey's obsession with Platinum the cat started. Daddy also headed to Vegas for March Madness.

April: Aubrey's first tooth emerged during this month. She also dabbled into talking including her first word, Da Da (yes!). This month also marked the beginning of mobility for our little girl. She started to crawl towards the end of the month. Hard to imagine when you consider how active she is now.

May: We celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in Roanoke. We really enjoyed time together to remenisce about how things have changed this past year and how fortunate we are. Aubrey became a StairMaster and wooed the family with her eating.

June: Aubrey gets really good with her push toy as a precursor to walking. Mommy also stops working full-time to stay home with Aubrey. Although it was not an easy decision, it is one we are both glad we made. The time that she has spent with Aubrey has been priceless.


July: Life on the road, that would best describe the month of July. We headed south to Folly Beach, SC and then Jacksonville, FL to visit family. It was a fantastic vacation and great to introduce Aubrey to the beach and pool. Vacations are certainly an adventure with Aubrey. Uncle Dan was able to visit earlier in the month.


August: Another busy month. Aubrey turned one and Mommy turned thirty. Two pretty eventful happenings. We threw a kickin' party for Aubrey's first birthday in Richmond and followed it up with a trip to Rochester to celebrate again. This month also marked the first time we left Aubrey for a night with her grandparents. All went well and we will likely call upon them in the new year. Oh yeah, Aubrey started walking too.

September: More visitors and more travel. Aunt Michelle and Kevin visited after their move to DC and Aubrey and Mommy went back to Roanoke for a visit. Football season hit high gear and Daddy went to a trip to Blacksburg to see the Hokies prevail over Georgia Tech.

October: A trip to Northern, VA to celebrate a friend's 30th birthday was a big event during the month. Aubrey really enjoys interacting with her friends. Our little lady bug debuted for Halloween and seemed to enjoy trick-or-treating. We also learned that we were expecting!


November: Daddy turned 31 and Aubrey helped with our national election proceedings. We went to Blacksburg for the Maryland game and saw another Hokie victory while Grandmommy and Granddad watched Aubrey. Mommy had a girls weekend leaving Daddy in charge (things went smoothly.. trust me) and we hosted Thanksgiving. We also took this opportunity to informing our families on our pregnancy news.


December: An amazing wrap-up month for the year. Christmas celebrations in Roanoke, Rochester and Richmond. Lots of toys, laughs and fun by all involved. I especially enjoyed Aubrey's love for opening presents. She is a pro.