This Time Last Year

Christmas has always been a sweet season for me, full of nostalgia and traditions and fun memories, but this year more than usual, I keep thinking about what I was doing/thinking/feeling at this time last year. Our little man will be one on December 28, which means that last December truly was for us a time of waiting and anticipation. Clint and I both have super fond memories of the months surrounding Caleb's birth, so I thought I would share a little bit of what made that time so special for us.


-Upon the recommendation of a friend, we decided to dub December "screw Dave Ramsey month."* We ate out when we wanted, went to classic movies at the new old downtown theater, bought all our groceries at our fancy neighborhood grocery store, stocked the nursery, and even did a little (okay, a lot) of self-gifting. For a nine-month pregnant girl who doesn't enjoy cooking, it made for a very stress-free yet satisfying month.

-The first weekend of December, we went on a short babymoon to Jefferson, a little Christmasy tourist town with more bed and breakfasts than actual citizens. We went on a very cold Monday, which meant that the only other people walking around town were the shopkeepers of the stores that were actually open, but the relaxing few days away were exactly what we needed to step away from the holiday parties and baby showers and gift wrapping and to-do lists, and get on the same page before this new little person crashed our little family of two. (And maybe it's my pregnant stomach talking, but we had two of my favorite restaurant experiences ever!)

-Andrew Peterson, Behold the Lamb of God concert. 'Nuf said.

-Speaking of concerts, that fall we also splurged and went to a Taylor Swift concert. This decision was made in the name of things-we-probably-won't-do-once-we-have-kids. Clint still gets a lot of flack for this, and truth be told he has quite a few stories from all the tutu-clad fans around us, but the concert was hands down one of the best productions of any kind I've ever been to. And judging from the amount of kicking that went on, I think Caleb liked it too.


I have so many more memories, of the last big run to Babies-R-Us to get the nursery ready, of my family coming to Tyler not just once but two and three times to make sure that we weren't alone for Christmas but that we still had a few days of down time before the baby came, of spending two hours journaling in front of the fireplace at Panera after my weeklong pregnancy meltdown, of hiding the little blue mittens in my cart in Target in case I ran into someone I knew, of trips and more trips to Hobby Lobby and Michaels ("Is this nesting?" Clint asked one day when he came home from work and saw my stuff all over the floor). I'll always associate this time of the year with Christmas plays and four-wheeler rides and peanut butter balls, but this year I'm thankful that I get to remember waiting for our own little boy to be born!



*Technically, I think Dave would actually have approved of our plan. The three-paycheck month meant that all bills were paid and no debt was accumulated. We still spent less than we made, just more than we normally spent!