2010 started out with the revelation that we were likely going to have a baby. That sure raised the bar for the rest of the year, and now that the dust has settled, it was far and away the most important news of the year. Of course, the August arrival of Elias John was the most significant improvement to my life since Jennie agreed to marry me all those years ago.
This baby brings out the best in everyone. It's remarkable, really. We were as ready for him as we could be and the reaction from our family and friends has gone way beyond what we expected.
It's also fun to track the firsts. For example, in one day, Eli visited Wisconsin for his first Christmas with the extended family and also had his first hotel stay when Kenosha became too snowy to traverse that night. (He did great, for the record.) I'm not sure if we should count his trip to Los Angeles as a first since he wasn't born yet.
We also had plans to do some remodeling before Eli was born, but he came three weeks ahead of schedule and so we put it off indefinitely. That didn't last long. The kitchen faucet snapped, so we decided to do the last steps to bring the kitchen up to snuff (countertops/faucet) instead of the bathrooms.
Shortly after we put down the cash for the counters, the toilet broke in the bathroom we put on hold. Figures. Then the garage door opener crapped out. Then my car started running rough. Long and short, the end of the year was expensive.
I lost 12 pounds from October through December, but I think I lapsed enough to wipe out much of that progress. The holidays are difficult with all of the family dinners and baked goods. My family is especially good at this last part. I need to get back on track.
Another unexpected twist at the end of the season was my manager taking me into a conference room to let me know that he was giving me a promotion and raise. I hadn't even asked for it yet. The long hours and stress finally paid off.
Despite the bump, we still have some financial figuring to do, but 2011 should be fun.
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