Year in Review: 2014

What better way to start the year than recapping 2014?!? Best way to look back & reflect.  This was a crazy fun year with lots of big moments-- complete with sadness & difficulty, but mainly JOY.

January

We started off the year by buying a new house.  After living in Nashville through November 2013 and then living with Nate's parents over the holidays, we moved into our new house mid-January.

February

February, after trying for about a year, we learned we were pregnant! Nate forced me to take a pregnancy test.  I was convinced I wasn't pregnant because I didn't want to be disappointed {again}.  I was 2 weeks late and Nate told me "We need to know one way or the other if you're pregnant.  If you are, GREAT...if not, we need to figure out why you're not regular".  2 weeks late & after 2 pregnancy tests {both were positive...the one on the right is just harder to see} and a whole lotta praise to Jesus, I was pregnant!

March

We announced our pregnancy publicly...and the craziness of "baby mania" started! I had about a million ideas for both boy & girl.  I had to tell myself to chill until I knew which we were having! :) 

April

Photo by Kelli Rasler Photography

The most heart-breaking month of my life.  We lost our sweet Wiley.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of him.  He was my first baby, and taught me more about love.  Wiley is the reason that I love dogs so much...he taught me that working with animals is definitely where it's at for me.

My favorite pic of us ^^

May

A month full of grieving for Wiley still.  We decided in May that we would be get another puppy, but we both knew it would have to be the same breed as Wiley and from the same breeder.  No other way I could do it. I wasn't sure if I was quite ready...but knew that I couldn't live in a house without a dog. Nate, being the logical man he is, thought if we got a puppy, it'd be best if they'd be mostly potty trained by the time Jacoby came.  So we agreed to a puppy from thepetstork.com {check 'em out if you want a puppy that will hold your heart forever}, and prepared our hearts for Benny.

Photo from Suzanne at The Pet Stork

We also had our gender reveal party....

We're having a B O Y!!!

June

Nate & I took a little trip to Denver, CO to see his brother Drew and his wife, Rose.  Such a fun trip to see some of our favorite people. 

July

July 4th in Nashville, and then the next day we drove down to Atlanta to get Benny.  My heart hurt, feeling like I was "replacing" Wiley, but I never realized how much Benny would help the healing process.   So thankful for him.

August

We took maternity pictures with the super talented Jessie Nichole Photography.

I already miss my belly...sigh.

Over labor day weekend, we went on a "baby moon" to Chicago.  We love Chicago, so we just had a long weekend away doing some of our favorite things.  We ate at lots of delicious places, did some shopping, saw an acrobatic show, went to Navy Pier, etc.  Such a fun weekend with my lovie, just the two {technically, 3} of us.

September

Nate & I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary on September 19th.  We kept it pretty low key, since we were prepared for Jacoby to arrive any day.

September 29th, 2014 at 5:05pm, we welcome our little man Jacoby Andrew Carpenter.  Best day of my life {tied with my wedding day}.

We also got newborn pictures of Jacoby by Chika Sunoto Photography . I think the photos were taken in October, but I'm posting them in September anyway ;)

 She did an incredible job.  Jacoby made her work for her images because he did not want to sleep :)

October

I spent most of the month is a constant state of sleep deprivation.  Totally worth it for the cutest little boy in the world.  Am I the only one that feels like motherhood is such a surreal thing for the first few weeks? You prepare for this baby for 9{ish} months, then so quickly they are here and you're in charge.  What a roller coaster of a ride.  The best roller coaster ever though.

Not only that, but I fell 1,798,678 times more in love with Nate.  Nothing like watching the love of your life come to tears over seeing your son for the first time. Nothing, I tell ya.

The way he loves Jacoby melts my heart every.single.time.

November

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our families, and quickly realized how much Coby was adored and loved.  I am so so SO thankful for the families Nate & I have, and the love they have all shown for him.  It's been so fun to watch new aunts/uncles/grandparents, etc. love on our boy. 

We also finally started to get into a rhythm as far as parenting goes.  Feels good when you finally have a rhythm and you sorta feel like you know what you're doing.

I learned that as a momma, I have the power to run on little sleep.  For real.  It was my biggest concern going into motherhood.  How will I survive on such little sleep? I could sleep for 12 hours straight easily.  Never, ever did I think I would truly feel fine {fine is a relative term} going on such few hours of sleep, and never sleeping for more than 3 hours in a row.  Thank you Jesus for the fumes you give us mommas to run on :) 

December

 Baby's first Christmas certainly didn't disappoint.  He slept through the opening of all his presents.  Way to go little peanut.  He is spoiled and loved beyond belief.

I could have gone without any Christmas presents....nothing compares to becoming a momma to the sweetest boy, being a wife to the most incredible man, and being loved by my King. Check, check, and check. 

::2014::

You'll forever by one of my favorite years.  I won't forget it.  2015, I can only hope you are just as good to me {I can do without my dog dying, though}.

Another minor detail? I've been blogging for over a year now.  It's interesting to see how my blog has changed {aka allllll about that baby}.  I'm digging it. 

xox,

Naomi