Pardon the mixture of real v. iPhone photos - it's been a busy few months!
On 4 years of marriage.
(As of mid-June.) I hope Griffin is a little miniature-version of my husband (maybe minus the having two thumbs on his right hand at birth?). I couldn't be more blessed. He is my best friend, constant entertainment, incredibly supportive, takes amazing care of me, and is the most wonderful man I know. We celebrated by walking to one of the country's best steakhouses in the country to celebrate (yes, walking, and yes, to one of the very best in the country - USA Today says so).
Griffin did not appreciate how much food I put into my ever-shrinking stomach (literal stomach, not belly, which is growing uncomfortably bigger every day), but it was delicious. Here's to many more years to come!
On 1 year in Cincinnati.
Maybe it brought a few surprises (ahem, Griffin), but overall this past year has been so much more than we ever hoped it would be. We got our adventure, experienced the challenge of making new friends and creating new community, and while it has certainly been a challenging year mentally and physically, we haven't regretted our decision to leave Birmingham for a minute. Cincinnati is certainly home for us, and we are so thankful for the blessings we have been showered with this year! Pictured below is most of our small group from church at a baby shower some residency friends threw for us (minus one couple and their two adorable boys) - certainly a huge part of making Cincy home for us!
On finishing intern year.
Work has been challenging this year. Fulfilling, but challenging (notice a theme?). Pregnancy probably didn't help out on that one. I love what I do, but it is not always easy taking care of little ones and their families that are sick and/or suffering. I spent weeks 25-29 of my pregnancy in the NICU (poor timing), and spent a couple of drives home from work in tears attempting to process what some of the families were going through. Regardless, I count my blessings daily that I have the opportunity to train here (shout out to my hospital - #3 in the country!). My program has provided me with amazing friends (two of my closest pictured below) and been incredibly supportive from day #1.
And just for fun.
- Bella loves steak night.
- We've hit up a few Reds games (Walker has somehow managed to attend more than a few). The stadium is great, and it literally takes less than a half hour to get from our front door to seats inside the stadium. Unfortunately the Braves were swept during their trip to Cincinnati, but we are certainly maintaining proper loyalties.
- Walker has kept busy with home improvements, which have been a fun addition to our house. Up until about 2 weeks ago, the weather here in Cincy was fabulous, and we have enjoyed many a meal on our new back patio furniture. His latest conquest was the front yard and porch. Several shrubs, an outdoor rug, 2 hanging plants, one potted plant, and 1 porch swing later, voila! This afternoon it stormed and it was super relaxing just swinging on the front porch (with Bella of course, who hates to be left out of things like that).
-Through one of Walker's friends of work, we scored free tickets to the Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert at the Bengal's stadium. They were pretty fabulous, despite the heat and outdoor venue.
Like Tim's white tee and tight white pants? All the ladies in the stadium sure did. Interestingly, Walker wore a similar outfit to my 3rd grade birthday party at the bowling alley (he denies such a thing, but unfortunately for him I have video proof).
My phone doesn't take great night photos, so this was about as good as it got for Kenny.
- On the 4th we celebrated with a couple of different groups of friends, both parties of which I brought this dessert to. It was easy, delicious, low-cal, and certainly will not be a once-a-year kind of deal for us!
On Griffin.
More to come on this one. I was going to slip an "On Pregnancy" paragraph into this blog, but realized it probably wouldn't do these past 9 months justice, so that one will be coming (hopefully) soon. For now, here is a 36 week shot of Griffin's growth, and a sneak peak at his nursery (which we finished today!).
On 4 years of marriage.
On 1 year in Cincinnati.
On finishing intern year.
Work has been challenging this year. Fulfilling, but challenging (notice a theme?). Pregnancy probably didn't help out on that one. I love what I do, but it is not always easy taking care of little ones and their families that are sick and/or suffering. I spent weeks 25-29 of my pregnancy in the NICU (poor timing), and spent a couple of drives home from work in tears attempting to process what some of the families were going through. Regardless, I count my blessings daily that I have the opportunity to train here (shout out to my hospital - #3 in the country!). My program has provided me with amazing friends (two of my closest pictured below) and been incredibly supportive from day #1.
And just for fun.
- Bella loves steak night.
On Griffin.
More to come on this one. I was going to slip an "On Pregnancy" paragraph into this blog, but realized it probably wouldn't do these past 9 months justice, so that one will be coming (hopefully) soon. For now, here is a 36 week shot of Griffin's growth, and a sneak peak at his nursery (which we finished today!).
