Life After I "Dew"

2013 was a good year for The Dews.  Right at the end of 2012 we found out we'd be adding a new person to our family, so how could the year be anything but great?  If there is one thing I love about blogging it's being able to look back on the years prior and see what happened, what changed, what was interesting, etc.  It's a really cool thing, ya know?  So, in doing so, I thought it'd be fun to highlight the happenings of 2013 in blog form.

January:  January was all about Baby Dew #2.  We had our first ultrasound and saw our little gummy bear for the first time.  That first ultrasound is always the most exciting/most nerve wracking so that was definitely the highlight of the month.  Just knowing that ONE healthy baby was growing in my belly was all I needed.  I also shared my tips on dressing your first trimester bump.  Now I look on that post and WISH I had that "bump" back.  Hindsight...


February:  We tackled potty training this month.  It actually ended up being easier than either of us thought, thankfully.  I got lots of crap but I blogged about our successful journey and hopefully it helped a fellow mama or two.  I talked about blog sponsorship, why I do it, why I think it's important and so on.  I am really proud of that post and I hope that anyone looking to get their feet wet in blog sponsorship found it helpful.  We also found out that we were having a Baby Brother and I could not have been more excited. Now that he's here it's even easier to say, I love being a boy mom.


March:  We had finally decided on Baby Dew #2's name, James.  Although at the time we didn't know his full name, I was so excited to just be able to share his name.  There is something about having that in place that makes having a baby so much more real.  I also shared my nursery inspiration and I'm very happy that it turned out just as I had visioned it. We also, finally, redid our master bedroom after living in our house for nearly 3 years.  I'm still loving it, by the way.  I also shared the "type" of blogger I am and hopefully I'll always remain an honest blogger.


April:  Aprils was a pretty serious month, it seems.  We had finally gotten back into a routine of going to church, which we needed, and upon our first time back in nearly 6 months we heard the message loud and clear. We had been struggling thanks to Jimmy working 3rd shift for what seemed like an eternity and thankfully we got our marriage back on track.  I also shared my thoughts on raising a child in this crazy/scary world right after the Boston Marathon bombing.  Still scary to think about but I know I am doing my best each and every day for my babies.

May:  I shared the kind of mom I am.  Things I do/don't do.  Things I am/am not. I like to look back on that post every now and then.  I revealed Kendall's big girl room and although we've made a few slight changes since then it still pretty much looks the same and she's loving it.  I explained why being a SAHM is important to me and why we will continue to make that possible.  We also talked about dressing the second trimester bump and that was the last time we talked about dressing any bumps because, let's face it, after the second trimester it's really not cute anymore.  And, one of my favorite posts, why we shouldn't be jealous of others and instead learn to love things about ourselves.

June:  June was all about being pregnant.  Oy!  A letter to my pregnant self, a realistic guide to push presents, a blogger baby shower, and what you really need to pack in your hospital bag were all highlighted this summer.  I also shared the truth behind some of my IG pictures and how you shouldn't judge anyone based on their IG shares.

July:  I revealed James's nursery and I am still in love with it, probably because it's still the cleanest room in the house.  I also did my last "bumpdate" with James and I'm happy that, even though my updates were few and far between, I did these updates with him.  We went on our final family vacation, as a family of three, and slowly waited for the arrival of our son.


August:  August was all about getting ready for James.  It was birth month. I shared some of my fears on becoming a mother of two, funny to look back on now.  I was clearly irritated when I wrote my post on things NOT to say to a pregnant woman {even though I still stand behind all of these things}.  James was born and I started my journey to lose this baby weight {update to come soon}.


September:  I wrote an open letter to all parents, to be nicer to {y}ourselves.  I still need to go back and re-read this every now and then.  I tried to share my thoughts on being a boy mom, even though it was hard to articulate.  I talked about my favorite baby products the second time around, Kendall started preschool, I shared my thoughts on blogging and what it means to me, and continued on my weight loss journey.

October:  Cravings, in the sense of adult time, was on my mind a lot and we've been trying to make time for ourselves and for us as a couple.  I talked about whether or not life actually changes after you say "I Do".  Shared a few clean-eating recipes.  And, of course, my ever popular/hated 31 Days of Patience series where I shared my struggles with patience and trying to gain more over the course of a month.  I never really updated on that but I like to think that things are getting better in that department.


November:  As I do every fall, I wrote about my life as a hunters wife.  Don't even talk about hunting right now because I am o.v.e.r. it.  Seems as though I was going through a lot of self discovery last month, with my Moms Rule and That Girl posts encouraging moms and girls to just love themselves and appreciate what they offer to the world.  And, my favorite post, how having a 2nd baby was the best decision I ever made.

December:  The month isn't over yet but my days of posting in it are.  So some of my favorites this month were my post on regretful writing in the blog world, how I've changed from a girl who loved being around people to a girl who really loves some peace & quiet, and I loved sharing our Christmas traditions and how we intend to start new ones that involve making memories each year {I loved hearing what you all do during the holidays too}.

Whew!  One year and so much has changed.  I look back on some of my earlier posts and some make me cringe and some make me remember why I started blogging in the first place.  I want to share my life with you and I like to do it too.  I am truly thankful that you all read my nonsense that I spew day in and day out, you keep me going.  Thank you for reading and commenting over the past year and I hope that you will continue to do so into the New Year.  Here's to a wonderful 2014!  Cheers!