Saying good-bye 2008

I should have really written this yesterday, but I everytime I thought I would have 20 minutes or so to blog, someone would start to cry and want to be held. as it is I'm typing one-handed at the moment because Abby loves to be held when she sleeps.

While I was up last night feeding Abby, I thought about all that happened in 2008. There was quite a few big occasions. I thought I'd rank the top seven moments of the past year for the Gelman.

7. The 2008 Summer Olympics - Micah had the amazing opportunity to attend the Olympics in Beijing, China. He was there for an entire month. It was a long time for him to be gone, but a GREAT experience for him career wise. He was there producing coverage for the Associated Press and while he spent most of his time in the newsroom, he was able to sneak out and see a few events including one of Michael Phelps historical wins at the Water Cube. He has already been to Vancouver for a site visit for the 2010 Winter Olympics - Abby and I hope to make the trip with him at least for a week.

6. Getting a new job - This was a total surprise. I wasn't looking for a new job, I actually was really getting into the grove at my job at LifeBridge and gad just received a great review. Of course this is when someone from The Living Legacy came calling. It was a hard decision to make, but I'm glad that I decided to take the job. It has been a great opportunity for me to grow as a manager and expand my marketing/community outreach experience.

5. Taking a ride in the pace car at NHIS - This June, I was able to take Micah to his first NASCAR race in NH. He was able to score infield hot passes for us because of a partnership NASCAR has with the AP. The passes came with a personally tour from one of the greatest personalities behind the sport, Herbert. He took us everyone where on the track, including getting us a ride in the pace car with Brett Bodine. I've never gone so fast in a car in my entire life!!! It was so much fun.

4. Meeting Janet Evanovich - Thanks to our buddy Herbert (see previous post), he was able to introduce us to author Janet Evanovich at the NASCAR race in June. I'm not sure if Micah was more excited to ride in the pace car or to meet Janet. We've read everyone of her books in the Stephanie Plum serious. I was also excited to learn that she is a huge NASCAR fan as well. She was very cool and down to earth. She even signed a copy of her latest book for me. So cool!

3. Voting for a winning president - I've been of voting age for almost ten years now and voted in two presidential elections prior to this year. Every single time, my vote never went for the winning candidate. This year, one top of being one of the most interesting presidential races (thank you Sarah Palin), but my vote was cast for first time for the winning candidate. I'm so excited to see what the new administration will bring and even more excited to be a part of the historic election that put the first African-American president in office. Hopefully this opens the door for the first women president and first Jewish president... Yes we can!

2. Getting pregnant - Many of you know that Micah and I struggled to get pregnant for well over a year with little success. After 10 months of trying on our own with no success, we finally saw a specialist in November 2007. After several months of tests, it was discovered that I had low progesterone (a hormone needed in women to help them stay pregnant) and possible scar tissue due to a previous surgery related to the Crohn's disease. Micah and I had decided to move to invitro fertilization in March 2008, after what we though where three unsuccessful months on progesterone supplements. On April 9, I attended a three hour injection class to learn how to give myself the shots for the IVF treatment. Later that night, I had to take a pregnancy test to stop taking the progesterone supplements. I got a huge surprise when the test came out positive. It was honestly one of the best days of my life! After so many months of disappointments, I was excited beyond belief to finally become a mom.

1. Welcoming Abigail Mira into our family - On December 17, 2008, Micah and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl into our lives. It was a very long labor and we had a few bumps in the road, but the end result was so worth it. Abigail is the love of our lives.

I can't wait to see what 2009 brings us!