A Year in Pictures: 2023
Happy New Year! I’ll always remember most of this year as being pregnant (it really did feel like I was pregnant an entire year by the end). The rest of it, I’ll be too sleep-deprived to remember in detail. But that’s why I have pictures!
In all seriousness, 2023 will forever be a special year for me. It was a year of travel to new and old places, the year I started my dissertation, the year I hiked eight miles and up volcanic sands while pregnant, the year we bought a wagon to take Argos on adventures again, and most importantly, the year that I become a mom.
I can’t wait to see what 2024 holds for our little family!
January
After I caught the flu on our trip to Amsterdam and Brussels, it felt like I spent the rest of December and early January recovering. Our cat, Bisous, did her best to nurse me back to health.
Winnie and her best friend Hazel on a stroll together.
After getting surprise laser eye surgery for my chronic retinal detachments last year, I discovered I’m a “super dilator.” I always like to document it at my check-ups.
On a hike with Winnie on a beautiful winter (not that it looks like winter!) day.
February
Winnie and I on a hike in Red River Gorge. We took an 8-mile hike in honor of me being 8 weeks pregnant.
I went on a trip to Austin, TX, to visit one of my oldest friends for a weekend. We walked along the river, went on a hike, and ate amazing donuts, among other things!
March
Our very first ultrasound at around 11 weeks.
Ryan and I took a camping trip to Everglades National Park.
I took a trip to Denver, CO with my friend Kari.
April
I bought a tent for my cat to safely hang out outside with us.
We took a short trip to Atlanta to go to the Harry Potter Exhibit and watch Ryan scuba dive inside one of the aquarium’s tanks.
Flower-spotting on one of our many park walks this month.
May
Ryan and I went on a babymoon to Hawaii, where we also took around honeymoon. This time around, we visited the Big Island and Maui.
I visited Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas with my friends Kari and Kayla.
June
Our first baby shower, hosted by Ryan’s mom and sister. We felt all the love for our baby girl!
This picture accurately sums up the chaos of this hike I took with Kari in Red River Gorge. Winnie and Kindi were loving the water and sand. It might have been the dirtiest Winnie has ever gotten on a hike.
Our local park flooded, and Winnie loved the reprieve from the heat.
July
My first college roommate got married!
Argos enjoying the creek at our local park.
Our second baby shower, hosted by a couple of our best friends, Cameron and Jamisen!
Kari came for a visit, and we took Winnie and Kindi to a local vegan restaurant and a cronut spot. Winnie was surprisingly well-behaved as a patio dog!
August
Argos and Winnie being ridiculous during a play session.
By this point in my pregnancy, the only thing that kept me sane was getting outside and walking or hiking as much as possible. At least once a week, we started going to the Arboretum for a two-mile walk, followed by pizza at Goodfellas. Winnie was not complaining.
A hike at Shaker Village with Kayla and Winnie’s bestie.
A hike at Red River Gorge.
September
Winnie posing in front of the flowers on yet another Arboretum walk.
A hike on the Asbury Trails down to the Kentucky River. This was the first hike we ever took Winnie on after we adopted her! I made Ryan half-carry me up the last hill (my hips were not doing well by this point of pregnancy).
Our little chubby-cheeked girl on our first 3-D ultrasound. They “gave” us an extra one because I was measuring small. Turns out she was actually measuring above average (which turned out to be true)!
A cute little box turtle on the trail at the Arboretum.
October
I celebrated my 28th birthday with my in-laws on October 3rd. This was the last picture I have of me pregnant—I went into labor at 3 am that night.
Yes, I did watch Lord of the Rings while in the hospital. If Frodo could get the ring to Mordor, then I could get through 29 hours of unmedicated labor.
Flora Eloise was born on October 5th, 2023 at 8:12 am. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz, much to my surprise!
The next month, Ryan took PTO for the two of us to learn how to navigate parenthood together. We tried to get out of the house and enjoy the fall weather as much as possible, considering the whole newborn thing. Pictured are our first park walk, our first hike at Jessamine Creek Gorge, and our first time driving to my all-time favorite place, Red River Gorge, to enjoy the foliage. I’m pretty sure what should have been an hour-and-a-half drive took about two-and-a-half hours after the diaper changes and nursing stops.
November
Flora turned a month old!
We celebrated Thanksgiving with both our families. You can see the chronic sleep deprivation in my face. I think at this point, she was still awake for hours on end during the night. It’s (slightly) better these days.
December
Flora turned two months old!
Ryan turned 31! I made him this delicious vegan strawberry cake and put an ungodly number of candles on it (too many in retrospect).
How I spend most of my nights: Flora asleep in my arms and a cat nestled against me.
Winnie has loved getting more visitors than usual these last several months, between Flora’s birth and the holidays! She’s starved for attention and misses being the baby of the house.