March 4th Memories and Milestones

I was looking through some old emails and pictures, and I realized that Mark and I have had some milestones and big events on March 4ths of years past.

March 4, 2004: house-hunting begins. Just over two months into our new life in Raleigh, Mark sent me an email saying he was over our apartment and wanted to start house-hunting. And sent me several options he had found online, none of which were even remotely in our price range. (Also, he asked what we were having for dinner, which I distinctly remember annoying me every single day back then. And he asked how our baby girl was doing -- baby girl meaning Bowden, of course... she was an only child back then.)

March 4, 2006: St Croix enters our lives. I sent my mom an email telling her that if she could get strong enough and fit enough to do a five-mile ocean swim in the virgin islands, then by darned Ashley and I would do it right alongside her. So she did, and we did. And thus began our family's ongoing relationship with this small hilly island in the Caribbean, which turns out to have played a role in a whole host of our family's milestones: Nathan's first vacation (and plane ride and boat ride), our longest ocean swim, Ashley's first half-ironman and her engagement to John, and most importantly... Brad's new home. Mom's actually there right now, visiting him!

March 4, 2007: Climbing the Great Wall of China. Our last-minute babymoon across the globe. Yep, that's Nathan in my belly there. We had just found out we were having a boy, and later that day we made our first new-baby purchase: a red t-shirt that says "I climbed the Great Wall!" Said t-shirt is now included in the quilt Megan made us. More pictures from our Beijing vacation here.

March 4, 2008: Nathan in the hospital. Yeah that was a bad week. And scary. Nathan was so tiny (seven months old, but only as big as he had been between two and three months) and even though he was trying to be a good sport, he was so scared and overwhelmed. (Me too.) This was also was the first night I ever spent away from him -- since they were closely monitoring everything he ate (which means it had to come from a bottle, not a boob), Mark spent the night at the hospital and I went home from about midnight to 6am. Only two miles away, but still... not with my baby. Grateful this chapter in his life is over and he's now a healthy growing boy!

March 4, 2009: in Mendocino, CA. Mom and Nathan and I took a multi-generational trip out west to see family and the sights. Here are the three of us in the redwood forest. Yep, that's Beanie Anneliese in my belly. :)

(Alas, no exciting events or news on March 4th of 2010... I know that's what you were all hoping for and why at least six of you scrolled directly to the bottom of the post without reading anything above. Yes, I can see you through my computer. No, there will be no picture of me with an announcement of a new baby inside. Did you really think I was pregnant again already? Are you calling me fat?)

EDITED: March 4, 2010 -- got the invite to my sister's wedding!!! Milestone WIN.