2008... a year in review

So, I figure this is the time to celebrate 2008 and all the wonderful things it had to offer. I accomplished a few neat things that year, and watched my son do the same, so I will now highlight these. 

Cool things that Sharon managed to do in 2008...

-was a mentor, twice for team in training with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, helping new runners train for their first half or full marathon, and also raise money for a great cause. They all did fantastic!!

-finished Goofy's Race and A Half Challenge (ran a half marathon on the Saturday, and a full marathon on the Sunday... recovered faster than any other marathon!! and had a personal best time on the marathon, improving by more than half an hour)

-ran the Police Half Marathon in April 

-raised over $2000 and ran the Mother's Day Run in support of NICU (they are raising money for NICU again this year in case anyone wants to join us... run will be on May 10th)

-organized a team and ran the Banff Jasper Relay (super fun stuff, even saw bears, and had an incredible group of people to run with!!)

-completed the Ronald McDonald House Rock the House 5km (it was soooooo hot that day)

-finished the Disneyland Half Marathon on Labour Day Weekend, with only 18 seconds to spare (I was pregnant and running was making my heart rate go to high, so I had to walk most of it!!)

-finished the Ambulance Chasers 5km even if again, I had to walk most of it

-aside from running... managed to get myself pregnant and have successfully carried this child to 37 weeks (only 8 days until the surgery), dealt okay with the stresses it caused. It was a high risk pregnancy from the start since Sebastian was born at 28 weeks with unexplained illness that nearly took his life. Had many appointments and ultrasounds to ensure the same thing didn't happen this time around. 

-hiked to the upper falls at Johnston Canyon, with the dog, husband, baby and uncles as part of a camping trip

-got to visit with all sorts of family in Calgary, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge etc on different occasions, letting Sebastian get to know his grandparents, aunts, uncles and other family better

-went biking several times with Sebastian in his "wagon"

-got to know my half brother and sister better travelling to California with them, shopping in Beverly Hills, eating at some cool restaurants and playing at Disneyland

-got to meet Wolfgang Puck when dining at his restaurant in Beverly Hills

-started volunteering again with Family to Family connections at the Children's, in an effort to have a chance to help other parents in the NICU

-organized two groups to cook meals at Ronald McDonald House (super fun!!)

-attended 3 different weddings, watching people commit to each other, and in all the cases being so happy for the couples as they really seem to belong together

-watched some friends become parents for the first time, and others add to their families with new babies

And then there's the part where Sebastian excelled...

-he ran his first race, only a couple months after starting to walk (he took a long time to do this)

-he started talking and now speaks in sentences saying the most profound things, a huge accomplishment for someone who, in January at almost 2 years old, barely said or signed a few words

-he took his second swimming lessons and by the end was completely involved in the class and everything they did

-he ventured to Coffee and Scream and started interacting more with others (big deal since we had to keep him away from this sort of thing to keep him from getting sick)

-saw Sebastian have a lung infection, 6 ear infections, several colds and a throat infection (his preemieness sometimes is not that helpful in keeping him healthy), and going through puffers and antibiotics to get him well

-saw Sebastian go for surgery to fix inguinal hernias (actually hydroceals, but essentially the same thing)... it was so heart wrenching leaving him on the operating table in the OR after he fell asleep... but he came through with flying colours and the next day was back to being his old self again

-saw Sebastian's eating improve, then regress and lately improve a bit again. On New Year's Eve, he was gobbling up samosas, pakoras, butter chicken, naan, it was incredible!!

I'm sure there's tons of other things too, but that is what is coming to mind right now. It was a great year. Jeremy did great too, he finished several races (the Mother's Day 5km, the Ronald McDonald House 5km, The Ambulance Chasers 5km, and several of the 5 peaks races). He also finished and passed his first year of school as a plumbing apprentice, doing quite well in the process. He built shelves to house our cleaning products out of reach of our child, he built a small deck at the side of our house, he added a chalkboard wall to our hallway upstairs, and has done all sorts of stuff around the house like that. 

I'm excited for 2009. I have about 6 more weeks until I can start running again, and then I'll have to start picking some races for this year. I like having races to focus on, because it generally gets me out the door running, and gives me a little time just for me (which will be important since I'll be spending the majority of my days with two boys now!!). I'm also hoping to do a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House to help get them another breast pump. It will be a large undertaking, as they cost about $3000, but it's a huge need they have, and one I understand very well (about a third of the people who stay at the house are parents of preemies from out of town, and thus are required to pump every three hours if they are wanting breastmilk for their babies, since the babies are too young/sick to take to breastfeeding right away). So, you'll likely hear more about this later in the year, when I figure out what I will do to raise the money. I also hope to volunteer more at the NICU unit and really get that group off the ground again. But the first big goal, is to bring our new little boy into this world, and that will be happening in a mere 8 days....