We Met, It's a Girl, Year to Year

Facebook has this new thing where it shows you your statuses from the previous years. So far, I've only seen 2010 and 2009, so I'm assuming it only goes back 2 years. It always catches my attention, because so much has changed for me from year to year.

This weekend, in 2008, I met Jonathan. I think the story is relatively familiar now, as I've told it several times. It was at the bowling alley on Aberdeen Proving Ground. He was silly, I was sarcastic. He was wearing a brown tun tavern t-shirt and ugly sandals. I was wearing a maroon and white flowered tank top and my reefs, a staple in my wardrobe since well before 2008. We hit it off right away. I beat him at pool. I gave him and his friends a ride over to the rec center. When he had to go, he asked if he could kiss me and I consented. It was the most magical kiss of my life. My entire body tingled, head to toe. I swear I saw sparks, as cliche as it sounds. My legs literally felt like jelly, and I might have fallen over had I not been in his strong embrace. I was hooked.


Facebook didn't show any statuses from 2008, but I know this weekend was the one I met him and the one where my life changed for the better. My soul mate, who would become my husband. My better half, the man who made me smile bigger than any person had ever done in my life. My heart glowed when I was with him and it all started the very last weekend of August, 2008.

My facebook status from 2009 reads, "Husband is on his way home from the field and will be here for the WHOLE day! THE WHOLE DAY! YAYAYAYAYAYYYY" and later that day, ""Just bought our first little pink outfit in honor of the end of the not knowing days :)."

I remember this day clearly. Jonathan had been in the field, the battalion was doing a lot of work ups getting ready for deployment at any time. We had found out he was going to be gone during the anatomy scan the doctor does, so when I found out when he was getting out of the field, I called Womb's Window in Wilmington and booked a 3D scan for us, so we'd find out what kind of baby was baking away in my womb together. It was one thing I definitely didn't want him to miss. He was so tired from the field but as soon as we got home we got ready and took the 45 minute trip to Wilmy to find the place. I remember being so excited watching him sign the father's spot on the consent form. I took pictures of everything, ate a lot of sugar so baby would be moving around a lot, and the sense of excitement to find out who was in my belly. We had gone back and forth for the months since we'd found out I was pregnant, I would say things like "Oh SHE'S kicking" and Jonathan would go with "HE sure is active today." I knew she was a girl the whole time ;) I remember when we found out officially she was a girl, it was more reality that we were going to have a child together, a little girl. Jonathan's jaw-dropped a little in a "Crap what will I Do with a GIRL?!" way but he was sooo excited to have a princess. He said there'd be no boys left in 10-12 years because he'd take care of them all before they could get to her haha. We called our families and closest friends on the drive home to share the good news. When we got back, we headed to WalMart to pick out the first pink outfit (she already had tons of green and yellow, it was time to get something PINK now that we knew), a little gray and pink striped hooded shirt and pink pants. I took a picture of her tiny clothes on top of Jonathan's cammies to show how small she would be compared to her daddy. It was magical and I was beyond happy that he was there to share that; that we could find out together.



My status from this day in 2010 reads, ""In a very weird mood after waking up from even weirder dreams. I miss you so much babe, so very very much..." A year after meeting, we found out we were having a girl. A year after finding out we were having a girl, he was dead and all I had left were dreams. So much changed each August. Every year, it's almost like a completely new life, with only memories and photographs to prove the other life even existed at all. And the most important proof, my little smiling diva girl. At least I know for sure the lives in the years passed have all been real, and all been mine.

This year, my status has talked about people's milk buying habits in preparation for a hurricane and registering for the BlogHer Writer's Conference. I'm at my mom's in Maryland (just like 2008), watching my little girl run around like a crazy person. We spent time outside and took silly photos with Photo Booth. I have a countdown on my phone for when my boyfriend will get home and am looking at different trips I want me and Ari to take in the mean time, and for all of us to take once he's home. There isn't much direction anymore, just trying to figure things out. It's all changed year-to-year and some days I don't know how to handle it. I suppose you just take each year, each day really, in stride.


Well, I'm off here to go write more 2011 statuses (lol) and see if my diva girl will go take a nap yet. Here's to hoping 2012's statuses on this day are good ones!