01 Jan
2010 in Review
I’ve seen a few bloggers do posts like this in the last few days, and I love it for a few reasons. It’s a great way for me to look back in a few years and remember what my year was like. It’s also a great way to point out some favorite posts from the past year to any new readers!
January
I wrote about my struggle with pregnancy weight gain and accepting my new body shape. I started eating in the style of the Real Food movement, something I am still doing today. I started answering questions on Formspring, and kept doing so even when it felt like everyone else was dropping out. To date I’ve answered almost 3500 questions! That’s a whole lot of talking about myself :). Baby was going to arrive in a few moments and I knew the time would go by in a blink, so I started thinking about the post-partum period.
February
I talked about Good/Better/Best, and I’m still working to do better each day. We stressed about what we would name T1. I admitted that I pee my panties a little bit sometimes. We had a snow day in Dallas (very rare) and I went exploring in a wooded area near my house, coming frighteningly close to getting lost!
March
I gave you a tour of our apartment at Villa Miranda in Dallas. I made baklava for the first time, something I would most definitely like to do again. My stomach exploded with stretch marks, a part of my pregnancy that is still with me to this day. I had maternity photos taken by my friend Bethany! I devoted a post to my caring and devoted husband. I was showered with love at my baby shower. This was an exciting month, but the highlight was most definitely finding out that we were moving to Chicago!
April
I wrote about how I had been preparing my body to have a baby. I tried live blogging general conference, something I’d like to do again in the future but probably won’t happen now that I have a baby to entertain! I was getting so little sleep that it started to consume my thoughts, which of course led to a post here on That Wife. I wrote one final letter to T1 in embryo. Finally, T1 arrived! I wasn’t producing enough milk, which starved our son, and so I started supplementing with formula and wrapping him in a biliblanket to treat the jaundice which resulted.
May
I posted the story of T1′s birth, and tried to answer your birth questions. I wrote about how we are paying for our expenses while at business school, even though TH isn’t currently working. Stopped breastfeeding. Ignited a whole lot of controversy why I wrote my interpretation of the LDS views on mothers working outside the home. Highlighted ways that blogging had made me a better person. I had the first of many awful OBGYN appointments. My diet changed once again as we drastically cut back on the amount of meat we consume.
June
We used cloth diapers! I wrote candidly about what post-partum recovery is like. Let’s stop using “retard” and “gay” is derogatory terms! We buzzed T1′s hair, which made you all a little crazy. I realized that mommy blogging kind of sucks sometimes. Yet another sucky OBGYN appointment. That Food Diary was launched. I showed what it’s like to take care of a 4 month old. We had a little family outing at the Dr. Pepper Festival in Dublin. I took a little break from blogging.
July
I fed the missionaries, which was a big deal because it was my first experience trying to cook a meal for guests and manage a baby at the same time. I caught on to the idea of voting with my food dollars. We flew to Washington for T1′s baby blessing. T1 had two notable firsts, swimming and laughing. I became obsessed with the farmer’s market.
August
I’m a baby-wearin’ mama, and changed my eating habits even more drastically. We found an AMAZING apartment. Sadly, this caused us to give up cloth diapering. I spent time with e-friends at a pool party at my apartment building, a soda shop in Dallas, and in Boston.
September
We moved to Chicago and suffered through weeks and weeks without internet. I was able to spend some time with long-time reader Sophia and the Chicago bees. I attempted to save money and dye my hair myself, which was most definitely not a good idea. I grossed a whole lot of people out by creating a placenta print and posting pictures of the process. I came to terms with being a self-taught photographer. That Wife Book Club was launched! We struggled with juggling our baby at church, and I talked about postnatal cuddling. No internet was stressful, but TH not having a passport weeks before we were set to leave for Europe was most definitely a low point for us.
October
We went to Europe!!! (A trip I still need to post about in full.) I stressed about greeting my in-laws with a kiss, they introduced T1 to solid foods. I advocated for less helicopter parenting. T1 dressed as the Sleep Bandit for Halloween. My parents came.
November
T1 gained two teeth. I dressed up as the housing bubble and TH was a mortgage backed security for a University of Chicago MBA party. I officially lost 25 pounds. I attempted to go to Ikea alone with a baby, which was a very bad idea. We spent Thanksgiving in Washington after the wedding of TH’s best friend brought to the Pacific Northwest.
December
We want to shave T1′s hair yet again. I finally finished revamping my Jenna Cole sites. I pulled off a holiday party for That Wife blog readers, with about 10 people in attendance, and vowed to do that no more than once a year. I posted my thoughts on motherhood so far, T1 started crawling, I spoke in church, we joined some CSAs, and I showed what it’s like to run around after an 8 month old all day. We didn’t buy T1 anything for Christmas, and we decided we won’t be telling him Santa is real. We flew to Utah for 7 days and spent some time at a house in Heber City with my parents, we were spoiled by the amount of gifts we received and I felt a little guilty because I am so fortunate. Our entire family loved this way of spending Christmas enough that we’re considering repeating it next year.
You know what? After going through all of these posts and reviewing the past year, I realized that I really, really loved 2010. I feel like it’s an appropriate time for a little letter.
Dear 2011,I bet you can’t beat 2010 on the awesomeness scale. But why don’t you give it a try?
Love,
That Wife
Happy New Year friends!
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Happy New Year! Here’s to hoping for a FANTASTIC 2011!
Reviews are so much fun. Love that last picture of you guys. =)
1You look fantastic in the last pictures! Congrats on your weight loss and congrats on such a fantastic year!
2Love your latest family picture. Happy new year to you and your family!
3I love this post! I love the photos of you and your family which tells the story even better than just the words!
Thanks for being inspiring, Jenna. I mean that. You were one of the reasons I started blogging again and the inspiration behind one of my goals for this following year! I’m not doing a 101 things in 1001 days but I do like to do a 32 things for 32 years… so in February I’ll be going 33 things for my 33rd year.
Have a wonderful New Year!
4A lot of good things happened for me in 2010, but things are ending on a less than fabulous note. I am hoping for 2011 to be my year, and I will be working hard to make it that way!
Jenna Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 11:14 am
I’m sorry to hear that. I hope things start looking up soon!
I LOVE the shot of your family at the very end! It is so beautiful and you look so incredibly happy
sounds like you have had a wonderful year! If you ever drop by Utah again you should come by and make some baklava or almond roca 
6Love that last picture! Dark hair really works on you!
7What a beautiful family photo!
8The last photo of you and your family is stunning! Thank you for taking the time to put together this post, it was great to be able to follow the links and see the pictures. I started reading your blog this past summer, and have really enjoyed all of your perspectives on life, family, love, food, health, marriage…can’t wait to see what 2011 brings!
9It’s always so nice to review the year. I’ve had a fun time making a blurb book of our year to gift to my family this year. Not only did they loved it, but I enjoyed making it and looking at all the things we did. It’s easy to forget how much we achieve in a year sometimes. Looking back allows to appreciate it more.
Happy New Year and a great year to you and your family.
10Wow, Jenna, you have done so much this year! I don’t know how you find the time to write so much. Thank you for doing so, though, I still love reading your blog even though I don’t comment so much these days.
Jenna Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Right back atcha dear!
I’m glad you had such a good year! All the best for 2011!
12I am SO glad you posted this. I started reading your blog sometime in May and I’m glad I got to catch up on the important things that happened in your life before that.
Part of my 101 in 1001 (also inspired by you via out twitter exchange) is to comment more consistently on blogs, and yours is definitely worth commenting on, so I trust you’ll be seeing more of me here in the comments
Also, I LOVE the necklace that TH gave you for Christmas. So fitting!
13What a great year! You look FABULOUS in that last picture - What a sweet family you have!
14I love when bloggers do this as well! It’s a nice way to review the year and I imagine it’s useful for you to look back on. And I second the comment above- your avocado necklace is so rad, TH chose such a thoughtful gift!
15What a nice review! I’m so looking forward to all that 2011 has in store!
By the way, you might be excited to know that the midwives I’ve found for my home birth are amazing! I really like them a lot and if you end up birthing while you’re in Chicago, you should meet them!
Jenna Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 10:38 pm
My weight loss has been so slow that it’s unlikely at this point but I will call you if it’s going to happen!
It was so much fun reading your 2010 recap jenna. I was reminded again how much I like your dark color hair, it just looks so pretty on you! Beautiful family picture, love T1′s little hat.
17Oh I love this year in review post! I started reading your blog right around the time T1 was born, so it’s nice to see what was going on before then.
ps. Please don’t ever quit formspring!
18You’ve had one heck of a year - and you are looking fabulous. I hope 2011 brings you just as much joy as this past year did. I’m so happy to know you through blogging, you’re fab, Jenna.
Aly aka Jag
19Jenna, that last photo of you three is beautiful. You’re such a good looking family.
May the Lord richly bless you all in 2011.
-Claire.
20Wow. Looks like you had a wonderful year! The baby is just
21adorable! Happy New Year!
I love this post! I confess there were a few of your older posts this year that I’d forgotten, so this was a fun exercise for me too. I also thought it was interesting to see how you framed some of your memories and included your readers’ responses.
The last photo in the snow is great - your purple scarf pops so well, and of course, the stool is brilliant!
22This was an amazing post. I loved this recap of your year - and seeing all the pictures. You look fabulous, and I hope you are as happy as you seem because you’re pretty much glowing in all of these pictures. Here’s to another wonderful year!
23I came back to look through some more of the old posts you linked and seeing that picture of us made me wish we had been able to hang out more/sooner when we both lived in the same place! So glad we got to meet up in Chicago. You’re amazing
Jenna Reply:
January 3rd, 2011 at 12:29 am
I’m so glad we are e-friends!
Sophia Reply:
January 3rd, 2011 at 11:34 am
Same here!
Jenna, This was just great to read and look back on all the
25things you shared with us gals this past year. It’s been so much
fun reading your blog and getting to know you. Loved the recap so
much and wanted to let you know
I’m glad it was a good year Jenna. And I love that last picture of the 3 of you- you all look so happy
26I love the recap!! I started reading back in January when I was researching wedding photographers,(:)) it’s fun to remember what has happened!
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