Gosh, it's yet again the time of year that I do my 12 things of the passed year. Well, not really 12 things, just 4 pictures of each month. Choosing just 4 pictures turned out to be such a hard task. Some months I have too many pictures to choose from, then others I don't even have 4 good pics. The past year was amazing, eventful and a tad scary. I'm going to reveal something I haven't yet posted about, which I have been thinking about for a while. Panda and I discussed this and finally I'm ready I guess. The reason I haven't talked about this is simple, privacy. I even kept this out of my personal Facebook page and I don't post anything about it on Instagram, well, not just yet. Panda is a very private person and feels worried about sharing so much online, which I understand perfectly. Yet at the same time I love to share my pictures with the world so we came to an agreement, I can speak about things just leaving out some details which also applies for pictures. That being said lets kick start this throwback to 2014...
January started off with New Year celebration at my sister's place in Espoo and odd cravings for fresh food and feeling disgusted of Christmas food which was quite unusual for me. I also craved orange juice which made Panda think of a Chinese saying of women craving sour things are pregnant with a son... So Panda suggested we take a pregnancy test and boom our world changed over night. Panda was going to spend that semester in Taiwan so we packed up our home in Vuosaari and I moved back to my childhood home so we could save our money for the new arrival. January went by quite quickly with the packing, me working part time, Panda's farewell party and us working at a Conference. I was there as a photographer, it was so much fun! I was quite sad to give up my new dance hobby but I had to take care of myself and our little arrival. I should give her a name as well, maybe little Panda or Tiger. We used to call her hungry Tiger so I guess that will be her name here on the blog. I won't post her picture here or reveal much more, maybe some pictures of her clothes since they are so adorable. Anyway we will see what happens.
So February rolled around, Panda was in Taiwan and I was in my childhood home. I started cleaning up my old room and closet to make room for our little Tiger and also to check out all the baby clothes my mother and sister had saved. I also spent some time with my sister and her kids and went to see Disney on Ice. I dreamed of the day I would go there with my little Tiger. We also had to postpone our wedding plans which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the place we had reserved had stopped business and never informed us. So we were lucky in a way and found an even better place to have our wedding. Anyway this new year I'll post more about our wedding plans and my new found love for Taobao :) Though our wedding plans were postponed I still ventured to a wedding fair and got some OPI nail polishes.
Most of my months rolled the same way, work and cleaning. Then the end of March rolled around and I went to visit Panda in Taiwan. We spent two weeks driving around the island. I plan to post about this trip this year if I can find some time. Taiwan was such a nice place to visit that I don't think you guys mind reading about it later on. Sometimes I wish I could just be a travel blogger.
So the beginning of April I was still in Taiwan and got my nails done for the first time with gel, which turned out so nice that I did it several times after I returned to Finland. The rest of the month rolled on with work, cleaning, exercise and spending time with my sister and her kids.
The first of May is always a big thing in Finland and I spent it for the first time in Levi. It was nice to see how they spent Vappu there, with a parade of costumes. On Mother's Day I cooked pulled pork for the first time for my mother and we absolutely loved it. She also liked her mother's day breakfast and dessert (mango cheesecake). I had a superbly easy pregnancy and that's why I'm not mentioning much of it. I didn't really notice much hardship and such. Besides, if people are interested, I can write a separate post about it. I also got some good news regarding my master's studies that I will be completing after my maternity leave in a new city ;)
June went on as all others, work cleaning etc. Also some farewell parties for me, new gel nails, spending time at a summer cabin and not being able to fit into my own clothes anymore, a.k.a. no outfit posts. Panda returned from Taiwan and we started grilling a lot outside.
July saw no more work but double the cleaning. I also tried my hand at sowing and made my very own kimono. Me and some friends tried out a diner in Lahti that serves good burgers. We made a quick trip to Tallinn, the last me and Panda trip..
August is when we started getting excited, baby things and waiting for the due date. Last time I got gel nails and then had them removed. Panda's parents came to Finland for the first time and the waiting game began. And oh boy did the little Tiger keep us waiting until the last moment.
I actually have no pictures of September except ones of the little Tiger I won't post. So you get to enjoy these pictures from August. Like they say, the first months go in a haze and feel overwhelming, but at the same time they feel so rewarding and not to mention the amount the new things you learn.
October I finally ventured outside for walks with a baby stroller, and our first trip to Espoo for my sister's kid's Birthday. The little Tiger makes normal things so hard, but at the same time so exciting. I can't say I remember much of this time, like even now I can't tell you what I had for breakfast, but I can remember all the little smiles and toes. This was also the first time we didn't do Halloween, but for a good reason. ;)
Each month is full of new baby things and memories, but very little me time. Sometimes I could manage to do my nails and even bake, but other days I can barely make it to the toilet. It's the small joys of life, you appreciate different things as time goes by.
December was so busy, limited nap time to decorate, shop and so on. I managed though to succeed and finally be sick for Christmas. I guess I should learn to take it easy next year. Gosh it's been a busy year, if only I could sleep a little more. I guess that's the wish of all mothers with little babies. I wouldn't change this for anything though.
ps. It took me several days to finally finish this post and not to mention how many times I had to proof read my own writing. Seems my attention span is really short now and I lose my train of thought mid sentence but hopefully its not too hard to read. :)
