2012 started with a pitiful bang for me as I was lost in motherhood, and struggling with depression.

The intense colic of my second born had me spinning in circles, and unwillingly participating in shopping cart roller derbys.

The new home we had moved into turned out to be a nightmare and during one of my many attempts to make our surroundings better, Arm and Hammer tried to kill me.

I battled my way through the first couple months of the year like only a parent with kids under five can.  Eventually, I was rewarded with the best 15 minutes in a long time.

After realizing motherhood has made me into a big fat liar, I needed to find a way to be courageously honest, and finally came clean to my husband and you about the Postpartum Psychosis I suffered with my first son.

2012 was a year that I was extremely grateful for the cyber-campfire that is blogging.  I wrote these words to you in a post about why I will never quit blogging.

A blogger strokes the keyboard, reaches through the computer screen, and taps you on the shoulder.  A personal blogger writes to make you feel, to make you laugh, to make you think.  A blogger (a good one) feeds your humanity.  And the best part of it all, the absolute best, is that you also feed mine.  It may actually be a tipped scale in my favor.

When I’m honest in my writing, it makes me feel human.  But when you, the readers respond… it makes me live.

Social media continued to be my addiction in 2012, and once again I attempted to control how everyone in the universe uses Twitter.

I discovered there was a Jenni Jekyll and a Jenni Hyde, but I’m not sure which one shouldn’t be allowed to drive.

I learned how to have non make up sex.

The New York Times forgot to ask me about the whole motherhood vs. feminism thing.

I briefly weighed in on the “mommy wars” and Time shmime.

I got to be on the review and scoring committee for the BlogHer’12 Voices Of The Year submissions.  It was an honor to read the kajillion posts, to be reminded of other parents in the trenches with me, and to have my eyes bleed from the goodness of  all the writing.

I was honored to participate in the Mother’s Day Rally over at Postpartum Progress.

I also finally realized I was the chosen one… at least when it comes to dirty vegetables…

and I discovered one of my favorite things to do is write for the wayward googler.

I started Mommy Nani Booboo Tube.

However, 2012 was no different than any other year in my anxiety about things that may or may not exist.

I went to New York, attended a conference, met with old friends, broke my laptop, and had a cab driver try to kill me.

I finally became a cougar… for three seconds - big milestones this year…

and I’ve managed to keep my reckless baby alive.

My oldest finally felt the space left behind when grandparents live far away.

Someone asked me if I thought women could “have it all”.

 

 

The political climate of this past year eeked it’s way into this space, even though I first wanted to keep politics off this site.  It ended up being too important for me to remain silent about.

I flew a glider plane.
 

 

We decided to move… again… and downsize… and monkify.

The year decided not to go out like a lamb, and instead spun me and spit me out with Murphy’s Law in full effect, moving over the holidays, and a devastating tragedy for the nation that rattled every parent to the core.

My babies both got very sick with infections, the holidays were a blur, and I’m not sure my birthday happened… but I discovered that one can feel fantastic with absolutely no sleep.
 

 

So, 2012 – it’s been no bed of roses, but I’ve learned a lot from our relationship.

 

Let’s still be friends…

and 2013…

 

let’s be lovers.