2023 in review

Some highlights and lowlights from a momentous year, in no particular order.

Highlight: Pregnancy

I was pregnant for most of 2023—from my embryo transfer on Feb 13 to my delivery on Oct 17. I loved being pregnant. I felt so in touch with my body, and it was amazing to see it grow every week. I’m capable of growing a human and that’s freaking cool. Feeling Naomi kick around in the womb was awesome. Plus, people smiled at me way more when I was pregnant :)

Lowlight: IVF

IVF blows. I’m glad it exists, but it is so so hard. I completed all my embryo transfers prior to 2023. What many people don’t know is that you have to do even MORE shots when you transfer an embryo. The 10 weeks of progesterone shots post-embryo transfer were hell. I was in so much pain every day. It was more painful than c section recovery and lasted 10x longer. If you know someone going through IVF, please give them a hug!

Highlight: Mom friends

SO many of my friends are having babies. 5 of my closest friends were pregnant the same time as me. One of my best friends had her daughter 9 days before Naomi! I texted these friends daily. They provided me with resources, advice, emotional support, and excitement! Motherhood is hard, but I feel like I’ve experienced womanhood on a new level and bonded with women in a new way.

Lowlight: Pregnancy scare

I had a subchorionic hemorrhage in my 2nd trimester, which made me bleed every day for about 5 weeks. At first I thought it was a miscarriage, which was terrifying and traumatic (I already had one in 2022). Every day for those 5 weeks I was scared I might lose the baby. I put my life on pause: no gym, no walks, no travel. It was super depressing. One day the hemorrhage miraculously disappeared, and I switched back to my happy pregnant self. It was crazy to see how quickly I could go from feeling on top of the world, to super low, to super happy and optimistic again.

Highlight: Sid

We said goodbye to Sid on Oct 30. This was one of the saddest experiences of my life. Sid had the best damn life a dog could have. He was found as a stray in Nashville, and he died with a best friend (Sam) who took him EVERYWHERE for 13+ years. He went to work with Sam every day, traveled across the country, and lived in 4 different states. He lived to meet our daughter Naomi. He lived an amazing life, and that makes me happy. I’m tearing up as I write this, but thinking about Sid will always be a highlight. Sam wrote a great blog post on how Sid impacted his life. RIP Sid <3

Lowlight: Minimal travel

Between pregnancy, caring for Sid and caring for a newborn, we were pretty locked down this year. We missed 2 of our best friends’ weddings. We’re hoping to get back out there in 2024!

Highlight: Peak fitness

When I got pregnant in February I was the fittest I’ve ever been. I forgot to measure my body fat %, but I’m guessing it was around 17%. When I was 1 month pregnant I achieved a major goal: my first chin up! I stopped going to the gym and lifting weights when I had the pregnancy scare, so my strength is at an all time low right now. But I’m back to the gym! In 2024 I hope to do a real pull up with hands facing forward.

Highlight: Airbnb

In April I hit my 6 year anniversary at Airbnb. I never thought I’d work at a company this long! But I’m still hooked on the product and the people. This year I transitioned from IC to manager, which was a nice change. I’m enjoying managing people!

Lowlight: Long-term career goals

I don’t know what I want from my career. I don’t want to be a full-time parent, I don’t want to grind at work away from my daughter all day, and I also don’t want to coast along as a middle manager forever. Sooo I’m pretty confused, and I don’t know when I’ll figure this one out (if ever!).

Highlight: Childbirth

Throughout pregnancy I bragged “I’m not scared of chilbirth.” I was wrong. On the morning of my c section, I shook with fear as they rolled me into the OR. I was terrified of the anesthesia (you’re AWAKE and fully lucid for a major surgery…ah!). A sweet nurse held my hand until Sam was allowed to come into the room. Once I was numbed up Sam came in. He saw the fear on my face and immediately crouched down and pressed his cheek up against mine. 1 minute the doctor put up a curtain and started the incision. As soon as he started my fear dissipated and adrenaline kicked in. Literally 4 minutes and 20 seconds later Naomi was out! The moment when the doctor pulled her out and pushed down the curtain was the craziest experience of my life. I was in shock for a few hours. It didn’t feel real! It was surreal and incredible in the best way.

A scheduled c-section wasn’t the plan, but now that I did it, 10/10 experience would do it again.

Lowlight: Summer in Austin

2023 was our first year spending the whole summer in Austin. Temps were triple digits for 40 days in a row, with many days over 105. It was terrible.

Highlight: Beyonce

My mom and I took a road trip to Philly to see Beyonce’s Renaissance tour. Nuff said.

Lowlight: Quitting piano lessons

I quit piano lessons when I had my pregnancy scare. I was in a bad mental state and didn’t want any obligations. I haven’t got back into playing since. Hoping to turn that around in 2024!

Highlight: Baby Birthday Bash

We hosted a big baby shower / birthday party on my 31st birthday when I was 34 weeks pregnant. Our families flew in from NYC and STL, and most of our Austin friends came. It was great to celebrate this time and celebrate the great community we’ve built in Austin. My friend Kelly made a dope cake and Sam surprised me with a mariachi band!

Highlight: Walking

Like any good New Yorker, I love to walk. It’s my sanity. And it was especially important this year because it was my main form of exercise while pregnant and postpartum. I averaged 9,144 daily steps for the year, which is pretty good since I was out of commission for much of March, April and October. My mood was much worse those months, as well as the summer months when it was too hot to walk midday. I’m finding it harder to do long walks now that I have a baby, but I’m still trying to do at least a short walk every day!

Highlight: Newborn days

I loved having a newborn. It was blissful to watch a human experience the world for the first time. Some mornings I would wake up and saw that she literally grew overnight. I watched her learn to do functions we take for granted, like look around and move her face muscles. My mom helped us a ton the first month, which was incredibly helpful. Watching Sam with Naomi warms my heart.