2011 - the year I will become a mama

My apologies for the missed posts - with the holidays bearing down on us and working all week, it was the best I could do to make sure all the major items were checked off my list, and the blog slipped to the back burner.  But, to recap, Christmas came and went and was just as lovely as it is every year. We did our annual Christmas Eve dinner with Matt's family, and let me tell you, I married into a great one there! Delicious food, family stories, and the excitement of the kids on Christmas Eve (although they are all getting SO grown up and I have to say it's amazing to see how they each get a little bit more reserved and less Santa'sComing!Santa'sComing!OMG every year).  And for those of you who wanted to see pics, I brought a peppermint meringue chocolate ganache cake for dessert, and it was SO delicious!

The cake, pre-slicing 

 The inside view

The 23 Week Belly at Christmas Eve

Our Christmas morning was actually pretty perfect, as it was the first time since we lived in our condo that we've actually had our own time together on Christmas day without anyone else. We opened our gifts in front of the fire with mugs of coffee and a few special treats, and just spent the day generally relaxed and jammied until my Mom got home from work and Allison came over.  Family dinner before 8 PM and opening our gifts at night by just the light of the tree was a little upside down for the way we usually do it, but it was really nice and a great way to end the day.  Of note, I received a video camera (well, apparently I made this wish recommendation quite clearly known and both Matt and Mom got one for me...oops!), so just get ready for an onslaught of adorable videos this spring! :)

Anyway, I have now hit the 24 week mark and the very brink of viability. Little girl's lungs should be developed enough to offer at least a chance of survival outside the womb (although I've been quite clear with her that she is to stay put for a while yet!).  She should weigh about 1.5 lbs and will begin putting on the weight now.  According to one of the many weekly email updates my inbox is regularly assaulted with, she is currently approximately the size of a papaya :)

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Reflecting on 2010, looking forward to 2011

2010 held much excitement and promise for us.  We continued to work very hard every month towards our goal of paying down debts and moving closer to being able to look into buying our own home.  We had hoped that this would happen by the end of this year, and although we're not quite there we've made tremendous progress, and I have to remind myself how much we have accomplished.  We have pushed ourselves to give things up or hold off on things that we wanted, we have learned the importance of patience and fortitude towards a shared goal, and we have continued to learn that supporting each other no matter how difficult the circumstances might seem at times is ultimately what will get us to that end.  And so, in 2011, we will continue to forge ahead and hopefully this year will be the year that we do in fact become homeowners. 

2010, as you all know from reading this blog, was also the year we decided to take the leap towards parenthood.  We were lucky enough to conceive without a struggle, and I feel so fortunate to have had a relatively normal pregnancy thus far.  Being slightly less than 16 weeks from our due date, I am looking forward to the remaining experiences that this journey will have in store, but more than that I am looking towards the most wondrous change our lives will probably ever see; becoming parents for the first time.  I think we both have the chops to handle it with relative grace, and the support we have from friends and family will see us through when we inevitably falter.   This role, Mama, is something I feel I have literally waited most of my life to experience, and I feel ready. I honestly hold very little anticipatory anxiety about those first early stages of motherhood, anyway...thinking about raising a teenage girl does pose its challenges, but we'll work up to that by the time we need to! I feel knowledgeable, prepared, and overwhelmingly excited to experience that which I have admired in others for so many years.  To have a little face look to me as one of the most important sources of love and knowledge and guidance, to nourish both a body and a developing soul, to raise an intelligent, present, caring member of our human race...I am truly honored to have the opportunity to try my hand at this.  

Aside from the obviously major changes that 2011 has in store for us, my other goals (albeit related to that in some way) are to simplify, de-clutter, and organize both my physical spaces and my inner self.  I want to feel that the spaces I surround myself with bring me peace, calm, and comfort, so that I can live as presently and simply as possible.  I want to experience my remaining pregnancy and maternity leave fully, not living in a whirlwind of clutter and physical mayhem (of course some of that comes with having a newborn around, but I at least want to start with a clean slate, both mentally and physically).   I am notoriously terrible at getting and staying organized, and I truly want this year to be a fresh start. With that in mind, the rest of this weekend is dedicated to clearing out spaces and finding what we cannot live without, and doing away with much of the excess. 

What are your goals/resolutions/hopes for 2011?