New Year

I have been wanting to update the blog for so long. So many thoughts and moments I've wanted to share, but every minute I have to myself I'm either sleeping or taking a warm bath. The holiday season was very low key for us. We casually walked into the new year, telling 2013 not to let the door hit it on the way out. Though we were blessed in many ways, it was by far the most challenging year for us as a family and we were ready to see it go. As we draw close to the end of January, I find myself quite pregnant and waiting anxiously to meet our daughter. I'm 39 weeks tomorrow and already carrying her longer than I carried Penny. Because Penny came unexpectedly, this "waiting period" is new to me and even though I'm not a fan of it, I'm trying to indulge in each day. Enjoy the quiet moments that I still have to myself. Soak up the time I have left of her inside me, every kick and hiccup. 

(38 weeks)

At almost 39 weeks I'm feeling pretty good. Besides the fact that I'm hardly sleeping, I don't feel too uncomfortable and haven't had any real contractions yet (just super uncomfortable braxton hicks). Though we don't have an elaborate nursery ready and waiting, we have a little corner in our room ready to be filled with her presence. Hospital bags are packed, playlist is composed, and the back of our car is jammed tight with two car seats. We're as ready and we'll ever be and I plan on spending the last however many days mentally preparing myself for labor.

Miss Penny still has no idea what's about to happen, but she sure does enjoy lifting up my shirt and patting my tummy (quite aggressively!). I have so enjoyed our last weeks together as a duo, but I'm excited for her to be a big sister and find her place in that role (even if it's rocky at first). As always, she is constantly changing and making my job as a mother a true joy. She understands a lot of what we're saying and is always trying to repeat new words. Her sweet little voice melts my heart and I love how excited and proud she gets when we praise her for saying something. Lately, her favorites are banana "manah", potty, bath "bah!", "nigh nigh", and bur "buhh!" 

We spend lots of time dancing to music and reading books. She loves to help me around the house by taking neatly folded piles of clothes and transporting them across the room :), helping me shut the dishwasher, and taking the groceries out of the grocery bag. I have to admit that the mess is hard for a perfectionist, like myself, to deal with at times but the look of content on her face when I praise her is far better than a tidy house. 

She is turning into a beautiful little girl and I am so thankful for the spunk and sweetness she brings to our family.

Being the obsessive list-maker that I am, I usually find myself with a long list of goals at the beginning of a new year. I'm always wishing that I ate healthier, worked out more (or at all!), spent more time in the kitchen, had more fun activities for Penny, kept a tighter budget, invested more in the friendships in my life, etc. I'll always be striving to improve in those areas, but instead I want to focus on one, big goal for the year 2014--living with intention. I'm still trying to figure out what this looks like on a day to day basis. Not waking up at 4am to read or run a million miles (though I applaud you folks who do), but practical, realistic things like putting my phone down (a VERY hard one for a lonely, stay at home mom), investing in my marriage and learning about my husband (and hell, even going on a date every now and then!), making prayer and thanksgiving a priority, memorizing scripture, and putting effort into my appearance (hello showers and real clothes) without needing value from it. It's far too easy to wish away my days as a stay at home mom, waiting for 5pm when Truman gets home or living for the weekend. I want to focus on making each day special (even if it's not glamorous) rather than always trying to live one step ahead.

I'm excited for this year. I'm excited to work through the messy of newborn stage, to not be pregnant and exhausted this summer, to fall deeper in love with my husband (cheesy, sorry), and to even re-discover my creative, artistic side while being a momma. Most importantly as we go forward as a family, I strive to be a woman who puts her family first, serves without needing praise, laughs amidst chaos, embraces mess, isn't attached to or concerned with stuff, and craves Jesus more than anything else.

Here's to hoping there's a precious little newborn in my arms SOON!

Cheers, J.