Annual Review

Last year was a big year.  Just to recap; I began writing this blog, tested my ability at being a student once again, worked hard, spent a lot of time with friends and family, traveled plenty, ran and swam, rocked being pregnant, became a mom, enjoyed maternity leave to the fullest and made some great new friends in the process.    

I’d say it was an eventful year for my whole family.  

On a low note, my Dad’s youngest sister, Monique, died unexpectedly this fall, just six months after their mothers passing.   Sadly, my parents lossed two other friends in unexpected and untimely deaths this year.  They also put down Riley, their kind little adopted Westie, a few days after Christmas.  Wow. It sounds really bad when compiled into one paragraph.

On a high note, my sister Shawna, her husband Dave, and daughter Edie moved from Seattle to Connecticut this summer.  They also started new jobs and bought a house. Jeff’s Sister Shana got married.  Plus, two of my close friends Liza and Kacey are both pregnant and due in March, and my dear friend Kelly got engaged and is most likely getting married this summer.  Wow. That sounds like a lot too!

Jeff and I rang in 2012 celebrating with new neighborhood friends Kate and Ira.  We drank champagne and toasted to new friendships and new babies, as our little ones slept nearby.  Their son Daniel is the same age as Colette and will be her playmate at day care when he starts this spring. 

Colette started at Eladia’s Day Care last Tuesday when I went back to work. I’m proud to say that we all did really well adjusting.  She comes home happy but tired, and practically jumps into her crib at 7:00PM.  As her daily report card states, she’s a happy and hungry baby.  They said she eats a lot and smiles a lot.   Her day care is about a 10-minute walk down our street, next to the train I take to work.  She usually falls asleep by the time we arrive and she wakes up when I unbundle her out of the Ergo.  On the walk over I talk to her about what I have going on that day and let her know I love her even though I’m not with her.  When I hand her over to Fatima, one of the teachers, she smiles and goes to join the other babies for morning tummy time. 

I don’t get report cards any more, but if I did, mine would say that I’m happy and eat well too!  I miss Cole even when she’s sleeping down the hall, so of course I miss her when I’m a work, but I really believe she will benefit greatly from interacting with her little friends at day care and from Jeff and I, well-balanced, working and loving parents.  The time I spend with her is more limited now, so I don’t take it for granted and jump up to change dirty diapers and feed her early in the morning.

1st report card

This year, and like every other year, and everyone else in the world, I want to get in better shape and save more money.  BORING.

But here are a few random and less generic things I’d also like to see happen in 2012…

Be less moody.  When I get annoyed or frustrated that something doesn’t work out as planned….I want to mope about it for  no more than 10 minutes and then move on.  This is something I really struggle with. It’s not an attractive trait and certainly not behavior I want copied by Colette.

Go camping…meant to last year but it never happened.

Compliment others more. Everyone loves being complimented and I don’t do it enough.

Get an iPhone and rely on Jeff less for EVERYTHING related to news, weather, pop culture, media, directions, etc.

Write a living will.  Just as last year proved, you never know when your time is up. Plus, babies change everything.

Have an awesome 30^th birthday party.

New Year! New chair! New Toy (Hand-me-down)!

Write more often…in my journal and on my blog.  

Make a great cocktail

Put things were they belong from the start, ie. toys, towels, shoes, purse, clothes, jackets. They all have their respective homes, but never get put where they should when they should, like when I walk in the front door.

Go to bed on time…11pm on weeknights.

Happy New Year everyone!