30 December 2017

Wrapping Up 2017

Wrapping up 2016
  1. What did you do in 2017 that you'd never done before?
    Travelled solo with a toddler.
  2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?
  3. From Last Year
    • A bad habit I'm going to break: Eating cheese outside of meals
      Wait. I said cheese? What was I thinking?
    • A new skill I'd like to learn: Hand Lettering/Bullet Journaling
      I did Bullet Journal for a while, but making the layouts became pretty hit or miss with a toddler around the house. I switched to a One Line A Day Journal, and have been really happy with that process
    • A person I hope to be more like: Someone who can be self aware without feeling awkward about themselves
    • A good deed I'm going to do: Donate to a Food Pantry
      We donated to the Stow Food Pantry this year. Next year I hope baby bear will be more involved.
    • A place I'd like to visit: An Alpaca Farm
      I don't know why, but I was unable to make this happen. We visited an orchard that has many animals: goats, ponies, chickens, pigs. That was lots of fun. No alpacas, though.
    This Year
    • A bad habit I'm going to break: Not meeting my step goals for the day
    • A new skill I'd like to learn: Needlepoint
    • A person I hope to be more like: Myself
    • A good deed I'm going to do: I'm going to check some things off this list
    • A place I'd like to visit: The Eric Carle Museum
  4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
    No babies this year.
  5. Did anyone close to you die? 
    No one.
  6. What trips did you take? 
    I went back to TX with my baby—it was our first solo trip and it was terrifying, wonderful, and also terrible.
  7. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
    A sleeper sofa so that we don't have to do the crib/office dance anymore.
  8. What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
    I honestly can't think of any. It is a blur of activity. The days are long but the years are short. One day I see over and over again is the day we went to an indoor playplace, and there was a big slide that J-bear wanted to go down over and over once she got the hang of it, and we got video of her going down the slide with my mother. She makes me watch the video constantly. "Boogah (grandma) slide. Boogah slide."
  9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
    I became just a little bit less hard on myself.
  10. What was your biggest failure?
    Just my big mouth...again.
  11. Did you suffer illness or injury? 
    I caught a gastro bug on Christmas, it was super pleasant to wake up the next day to see my child had also caught it (i.e. barfed all over her sheets).
  12. What was the best thing you bought?
    Some of the most amazing fabrics to make clothes
  13. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    J, because he is always incredibly supportive, wonderful, and amazing.
  14. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
    All of the sexual abuse scandals that broke this year were appalling.
  15. Where did most of your money go?
    Kid, House, Car, Sewing
  16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    Taking swimming lessons with my bug
  17. What song will always remind you of 2017?
    Believer by Imagine Dragons
  18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
    Sew
  19. What do you wish you'd done less of? 
    Stress about things outside of my sphere of control.
  20. How did you spend Thanksgiving?
    With our Massachusetts family and friends.
  21. How did you spend Christmas? 
    Throwing up in the bathroom and falling asleep at 6:30 pm
  22. How will you be spending New Years?
    Drinking Prosecco at home (Actually, we went over to our neighbors' house and it was so much low-key New Year's fun—we didn't even think we'd make it to midnight, but lo and behold, we did!)
  23. Did you fall in love in 2017? 
    Every single day.
  24. What was your favorite TV program?
    The Crown was probably the show that I devoured the most instantly and intently. I couldn't wait for the second season, and in my opinion it did not disappoint.
  25. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
    I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*
    *I have added an addendum to include the strong sense of dislike that I feel for people who mark-up library books.
  26.  What was the best book you read?
    The Last Tudor by Phillipa Gregory, because inaccurate and sultry historical fiction is totally my jams, and Rosie Revere, Engineer
  27. What was your greatest musical discovery? 
    Magic 106.7 playing Christmas music non-stop while I wrapped presents. Before that I would be obsessive about my spotify or Pandora or whatever playlist. Now I just let it wash over me as I frantically go about all of the Christmas things that seem to come with a toddler.
  28. What did you want that you also ended up getting?
    • A new fitbit that alerts me when I have texts, phone alerts, or am simply being a lazy ass.
    • A serger, which my mother bought me for my birthday and now gets used as much as or more than my sewing machine.
    • A victory against Roy Moore
  29. What did you want that you did not end up getting?
    Into some playgroups with some of the friends we've been with since my bub was a little peanut. It turns out our town is not one of the towns served by this particular group that we got involved with through the hospital, so we got shut out and it really stung.
    There was a local school board election, and the candidate I felt would really have been looking out for the early education kiddos did not win.
  30. What was your favorite film of this year? 
    The Big Sick, which to be honest is the only movie Jason and I actually sat down to watch together this year. So it was half appreciating the movie, and half appreciating our own homemade date night.
  31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I turned 33. J gave me a day of relaxing and sewing, my mom got me a serger. I had a pedicure and a nice dinner.
  32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Some weight loss
  33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017? 
    Lots homemade leggings and baggy shirts
  34. What kept you sane?
    My husband, and yoga
  35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    Benedict Cumberbatch, America Ferrera
  36. What political issue stirred you the most? 
    Local town politics to be honest. There was the school board election, followed by some Pre-K stuff that just does not seem like it was handled in the best interest of our children.
  37. Who did you miss?
    My grandmother, as always. My therapist.
  38. Who was the best new person you met?
    I met so many wonderful women in the playgroups that we have been involved in.
  39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017
    Be careful what you say around the toddler, for she is listening intently, even if she looks like she's pretending her penguin is pooping on his "potty," which is actually just a plastic cup.
  40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
    If you're happy and you know it, eat your food/brush your teeth/comb your hair. - me

01 January 2017

Wrapping Up 2016

Wrapping up 2015
  1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
    Gave birth
  2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?
  3. From Last Year
    • A bad habit I'm going to break: Eating when I'm stressed/bored/sad/celebrating
      LOLOLOLOL
    • A new skill I'd like to learn: light woodworking parenting
      Well, it happened whether or not I was ready for it!
    • A person I hope to be more like: Someone who can easily socialize with others
      I have had to meet and socialize with many new moms to get out of the house and feel like part of a community. It has been very good for me and for baby.
    • A good deed I'm going to do: Donate my time
      Like...what time? I did end up making freezer meal(s) for new mom(s) in my area, and I stepped up to take on a role in my local parenting network.
    • A place I'd like to visit: England
      Again, pregnant. And then had a baby. Travel overseas for no reason other than to travel? HAHAHA.
    This Year
    • A bad habit I'm going to break: Eating cheese outside of meals
    • A new skill I'd like to learn: Hand Lettering/Bullet Journaling
    • A person I hope to be more like: Someone who can be self aware without feeling awkward about themselves
    • A good deed I'm going to do: Donate to a Food Pantry
    • A place I'd like to visit: An Alpaca Farm
  4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
    Well, I did, haha. It does't get much closer than that! Otherwise, yes, there were a few other babies joining mine in 2016 :)
  5. Did anyone close to you die?
    Fortunately, although I did lose many childhood idols this year, no one closely related to me passed on.
  6. What trips did you take?
    We went to PA for a wedding, and TX to visit with family.
  7. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
    A full night's sleep
  8. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
    April 8th, the day our daughter came into our lives. Of course, I already forget most of the pain and stress, but I will always remember how that tiny little person joined our family.
  9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
    Having a birth that was nearly the opposite of my birth plan in every way, and still feeling as though it was everything that it should have been.
  10. What was your biggest failure?
    Just my big mouth...again.
  11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    My femoral nerve was damaged when I gave birth. I was unable to walk for days. I fell twice (hard). I laid in a hospital bed, needing everything to be handed to me, afraid to shower because I was a fall risk, seeing physical therapists and a neurologist in addition to the lactation consultants and pediatricians. My spirits were high—I had a brand new baby, after all, but it was tough. Thankfully everyone was supportive, and no one withheld her from me if I felt I needed her, because there was no way for me to take charge in that position. I finally left the hospital five days later with a full leg brace (never needed it, thank goodness), and a walker. I barely made it to my front door that first day, I had to pause in the middle of my lawn while my family brought out a kitchen chair for me to rest on!

    Once I got home, I managed to fall a third time in our bedroom. There's still a hole in our drywall shaped like my backside!
  12. What was the best thing you bought?
    We bought a Subaru Outback. I have never had a new car for myself, and it has been very exciting driving around in one of the top safety rated cars with my kid in the backseat (I am so cool!)
  13. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    J, because when I wasn't 100% myself after our daughter was born, he took it upon himself to be present and he took more time off from work than I thought he would (and that I thought he would be able to). He made sure we were both taken care of.
  14. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
    Drumpf - many of the people who voted for him. And especially people who complained that those who "lost" the election were mourning the loss. Oh, I'm sorry that I have feelings. I'm sorry that I'm feeling exactly what you did eight years ago.
  15. Where did most of your money go?
    That brand new baby (and car)
  16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    Can I mention that I had a baby enough times?
  17. What song will always remind you of 2016?
    Cecelia and the Sattelite by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness | Closing Time by Semisonic
  18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
    Sleep!
  19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
    Stress about things outside of my sphere of control.
  20. How did you spend Thanksgiving?
    With our Massachusetts family and friends.
  21. How did you spend Christmas?
    In PA
  22. How will you be spending New Years?
    Probably sleeping, because the baby isn't going to let us sleep in on January 1st!
  23. Did you fall in love in 2016?
    Every single day, with my babe and with my husband.
  24. What was your favorite TV program?
    I watched a lot of things on Netflix, but not one of them was especially memorable...remind me to answer this question when I have time to process shows again, instead of just consume them mindlessly.
  25. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
    I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*
    *I have added an addendum to include the strong sense of dislike that I feel for people who mark up library books.
  26.  What was the best book you read?
    Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Little Blue Truck
  27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
  28. What did you want that you also ended up getting?
    An Outback, a Vacuum Sealer, This Circle of Neglect.
  29. What did you want that you did not end up getting?
    Oddly enough, snow. Last year was miserable, but this year we only got one snowstorm, and I had to snowblow our driveway being miserably pregnant because it was the one day J had a work trip this winter, and plow companies wouldn't come out to our house for such a small amount of snow (enough snow to keep me homebound, too little snow to warrant an emergency).
  30. What was your favorite film of this year?
    Amanda Knox, the Netflix documentary. It was illuminating, even to someone who was pretty familiar with the case.
  31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I turned 32. I am sure that Jason and I had a nice dinner, but what I really remember was taking the day off from work, scrubbing the sink, and pampering myself all day long with a face mask and a foot soak (scrubbing the sink was nesting, gratifying, and something I do all the time now).
  32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    I grew a lot from it, but I can't imagine how different my story would be right now if I hadn't damaged my nerve in April. I still suffer from side effects from that trauma now, and it wasn't even "that bad."
  33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
    A continuation of the maternity pants theme, until they stopped fitting (because the baby was out! Not the other way), then yoga pants and sweatshirts.
  34. What kept you sane?
    My husband, and yoga
  35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    Benedict Cumberbatch, America Ferrera
  36. What political issue stirred you the most?
    Just the election in general made me so unbelievably angry. I'm glad that I'm in a like-minded Massachusetts bubble, but I was appalled at how senselessly callous some people can be in the name of politics. Things that they would not normally say about someone are fair game as long as it's an us-vs-them argument and they neglect to remember (or care) that their loved ones are sometimes "them."
  37. Who did you miss?
    My grandmother, as always
  38. Who was the best new person you met?
    My baby :)
  39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015
    Always close your mouth when a baby's mouth is near yours, because they just might puke into it for funsies and without warning.
  40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
    Of all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you. - Andrew McMahon