Reflections on the New Year

Only two days of 2009 left! It's hard to believe how fast this year has gone by! Or really, I should say how fast this last part of 2009 has gone by, as a large part of this year has gone quite slowly for me as I waited for Eliza to come. And, of course, as the year is winding down, it's time to think about the next year coming up and what we anticipate and what we hope to happen, what we hope to avoid.

I've decided to take part in the age-old tradition of making resolutions. I've realized that the few times I took New Year's Resolutions seriously, I actually kept them for the majority of the year. Couple that realization with a very real desire to make some changes, and here I am, resolving myself and making some goals.

In 2010, I am making it a goal to lose this baby-weight! I don't like looking in the mirror everyday and feeling discouraged about my figure. It doesn't do any good to beat myself up about it if I'm not willing to do anything about it. Granted, it's hard for me to lose weight. And I hate exercise. And a nasty little voice likes to whisper that the only weight-loss success I've ever had was when I went on an extreme diet (South Beach, to be exact), something I can't really do as I'm breastfeeding. But I'm not going to let that stop me. Yes, I want to lose a certain amount of weight, and I have set a goal and a timeline to hopefully achieve it. But more than anything, my desire is to be more active, to find some activities I enjoy doing them and use them to my benefit, and quit hating my image in the mirror. Couple that with some healthy eating, and hopefully I achieve my goals.

Another goal I'm making is to be more consistent in my quiet time. It's incredibly spotty these days! It's been such a lifestyle change, having a baby! And it's affected me finding the time to spend one-on-one time with my God. So, a very important goal I've made is to make sure I make time for a regular time of quiet and devotion. Even if I have to hold Elizabeth through it! It's my desire to set an example for my kids of devotion, and how can I do that if I'm not devoted? It's not the only reason I want this, but it is one that I think is important. But more importantly, I just need that time! My relationship with Jesus needs that time! So, it's time to get down to business.

These are the goals first and foremost on my mind, and if I can achieve them, then my other goals will fall in line, too: be more organized, having a routine/schedule. Things like that. I intend to keep myself accountable here. And I do intend to actually keep this resolutions. I am, in fact, resolved upon it!

Busy-ness

This year I had intended to slow down and take time to reflect on the True Meaning of Christmas on this holiday. I had wanted to meditate on the Lord's coming and how it was the culmination of so many prophecies, events, and plans that God had set forth. That it was, and is, the pinnacle of history, and that now we are only waiting for its second fulfillment in the return of Christ. But sadly, I didn't do the job I wanted to do. The best I had was when Nick and I read the story together in the early hours while I nursed Elizabeth and we waited to hear my nephews crowing the dawn of Christmas morning. Church services were canceled due to the winter storm and blizzard-like conditions on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve service is my favorite part of the holiday because it is an opportunity to worship, reflect, and learn while focusing on our Lord and his birth into our world as a human, for our sakes and His glory. I missed it terribly this year.

And so, instead of being-filled with Christ, Christmas was really filled with shouting kids, opening presents, lots of good food and sweet treats, laughter, exhaustion, and cuddling my little girl close. Don't get me wrong, it was fun. And good! Good to be with family, good to enjoy each other's company, and yes, even nice to receive some pretty nice gifts. (Eliza did even better than me! :) But I would have liked to take more time to worship. It is something Nick and I have both resolved on for future years: if we create any Christmas traditions in our own family, it will be to slow down and take a moment to kneel before the reason we are celebrating this day anyway.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Nick created this little video as our "Christmas card" this year. This will be the only time you have an opportunity to see us singing and dancing together! We found it pretty funny. Enjoy!

How fast they change!

Eliza is five weeks old already! Already you can see changes in her little face as she grows. Check out this photo, taken by a good friend of mine, and then refer to the December 2nd post to see what I mean.

Calendar winding down

Hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away! And then just a scant week after that 2009 will be done! It's been a very good year: got married, had a baby, moved twice, and a whole lot in between! 2010 looks to be fairly good as well, at least from where we sit. Life isn't perfect, of course, but it is good when you have a wonderful husband, a beautiful baby, and a loving Savior!

Pen obsession

I have a thing about pens. They have to write just right: the flow of the ink, the size of the ball point, whether they scratch the paper or not... My favorite pen of all time is a stainless steel Jotter by Parker. But these pens are now running close to $9 for a single pack. Too expensive, especially when I carry pens around and tend to lose them in the process. Second favorite and current working-must is a zebra pen: again stainless steel finish, but has a black grip. Today, my husband brought me home a new one. It's also a zebra, but it's expandable: you can "shut" it down to a half the size and pull it open again to write. I am trying it out now. The upper half is cherry sports-car red and the bottom half is ribbed steel. Luxurious. And how does it write, you ask? Perfect.

Update on Eliza Jane

Hard to believe Miss Eliza is one month old, already! We took her for her one month check-up on Monday. She's gained almost two pounds and an inch and a half! Sadly we have to put those adorable, tiny newborn clothes aside. (I am glad to say, though, that every newborn outfit was worn at least once before she outgrew them!)

Developments: Eliza now tracks objects with her eyes. Last night she watched as Daddy passed his hand back and forth at least three feet from her face. She's fascinated with lights of all kinds, but especially the Christmas tree. A favorite pastime is to lay on a blanket beneath the tree and stare up into its gorgeousness. She can also now hold her head up for a few minutes at a time. She is also smiling, and even sometimes in response to someone speaking to her. (We look forward to more of that!) She is beginning to hold onto things with her hands, such as Mom's shirt when she's being carried. However, we can't yet get her to hold onto any rattles or toys. Most of the day she is content to sit and stare at things or is happy to sit in your lap and watch you talk to her. It seems her fussy time, if she has one, is in the late afternoon or at night before bed.

Tomorrow a good friend of mine is coming down from Omaha to take her picture. We look forward to seeing the pictures when they are done! I will post an updated picture soon. She changes day by day, it seems!

Miss Eliza Jane

Finally! We have a card drive and I've uploaded pictures of the little lady. She's a cutie! It's hard to decide what to post, but my sister took some good ones of her this past Thanksgiving weekend. So I'll just include some of those. This is Miss Elizabeth at two weeks old.