Raising Whittaker : Holiday Fun and New Year Goals

Hard to believe we are already in 2016! As always, December flew by and the holiday season was over before we knew it. We had a nice, relaxing Christmas celebrating for the last time as a family of two. We were productive throughout the long weekend, but also enjoyed quiet evenings together eating delicious food (thanks to my personal chef) and watching movies. I was also able to take a nap each day which may have been one of my favorite parts!

Christmas Eve Service

We both returned to work after Christmas, but enjoyed another long weekend for the New Year. You know you're 8 months pregnant when your New Year's Eve celebration included multiple meals, non-alcoholic beer and an overwhelming sense of pride of almost making it to midnight before falling asleep (almost). Oh, how times have changed from the nights of partying and shenanigans to ring in the new year.

Two of my girls!

As we rang in the New Year (the following day since I couldn't make it until midnight!) I began to think about my resolutions. If I'm being completely honest with myself, I believe I'm like many people when January rolls around - full of promise and confidence that this will be "the year" that everything changes. I've often thought to myself that "this will be the year that I...." fill in the blank with any of the traditional resolutions that people make in January, and often break by February. In years past, you could fill in the blank with such things as "lose weight, eat healthier, drink less, pray more." Looking back, I like to think I had good intentions when making these resolutions, but my follow through was minimal at best. This year feels different. For the first time, everything in my life is about to completely change, and I don't need a resolution to make that happen (though I would love if a realistic resolution was a pain free delivery!)

We are now less than a month from our due date and as I think of the excitement and challenges the next year will bring to my new family of three, I find myself setting goals rather than sweeping resolutions. Argue that it may just be semantics, but a goal seems much more attainable than a resolution! Looking ahead to 2016, my goal is simply to be the best wife and mother I can be. Pretty unoriginal I know, but it's true. Though I don't consider myself to be a selfish person by nature, I admit I have lived for 30 years where I have been my primary focus day to day. Whether professional and personal, I have made many decisions based on what I considered to be in my own personal best interest. Being married to Jason has helped me learn to put the needs of someone else above my own (though I am the first to admit he does this way more than I do!). Now that I am about to become a mother, I am surprisingly comfortable at the idea of putting myself behind my daughter as we do our best to be good parents. While this is by far the most important goal I have, I would be lying if I didn't say there are other things I hope for this year as well. So here's to a new year where I plan to:

- worry less and play more

- work through a Daily Devotional

- take on a new challenge at work

- (hopefully) regain some semblance of my pre-baby shape!