New Years Resolutions with a Baby?

I like the idea of New Year's Resolutions. New year, make a fresh start, set some goals. But it's hard to imagine resolving to do one thing or another when I have no idea what this year will look like. Baby Caleb will be here any day to turn our world upside. Our lives run on the academic year, so I never know if we're going to be moving in the summertime. This is to make the point that I'm not sure I can resolve to decorate the apartment or cook through a certain cookbook. But there are a couple things I think I can take on:

2014 New Years Resolutions

1: I want to be an active, fit mom for Caleb and more importantly, for myself. I'm so over being huge and pregnant, I miss the feeling of being fit and being able to jog up a flight of stairs without getting winded. I resolve to go to the gym, the pool or get out for a walk with my family at least 3 times a week. And yes, that includes when it's disgustingly cold out. It does not include immediately after having the baby. I'm not that crazy. 

2: I know I've mentioned (bragged) about this before, but Brian and I have a fantastic marriage. We're crazy in love and I don't want to lose that when our family dynamic changes. My resolution is for one date night a month. 

3: I don't want to completely lose my time in the kitchen. I resolve to try one new baked good recipe once a month. 

Looking at this list, I realize that resolution number one and resolution number three counteract each other, but what would life be without its challenges?

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for New Year's Eve

Merry & Bright

Winter solstice lights

To church on a snowy morning

Favorite shirt at 38 weeks pregnant

Sunset from the nursery window on Christmas Eve

Cranberry-orange sweet rolls

Baby's first UNC shirt. One of many to come.

Christmas at my parents' house

Lights in the snow

Nesting...

Brian in total Dad mode, putting together our new stroller

With the toddler seat in...

And with just the infant carrier in! He calls this stroller "Transformers for adults."

37 weeks

When I got pregnant in the spring, I had the thought "I can't wait for snow, because that means Caleb will be here soon!" Well, it's been snowing like crazy this year. I don't remember the last time we had a White Thanksgiving as well as a White Christmas. It feels like we're getting fresh snow every other day and the extreme cold (0's and teens) has set in earlier than usual. I've taken to calling my knee-length down coat "The Christmas Miracle Coat" because it still zips up over the bump. When I bought my cute maternity pea coat, I assumed I'd wear that through the rest of the pregnant, because I usually don't need the big coat until January. Well, it was -1 when I woke up this morning and a wool pea coat just doesn't cut it in this weather. Long story short: It's snowing and Caleb will be here soon. I'm officially full term, although a couple more weeks for him to fatten up and get ready, like a little Christmas goose, wouldn't be bad. I'd like to hear a nice healthy wail from his little lungs when he arrives. Then I'd like him to never wail again! How's that for contradictions?

37 weeks is fairly uncomfortable. I don't know if he has "officially" dropped, but he is sitting rather low in my pelvis, which makes rolling over, getting up, getting in and out of cars and walking somewhat uncomfortable. One of my best friends is a runner, and due to the fact that she ran daily for years and years before being pregnant, she ran throughout her entire pregnancy, including the day she went into labor. I guess if I were a natural runner I would be ok, but the idea of walking a couple miles right now, much less running, makes me want to cry. For me, I'm happy sitting on the couch, watching Carolina pummel Kentucky, Chicago trounce Cleveland and making fun of the old Christmas cartoons from the late 1960's.  

36 weeks

Last week I was freaking out and Brian was calm. This week, it's the opposite. We've got our carseat. It's not installed yet, but we've got it! I still need to do laundry, but it'll happen. Eventually. I started my weekly appointments with Dr. K yesterday and the baby is making good process toward delivery in the next few weeks (head down, sitting pretty low). We met with our doula and I'm so happy she's going to be helping us through the birth process. Sure, I still need to deal with Christmas presents and at all, but at 9 months pregnant, you pretty much get a pass on everything. So this is 36 weeks, relaxed and excited, trying to enjoy the last few weeks of pregnancy: feeling Caleb's every movement, cute bump...and that's about it!

Baby Caleb is the size of a honeydew melon, according to my email, and feels like it too!