Last year was challenging, inspiring, surprising, healing, tiring, fun, so many things.
It was also pretty tough.
In many ways, 2012 was about survival. A lot of it was a blur. We were (are!) learning how to be parents. We were (are!) paying hospital bills. Mental health took more effort and attention than ever before. Many people we love dearly went through some extremely painful and trying times. Really, lots of 2012 is unbloggable.
In other ways, 2012 was about celebrating the little things, seeing things again for the first time through J's brand-new eyes and big discoveries. There were no big trips on the calendar, no earth-shaking achievements or monumental discoveries. But there was time and space, more than ever before in my adult life, to move slowly, take things in, and be in the moment. For me, that just may be an earth-shaking achievement.
Here, in no particular order, are 10 Moments that Matter from 2012. They might not be the biggest, or the greatest, or the most amazing-mind-blowing-shocking-never-before-seen-unbelievable, but they mattered to our little family.
1. My child turned 1. One year of cuddles and coos and growing and firsts and laughing and uncontainable love. Best thing ever--until next year when we've had one more year. :) And we had a pretty great Peanuts birthday party for our little Peanut. Just about everyone was here, together, and I pulled together a pretty great theme, complete with popcorn, pretzels, and jellybeans served in a red dog bowl. (If you don't get this, you need to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Stat.) This is a big deal for me--I never pulled this sort of thing off before I was a mom. Who knew?? I wish I had taken more pictures, but I am glad I was there in the moment.
2. J stayed with grandpa, started daycare, etc. I am so humbled by and grateful for the people who generously cared for our little one over this year. I am thankful that we are with him most days, but at least once a week he spends time with someone else who loves on him. J was with my dad, my cousin, some lovely young ladies from local colleges, our church caregivers, and his new daycare last year, and he had a blast.
3. We all visited Super Bowl village. Ben's parents came along for that one. That might not ever happen again, so that was cool.
4. J and I went gluten free and dairy free. It seemed harder than it was, it's really pretty manageable most of the time. I miss baking and I miss comfort foods now and again, but it sure made it easier for that baby weight to come off--not to mention we both feel much better.
5. J got his tongue and lip ties clipped. This culminated months of speech therapy, digestive issues and meds, pain for mama and baby, tears and frustration, and learning. And when he made it to 1 year of nursing, this mama was proud.
6. J had surgery. Not minor, but everything is OK and he came through like a champ. God bless those families who deal with chronic serious health issues. After having just a tiny glimpse into that world, my heart is with them. If you know anyone who is living that, please give them a little extra love.
7. We took a handful of fun family trips, including visiting a dear friend in Chicago and a week on Lake Michigan. Even though we had a very sick boy on the lake, we made some good memories.
8. We welcomed little Evelyn and June, our friends who are like family. (And before they were born some friends and I pulled off yet another cute little party theme to welcome them to the world. I was nervous, and when it came together, I was so glad. Their mama deserved it, and so did they!) I love those girls.
9. I left a job I loved (LOVED, I tell you!) for a job that is a great fit for our family. It was a good move professionally, too, though it was a tough decision. I am learning all the time and maintaining a better work/life balance than ever before. That feels good.
10. We celebrated. We celebrated little moments with our family, with my parents, with friends. We honored holidays and firsts and season changes and progress and good days in a new way, and we resolved to do that more and more.
*You will notice that James gets top billing. I am OK with that.
**You will notice that never in this list will did it say "James slept through the night." If, by some chance, that happens in 2013, it will most likely be the moment that matters most. He's smart as a whip, a great eater, a good listener (so far), but sleep is not his thing.
Now . . . what are our hopes for the coming year, besides a full night's sleep?
We are thinking this year will be about HOME. As we are planning and hoping to move to a new home this year, we realized we never fully settled in here. I've invested in our family, our values, our relationships, things that matter long term, but I realized I have invested very little into the actual place we call home. This house never felt permanent. While certainly nothing is permanent, it's time to really put down some roots and build ourselves a home. I want James to have a strong feeling and sense of place regarding his home. I want it to be warm, inviting, welcoming, a haven. I want to be able to easily open it up to friends and family, whether for a quick drop-in or a few nights. I want our home to be our favorite place, a place Ben and I can enjoy just being together (especially since date night now happens so often at home after the little one is asleep).I want it to be a restful base for us that supports us in the lives we lead, comforting and familiar, as well as a connection to greater community. All of this relates not only to a house, but a spirit as well. We want this feeling to extend to our workplaces, our church, our city, and beyond. Ben and I are committed to being very purposeful about building our home this year--the house itself, the love inside of it, the people we welcome into it, our minds, souls, and hearts, and our surrounding community. We're excited to see what 2013 will bring. Even if it's tough, we'll have a home to anchor us.
Happy New Year.
Check out the other ToT bloggers' years in review by following the links to the right. Happy reading!
2 comments:
I completely understand what you are saying about creating a home. It's something I'm still striving for as well. Great post.
I love that you included 'celebrating little moments'. Everyone needs to do that more. I am saddened by people who sit around preserving their willingness to celebrate for only the major things in life. And while it is certainly a good thing to celebrate the major things, most of us can count on our fingers the MAJOR things in life...a great life is made up of those small moments that bind together the major life events. I think people who wait around to only celebrate the big stuff leave a lot of holes in their life.
Also, I totally understand about wanting your house to feel like a home. For the most part, my house does feel that way, but the one thing that ran counter to it feeling that way was actually my living room furniture. I hope this doesn't sound materialistic, that is not what I intend, but the furniture we had was uncomfortable and unwelcoming. I wanted people to come in want to sit around and chat and be as comfortable as they are in their own homes, and the furniture we had simply did not facilitate that. So, one evening, I stopped in a department store during the mayhem of holiday shopping looking for new wine glasses...well I noticed a very quiet peaceful section of the store, which piqued my curiosity. Low and behold it was the furniture section. Then there it was...THE furniture I needed to make my living room feel the way I want it to. So after talking it over with the hubs, we went back and made the big purchase. It was a good pick, because my living room is now the warm comfort zone I've wanted it to be!
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