Reflecting on 2010

With Christmas a week away, and 2011 right around the corner, I have been reflecting on this past year. This has obviously been a year of big changes in our lives- changes for the better and just plain changes.

Obviously, the biggest news and change for 2010 (and in our lives) was me getting pregnant and having our beautiful son. Three and a half months later, I still find it surreal to know that we have this amazing child in our lives. A child that is so full of warmth and cuddles, happiness and love, and makes us laugh everyday with his antics. I could not be any prouder to be his mother.

I also thought of relationships this past year. Obviously, the relationship between Jonas and I has strengthened- even more than it was before. He is the only person in the world that understands me, and stood right by my side as a rock, during the stressful days right after Griffin was born. I will never forget what a source of comfort he has been to me.

Other relationships I thought of were friendships. I am not sure if this is true for every parent, but when you have a baby, there is a change amongst you and your 'childless' friends. The social invitations stop almost immediately, the emails are scarce, and the phone rarely rings. I get it- people do not want to bother the new parents, have little in common with you now, or realize that since there is a new baby in tow, it is difficult to break away at a minute's notice. And I really do get it, and expected that this may happen. Life is about choices, and we made the choice to bring a child into this world. We would never change a thing, and having Griffin surpasses any big party/gathering that we would be invited to. And we know that this time is fleeting, so I am sure we will be back in the social swing of things again!

I don't really like the term 'New Year's Resolutions'. I would much rather call them 'goals', as 'New Year's Resolutions' seems like you only make them that one day and then forget about them. My goals for 2011 are to:

1. Savour, enjoy and make every moment count with Griffin. Who knows if I will ever have this opportunity again- to be on mat. leave for a year. And Griffin will only be this age once- I am going to get everything out of it that I can.
2. The dreaded last 10 lbs- why oh why are the last 10 lbs so hard to shake???? This goal is really more about me getting back into the physical shape that I was prior to Griffin. I know losing weight is a common one for most people, but this is really more about my mindset. When I am in good shape, I feel better mentally.
3. This goal sort of ties into the one above- get back in the boat and on the water. This is all dependant on Griffin and Jonas' schedule, but so far it is looking optimistic. I do believe I may be back in a dragon boat again soon!
4. Continue working on myself- this is always ongoing. Everybody has room for improvement. I don't think I will expose all the things I need to improve, but they will definitely be things I will be working on.
5. Be the best wife/mother/person I can be.

This really has been such a beautiful year. I don't even know how you can top the past few years- meeting Jonas, getting engaged, getting married, having a baby. I have nothing to complain about. I feel complete and my life feels fullfilled. I wish for everybody to have lots of peace, love and happiness for 2011!