Friday's Letters

Dear Friday: I'm so glad you are finally here, because that means once Monday comes we will be driving down south to finally board our cruise for our babymoon! Let's just hope the weather in Ensenada and Catalina Island are good to us. This might be the last vacay we get to take for awhile! 

Dear Weather: I really appreciate you being a bit nicer this week than you were last week. Last week was a bit too cold for my liking. Let's hope you continue to get better.

Dear Baby Ben: As much as I would like to meet you now, it would probably be best for all of us for you to wait at least 3 more months. These abdominal pains/contractions/whatever they are just aren't cool. Let's save them for May please =)

Dear Emotions: Please get it together. These crazy bi-polar like break downs just aren't my thing. 

Dear Body: While pregnancy is a beautiful thing, I truly can't wait to work on getting my pre-baby body back. This whole belly sticking out thing is making it a bit difficult to shop for clothes. My bank account is pretty grateful though.

One thing.

So I found this while browsing through some other blogs and happened to stumble upon Casey's. It seemed like a fun idea while thinking about things you might want to accomplish in the next year, or just things you might want in general. 

One thing I will learn: To manage our finances better and actually try to set up a budget for our household. This is proving to be a much harder task than I originally though due to the husband being self employed.

One place I will go: Mexico in 8 days! So excited to have a fun little getaway before little man arrives in May =)

One physical habit I will break: Being inactive and kind of lazy. It's a bit hard between the pregnancy and constantly being tired, as well as chasing after a 2 1/2 year old little girl, I hardly ever have any energy to get anything done. I'm lucky if I can just keep the house clean. But I need to start working more on my exercise and making it happen more frequently.

One physical habit I will cultivate: This would tie in to the working out and being physically active a bit more, but I would also add actually going out and doing more things. The lack of energy has put me in a bit of a slump but just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I can't still go out and do things. Sure rock climbing might be out of the question, but going on hikes and bike rides are something that I can work with.

One mental habit I will break: Over-stressing/worrying. I have been like this my whole life and I tend to worry more than I should.

One relationship I’ll repair: I think it's more about strengthening my current relationships and not so much about repairing them. I feel like I need to work on making more of an effort of actually seeing people, and vice versa. 

One work habit I will change: Since I'm currently not employed and the biggest job I have right now is being a mom, I would say that I want to work on being better about finding new things for Amelia to do and enjoy, and getting her as much social time with other kids as I can.

One thing I’ll throw out: Everything that I possibly can get rid of. This morning alone I decided to start cleaning out things like the munchkins toy box and what not, and I filled up three garbage bags full of garbage, and I have three bags of clothes and toys to donate. Not to mention I still have a ways to go.

One thing I’ll eat more often: Home cooked food. Not only is it healthier for you, but it is also quite a bit cheaper. Now I just need to learn to like cooking and I'll be all set!

One thing I’ll eat less: Candy and food that we don't cook.

One thing I’ll drink more: Water for sure.

One thing I’ll drink less: SODA. We have a love/hate relationship.

One resentment I’ll get over: I would have to say being annoyed with people who don't really make an effort when it comes to our friendship. This does also apply to family. I feel like I get angry far too much when people don't try as hard to spend time with me, so I am going to focus more on the people who actually do make the effort. What good does holding a grudge really do anyways?

One person I’ll treat more respectfully: My husband.  I try to do this anyways but sometimes we can pick on each other a bit too much, and I don't think that is setting the best example for our kids. Especially since Amelia is at an age where she copies everything we do and repeats things we say. So I am going to be working on improving our relationship even more and trying to show my husband how much I really do appreciate him.

One thing I’ll spend less money on: Eating out and shopping. The shopping this is easier I think because the tiredness that comes with being pregnant means I have absolutely no desire to cook. One of my resolutions for sure.

One other change I’ll make in my finances: To save as much as we possibly can this year to put towards our down payment/renovation fund, as well as paying off as much debt as possible. I originally said that I want to pay off at least $5000 towards all of the debt we owe (credit cards, car, student loan, etc...) but if I could pay off more I would be absolutely delighted.

One thing I’ll spend less time doing: Complaining. I have been doing a lot better but sometimes I get into these little funks where things just bother me. I'm hoping to avoid that as much as possible. 

20 week update....2 weeks late. Whoops!

So I have had every intention of making sure I update on the progress of this pregnancy with our little man, but I think with all the things that were going on with the holidays and having family in town, it has led me to slack off a bit. This post should have been posted two weeks ago, seeing as how the picture is from 20 weeks and i'm a little more than 22 now. I promise that from here on out I will update when the belly stickers tell me too =)

How far along? 20 weeks (in this photo.)

Total weight gain: 4 pounds. My doctor mentioned at our last appointment that I should increase my calorie intake a bit, which seems strange since I'm eating everything in sight.
Maternity clothes? Nope!
Stretch marks? None! And let's hope it stays that way
Sleep: Falling asleep is hard but once I am actually asleep, I can stay that way for a bit.
Best moment this week: Being able to enjoy the holidays with our families and getting to see our little man on our 20 week ultrasound.
Miss Anything? Having more energy to actually be productive and get things done.
Movement: Started to feel movement last week and the husband actually got to feel the little guy for the first time too! 
Food cravings: Still stuck on sweets. I'm not one who usually eats a lot of candy but that's what I find myself wanting the most.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Riding in the car when anyone else is driving. Yuck.
Gender: Definitely still a boy!
Labor Signs: No thank goodness.
Symptoms: Just feeling tired, the dizziness a bit, and the cravings.
Belly Button in or out? Out-ish. Not fully out but working towards it.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy with a few moments of grumpiness. 
Looking forward to: The new year and all the good things that are going to come of it...but mostly meeting our little man =)

20 week bump picture

Sunday Social

Do you plan to change any of your eating habits in the new year?

I am for sure going to be trying to eat healthier, and cutting out as much fast food and eating out as I can. This also means cutting out sweets which might be my hardest one, since that is what I have been mostly craving lately.

Any workout tips to get us back in shape after the Holidays?

If I worked out more frequently I would definitely give people some tips. But...I'm kind of slacking in that department. Now once this baby is born? That will be a different story. This momma is gonna need to get back in shape!

Favorite thing you did over the Holidays?

I think just being able to spend time with all of our family and friends. It's always nice to be able to see everyone that we don't always get the chance to see. And watching Amelia opening her presents and being so excited!

What is something you hope that you accomplish in 2013 that you did not in 2012? 

Buying our first place.  

Name 3 things happening this year you are excited about and why.

1.  Baby Ben being born and joining our family. It's going to be a lot of work but I am so excited for us to be a family of four =)

2. Our cruise in two weeks to Ensenada and Catalina Island. Yay for babymoons!

3. Hopefully buying our first place. I don't think that one needs much of an explanation. I'm really not a big fan of renting. 

Dreams, goals, and wishes for 2013

It always sounds so cliche when New Years rolls around and people start to make their list of goals for the year. I like to think that you shouldn't only be making goals once the year begins, but you should continue to strive for new goals throughout the entire year. With that being said, I am still one of those people who does make some goals so that at the end of the year I can look back and see how much I have actually accomplished, and what aspects of my life I need to work on. Lots of things happened in 2012, and even more will be happening in 2013. A lot of the goals I have for this year are not just for me, but also for us as a family since we are pretty much a package deal. I also want to try to make more reachable and realistic goals. It's easy to set goals like "be debt free" but I know for our family specifically, that isn't very realistic. Unless of course someone would like to pay our car off for us, you are more than welcome to! But saying I want to reduce my debt by a certain amount is much easier to accomplish.  So let's get to it, shall we?

13 for 2013

1. Reduce our total debt by at least $5000.  - This includes all credit cards, our car, medical bills, etc... I made a LOT of progress on getting our debt down last year and I absolutely want to demolish it this year. But when you aren't on a set income, you work with what you can.

2. Have a healthy baby boy and be healthy for my kids. - Our son will be born in early May and I want to make sure that  I am as healthy as I can be in these last months before he joins our family. This includes making sure I am getting all the proper nutrients and cutting out as much bad stuff as I can. (Sorry Jack in the Box, but our taco dates might have to disappear.) This also ties in to my next goal...

3. Lose whatever baby weight I need to in order to get back to my normal weight. - Obviously I still have some time to go before baby boy joins us and I cannot predict exactly what my weight will be once he is here. After Amelia was born, I was able to go back down to my normal size pretty quickly (thank you breastfeeding), and I am hoping that it will be the same this time around. In the end all that matters is that he is happy and healthy, and I will make sure to take care of myself along the way.

4. Take a vacation somewhere. - Now, can I just say that I have a pretty amazing husband? Because I do. We had been throwing around the idea of taking a trip before baby boy gets here so we can have a little alone time before taking on the roll of having two kids. But to be honest, I wasn't thinking it was going to happen since we have been focusing on paying down bills and expanding my husband's business. Well to my surprise on New Years Eve he told me that he booked us a short cruise for January 21st that will be going to Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina Island! This will be the longest we have ever been away from Amelia so it might be kind of hard, but I am totally looking forward to our babymoon and all that will come with it!

5. Buy our first income property. - Our first home is going to be a bit different than most others because we are looking to buy a duplex, triplex, etc... We figure that for us, it is the wisest choice because we can own our first home and at the same time we won't be the only ones putting money towards the mortgage. And since my husband is a contractor and has some pretty amazing connections, we are able to do all the work ourselves and get materials at way better prices. This does limit our selection of homes though, so we will have to see later on in the year what is available to us. In the meantime, we are working on paying down debt and saving as much as possible so we can make that goal happen this year.

6. Potty train Amelia. - Enough said. She turns 3 in August and I really don't want to be changing diapers on two kids. Yuck.

7. Reduce clutter and get rid of unneeded things. - I am working on a master cleaning list so that I can break down the cleaning into sections. We have accumulated so many things over the years, a lot of which we do not use, so it just makes sense to get rid of the things we don't need. 

8. Cross some more items off my bucket list. - I am still working on picking specific goals to work towards this year, but I am hoping to knock a few more off my list. Maybe skydiving will finally happen? Not pregnant of course ;)

9. Read more books. - This might be a task since I'm sure I will have my hands full when baby boy gets here, but I am going to make sure that I take some time for myself and relax a little. Even if I do only get a 15 minute reading break ;)

10. Take more pictures. - This seems like it would be such an easy task in this day and age, when everyone and their grandmother has a smartphone and a DSLR. But even though I have my phone on me at all times, and carry my camera around quite frequently I still miss a lot of photo opportunities. I want to remember to take more photos, even if it's during moments that might not matter to other people. Those ones seem to be the times I remember the most. 

11. Have more date nights. - Might get more difficult once baby boy gets here but it's still something I am going to make sure I fit in. Many people forget about their significant other once they have kids, and I don't want that to happen with us. Especially with number two coming soon. Let's just hope we can find people willing to babysit two munchkins ;)

12. Learn to cook more. - As silly as it sounds, this might be the most difficult one for me. I am one of those people that just does NOT enjoy cooking. I never have and as much as I try I can't seem to really "like" it. Plus my husband is an awesome cook and he just puts me to shame. But I am going to work on improving this and being better about providing healthy and nutritious meals for my family. 

13. Enjoy more of the little things. - Whether it's getting the chance to sleep in a little bit later, having nice weather outside, appreciating time with the people around me, seeing how much Amelia is growing more and more everyday, or enjoying these last months watching baby Ben kicking inside my stomach....I want to take all of it in and appreciate every moment for what it's worth. I know that there will be some bad things that are bound to happen throughout the year, but I am going to try to let them slide and just focus on the good in my life. Because really, that is what life is all about. Taking in the good, the bad, the ugly, and the all around randomness. Lets just hope that there is more good than anything this year =)

What are your goals for this year?