Happy New Year!
As many of you know, 2010 was a year that ended with the loss of our first baby. 2011 brought with it the unbelievable news that we were pregnant, and Harlan and I rang in the new year holding our precious daughter. We are so excited to see what 2012 holds for our new family!
As usual, I was so blessed by all your comments and encouragements as I poured my heart out about breastfeeding Harper. Thank you so much! I'm proud to say I made it to my goal of giving Harper breast milk until the New Year. And now, a confession...
I want to keep going.
I know. I know. That means pumping, pumping, pumping. Over the holidays, the news reported on infant deaths and sick babies due to contaminated formula. The thought of Harper in the hospital is enough to motivate me to try for a little bit longer. My new goal - give her breast milk until she's 4 months.
Thankfully and miraculously, my supply has increased. I'm able to prepare enough bottles to feed for 24 hours, and have some left over to freeze. Check out my freezer, for crying out loud. If I can't make it to 4 months, it's okay. I'm going to give it a try, though!
Baking
I've been baking, but I've been terrible about posting! I've recently discovered Pinterest, so I'm really looking forward to finding even more fun new recipes to try. Some things I've baked recently:
Appetizer Wreath (Okay, not really baking, but still fun!)
Brownie Tart
Softest, Chewiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bombshell Brownies
Peppermint Bark Cookies
Homemade Chocolate and Caramel Popcorn
Goals for 2012
1. Get back in shape after baby. Some people may not want to hear this, but I was still doing P90X, with modifications, at 8.5 months pregnant. Exercising with a newborn is really hard, so I've really been struggling with my post-baby body. My friend Jonni and I started a 5:30am Bootcamp, so I hope it will help me kick things into gear! Yikes!
2. Start or join a Mom's Group. Do any of you have one you really like? I'd love to join, or let's start one if you don't have one! I'm always so encouraged when I get to talk to other moms!
3. Be a better wife. Everyone can work on that, right? Harlan's working hard every day so I can be a stay-at-home mom. There's no better gift he can give me, so I want to do my job well too!
4. Be a better saver. If you know me, you know I absolutely love a bargain and never purchase anything full price. I want to apply that mentality to the grocery store, too! I want to save money wherever I can, so my goal is reducing our grocery bill this year, and stop eating out so much.
5. Bring in some extra cash. I'd really like to do something really part-time from home to bring in some extra cash for dates, or maybe formula if we have to go there.
6. Keep the house clean. I'm kind of a neat freak, and having a baby has left my house looking like tornado hit it. Since I stay at home, I want to keep my house looking nice. Much easier said than done.
7. Commit to BSF. I went through the entire book of Isaiah last year through Bible Study Fellowship. I started the book of Acts right before Harper was born, and with all the breastfeeding issues, I was just able to return. I want to end the study right!
8. Learn to bake healthy. I love baking, but 2 sticks of butter in each recipe isn't helping my goal of getting back in to shape after having a baby. I'm going to try out some healthy baking recipes and see if they're even edible!
9. Get more involved at church. My church is enormous, so it's really hard to feel connected. I'm hoping to get more involved since we have a baby now.
10. Dare I say it - add to our family. I would really love for Harper to have a sibling. I know it sounds crazy to even be talking about it, but since I have struggled with infertility, I'm already praying about it. Who knows if I'll even be able to have a second child. Pray with us!
Looking forward to the year ahead! I'll leave you with a video of Harper's newest trick: rolling over!
