2013 Reflections
It is hard to look back on 2013 and not focus 99% on our biggest life change to date – the birth of our son Rylan. I was lucky to enjoy a healthy and easy pregnancy and (feel free to roll your eyes) I loved almost every moment of the nine months. It was really neat to keep the sex a surprise and if/when we have Sprout #2 we plan to do the same. Staying active kept me sane and I feel very lucky that I was able to keep going strong until about 38 weeks. We took a short but incredible babymoon in Crested Butte and I surprised myself by patiently decorating a gender-neutral nursery that we absolutely love.
Life changed for the better on July 24 at 12:40 p.m. Mike excitedly announced, “it’s a boy,” and just like that, we became parents. The actual birth is a bit of a blur and to be honest, for those first few hours in our hospital room when it was just the three of us, I stared at Rylan and worried that I wasn’t actually ready to be a mom. I stressed that I wouldn’t know what to do when we got home and that I would never learn his cries or love him the way all other new moms gush about loving their infant from the second they are born. But day by day we figured it out. I came to enjoy our quiet, though exhausting, middle of the night feeds because I realized how powerful our bond was becoming. I found confidence with every solo trip out of the house and successful nap battles won. I learned to accept help, stopped holding in tears on the tough days and found the couple of moms that I could be 100% real with, knowing they wouldn’t judge me for anything I shared or asked. I cherish these women!
2013 rounded out with Thanksgiving celebrations with Mike’s family here in Colorado followed by Rylan’s first plane ride and trip to California to be with my family for Christmas (notice the unmistakable LA traffic pictured above, and thanks to grandparents who pushed us to escape for a date night and enjoy some cocktails throughout the week). We plan to spend a quiet New Year’s Eve together in the mountains, surely reflecting on how blessed we have been this year. Health. Family. Fun. Love. None of this is lost on me.
For 2014 I don’t want to make the typical resolutions. Yes of course I want to work out more, eat cleaner, put more money in savings – blah blah. I hope I’ll just do all of those things regardless because they are good for me and my family. If I had to set one personal goal for the year ahead it would be to work on my friendships. Through moves, weddings, babies, work, etc., I have missed out on nourishing certain friendships that mean a great deal to me. I’ve gotten lazy, relying on texts and Facebook to sustain friendships that are worthy of calls, trips, mailed cards for no reason…all the things we used to do before technology made it acceptable to wish a friend since high school a belated happy birthday on a Facebook wall. I’m not proud of what I have let slip, even though many would say I have an excuse with becoming a mom and working full-time. I am happier when my core group of girlfriends is strong and thriving, and in 2014 I want to work on that — along with deepening new, really amazing friendships I have formed through becoming a mom.
In closing, I want to sincerely thank you (my readers) for your support, advice and excitement this year. As I continue to evolve Lex & Learn I hope you’ll still come along for the journey and stories of our family adventures, struggles and celebrations. Please know that I am wishing you a very safe, healthy and blessed 2014.
