Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Goals Update and a very late "Monday" Goals Post

    1.Re-read the Harry Potter Series Read 7 books

   
      I read 3 books. But, once again, I spent a great deal of time in my Bible. I also got 100 pages into "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." I didn't meet this goal, but I still think that I'm well on my way to 100 books by the end of this year, which is, really, the reason behind making these mini-goals.
     
    2.  100 Fitness Minutes

     
        You know what? I didn't do this AGAIN last week. But I did download some awesome fitness apps. The good news is that I've already done 30 minutes for this coming week. I can't fail three weeks in a row. I just can't.
     
    3. Clean our room and bathroom





       
        I worked on this, but it just ended up getting demolished again. Our bedroom is just the most convenient place to stow things when we have guests.
     
    4. Cook 3 times.
        
        I cooked supper only once this past week. I'm still pretty proud, though, because I made lunch everyday. Even if it was just a turkey sandwich.
    
    5. Register for a 5k/begin making plans to return to running
        
        I haven't registered yet, but I have planned what will be my farewell to the running season for 2012. It's the Route 66 Marathon Relay in November. We'll have to travel to Tulsa, OK for it, but I think that that could be either a fun family vacation or a good chance for me to get away sans baby. I'm not ready to do that yet, but by November I probably will be.





  

      As for new goals:

    1. Finish the Bible and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

        I am about halfway through the Bible and don't have too much further to go with Huck. Also, I am vacationing at Tan Tar A while my husband attends a music conference. This means I am in a cabin at Lake of the Ozarks with nothing to do except relax and read for the next 3 days. It's awesome.


    2. 100 freaking fitness minutes
 
        Like I mentioned earlier, I have 30 done now and I am in love with my Nike training app. I don't think that this will be an issue for once this week.


    3. Catch up on work



        I have a lot to catch up with as far as at-home work. Student evaluations to type up from last week, books to buy (I AM at a music conference, after all), and calls to make.

    4. Work on a budget

        We are starting to believe I may be able to work at home in the near future. This means we may need to tighten our belts or at least start being more aware of where it's going. Fortunately, there's an app for that!

     5. Get Peanut on a schedule.


        I'm bad at scheduling myself, much less a child. That, I have determined, will end this weekend.
      

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Friends and Photobooth Fun

****Goals edit****
At some point during the last couple of moves, I lost my second Harry Potter book. I can't really justify buying another copy before I start getting paid again, so new goal is simply to read seven books this week to replace the series.


***


Sunday we had several people over to our house and ended up in a little bit of an impromptu party.  Afterwards, a Tyler and Samm stayed later to watch Rush Hour 3 with my husband and I (I promptly fell asleep once the movie began). Samm usually stays in our guest room when she comes down from St. Louis to see Tyler, and since it was so late when the movie ended, Tyler just slept on our couch that night.

I got up Monday morning at about 9. Since it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no one in the house had school or work. I moved around the kitchen making my coffee as silently as I could and then fixed a bottle for Noah and headed for my office. Jordan joined me a little bit later and we quietly talked and slowly and calmly welcomed the day. I was absolutely loving my full house. It's a strange thing, realizing that my house had never had so many people sleeping in it at once and that it made me ridiculously happy.

I think that a few more children will be in our future. Not the near future. But the future nonetheless. 

And now I leave you with Noah and I's first adventures in photobooth. Enjoy.


I think that this is when Noah started to get embarrassed of me

This is when I try to garner some support for the "Noah looks like Kasey" club. It didn't really work.

One of my favorite pictures of the two of us so far. He looks thrilled that this will be on the internet for all time.




***


I read this blog every day without fail. I love her stories and her seemingly unwavering optimism. I wanted to take this time to shamelessly plug it and tell you to go there now and read it. And then donate to Nella's 2for2 fund to raise awareness for Down Syndrome. They are an incredible family. I want them to meet their goal. $200,000 baby! You can do it!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Weekend and Monday Goals

This weekend was actually really slow. It was so nice to just be at home with my husband and baby because starting tomorrow Jordan will be back at work. It's really so sad. I knew that it would happen at some point, but I was just really enjoying the little cocoon we had made at the house.
On the up and up, things are really starting to roll along nicely on the "work at home" front. My dad has offered to let me do secretarial work for him from home, I've secured some students, and I can still work at the clinic. I need to sit down and do some homework about how much I would end up making with these three things combined.
Since I am really pretty darn proud of myself for my goals, I can't wait to post them. So here we go.

  1. Read 3 books
         I didn't reach this, but let me defend myself. Last week I read seven New Testament books and I am almost done with a book called, "Thinking, Loving, Doing." I love the book and it seemed like it would be a quick read until I actually dove into it. It is written so academically and I didn't want to miss one thing that they were saying, so I decided to just take my sweet time and enjoy the book.

   
    2. Get my lessons rolling
    
        Accomplished!
        My first student starts a week from today. I have three confirmed students and four that I'm still waiting to hear back from. I have lesson plans planned, stickers bought, and an office fully set up and ready to go. We're getting a piano delivered today and a tuner coming in shortly after. I'm purposefully waiting to buy the books because I want to just buy them all at once. I'm hoping that the four other students come through for me!

    3. Do 100 fitness minutes

       Ok, this one I bombed hard. I was thinking about being nice to myself and awarding myself 30 minutes for walking around the mall, but let's be real. It doesn't count unless it's purposeful.

    4. Clean out the refrigerator and do the laundry

       Refrigerator? Clean. For real. I'm so excited

       Laundry? Halfway done. I'm ok with that. Jordan and I both did some this past week. Chances are the laundry will always only be half done. I think I'm going to consider this a victory.

    5. Finish "Lost"

       Oh man. Done and done. It was fun. And still disappointing at the end. Even if Jordan does like it.

And now on to the new goals for this week!

  1. Re-read the Harry Potter Series
       I don't think that this goal is too hefty. Considering that the first time I started reading them I got through five books in three days. The books are simple- super easy to read quickly- even if they are long. Plus I just love them. And I've been wanting to read them for a whole year, but I was trying not to re-read anything last year. I still need to finish "Thinking, Loving, Doing," but I'm almost through with it, so I should be done today.

    2.  100 Fitness Minutes

       Let's try this again.

    3. Clean our room and bathroom

       If you saw our master bed and bath, you would know why it deserves its own goal. It's going to take a good 2 to 3 hours to get those clean. It's just gone by the wayside this maternity leave.

    4. Cook 3 times.

       I leave on Friday to go see my sister in the Miss Illinois Fair Queen pageant. So this needs to take place over the next few days. We went to the grocery store the other day, so I have everything I need. Except the will.

    5. Register for a 5k/begin making plans to return to running

       I shouldn't start running until I'm cleared by my doctor on January 30, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't start making my plans. I want to actually RUN my three 5ks this year, not run/walk them, so a certain amount of planning is in order, I think.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Naps

Today I sang my baby boy to sleep for the first time. It was magical. Even the parts when he woke up every time I stopped.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

One of the Guys

Today was just one of those perfect days when you look around and say to yourself, "I am so overwhelmingly blessed."

Jordan and I have made it a point to become good friends with a few of the "kids(?)" from our town. By kids, I really mean 19 year-olds who are freshmen in college. At first we really believed that this would be our ministry to them. I suppose it has been to a certain extent, but I'm realizing more and more that they are ministering to us more than we could ever minister to them.

These guys helped us move last June when all we could offer them was a free meal. Kurt has assisted my husband with numerous fix-it jobs around our house. Tyler helped Jordan pack and drive to the hospital when I was getting induced. They have been a major blessing in our lives.

Tonight the boys came over just to visit and chill with us. Jordan had pre-ordered the new David Crowder CD and we had it playing while Tyler helped Jordan construct the new playpen. Noah started whining from the boppy pillow on the floor. Kurt immediately went to hold him.

Can I just say how great it is that I get to be a part of teaching these guys how to hold babies? It's so cool.

Eventually the playpen was built and we were all just lounging around in the living room listening to familiar hymns revamped by David. I looked over and watched Kurt singing to Noah. It was precious and touching.

It's so wonderful that Noah gets to grow up surrounded by men of God who love him and who want to see him grow into a strong Christian as well. It's a rare occurrence that young men would want to devote their time to a baby... and even pledge that they were going to be a major part of his life.

My kid? He can't lose. He just can't lose.

Just one of the guys

Monday, January 9, 2012

Monday Goals and Updates


I’m going to try out posting five goals per week on Mondays that all have something to do with my 2012 goals. If I don’t, I know that I will surely forget that one of them exists. I know, I know, my track record for completing goals is… poor. But maybe by only posting five it will be a little easier.

1.     Read 3 books
I’ve already made headway into one book and I’m hoping to finish it today at some point. I need to read about two books a week to accomplish this goal and, per usual, I am a little behind. On the other hand, I have been reading my Bible every single day and will, more than likely, read through it again this year. I’ve already read about 6 books in the New Testament. So… don’t judge me.
2.     Get my lessons rolling
I have three students already. I would love to have five to ten by the time I start next week (I would actually love to have forty and quit my job, but that’s really not realistic, is it?). I also need to get my books and make some plans for my first lessons. Never done this before, but I’m really looking forward to it. I also need to put my office together. It's a hot mess.
3.     Do 100 fitness minutes
This is not a very lofty goal for most people, but since I haven’t done anything since delivery, I’m really not sure how much my body can handle right now. I think I’ll break out my WiiFit at some point this week and do some light Yoga or balance exercises. I read somewhere that I can start doing so crunches too. I might walk, but it will be inside somewhere. The mall or on the in laws treadmill or up and down my stairs.
4.     Clean out the refrigerator and do the laundry
My fridge is flat out nasty. There are leftovers in there from before the Peanut arrived. 
Also, I hate doing the laundry. But the Peanut is out of sleepers (again) and Jordan and I are running out of clothes that don’t have pee or puke on them.
5.     Finish “Lost”
We have been working on “Lost” for over a year now. And being parents is hard. We need to finish this and treat ourselves. 
As far as what I have done to accomplish my other goals? We have only driven my Monte Carlo once so far this year, I have already written Yanci this month, and I have paid all my loan payments on time this month. I will be making a payment on Mobap later today too. It's going to be a good year.

Post Baby News

Well, here we are, two and a half weeks past delivery, and can I just say that motherhood? Nothing like I thought it would be. Even with all the well-meaning advice I was given, I can safely say that nothing actually captured the essence of what being a mother is actually like.

I thought that being a mom would change me. That's what people kept saying to me. "It will change your life." "Wait until you become a mom, it changes you." This thought terrified me because, well, I really liked the way that I was. I didn't really want to change. What I found, though, is that it didn't change me. It added on to who I was. I now have this dimension added to me that I didn't have before.

Maybe to say that none of it was true isn't exactly correct. Once while I was pregnant I confided to my mom that I was really terrified that having a baby was going to change Jordan and I's relationship. We had really just gotten in the groove of being married and we had always been best friends. I didn't want us to no longer have time together or for him to just start seeing me as a mom. My mom said, "You're right. It will change it. Because you'll have his child and you'll have a stronger relationship than ever before. I think that is absolutely true. There is a new level in our relationship that we have not had before, and I'm so grateful for it and looking forward to seeing where it leads.

Peanut is doing so awesome. He cries when he's hungry or when we're changing his diaper. That's basically it. Heaven child, I know.
In case you're wondering, the above picture is Jordan's Aunt Amy's doing. If you see any of my pictures and are interested in her work, let me know and I will shoot you her email.  
Overall, I can't get over how incredibly blessed I am to be with this great family. I am so overwhelmingly in love with my husband still. In fact, it just seems to get better and better every day. Last night I fell asleep on the couch and he just left me there all night. This might seem like not an awesome thing, but the baby sleeps in our room and even when Jordan volunteers to get up with him in the night, I usually wake up first and just do it. I was too far away to hear the crying and I slept all night long for the first time since my mom stayed over and kept him in the guest room.

And then I have this absolutely perfect little baby boy. I forgot to take my prenatals every day, folic acid made me vomit, I ate fast food 75% of the time, and I refused to take thyroid medication because it made me feel like I was on speed but he's still perfectly healthy in absolutely every way. He had to be vacuumed out, and they told me that he would have a misshapen head for a while and more than likely develop jaundice. He, seriously, had a perfectly round head from birth and no jaundice ever.
Look at that round head!
I don't know how he survived my roller coaster of a pregnancy so unscathed, except by the grace of God.
And because he's Superman
I have been so richly blessed and I am truly grateful. It is really God demonstrating His grace in my life because I have done absolutely nothing to deserve it. Without a doubt.

If you want more pictures, check out my facebook page in a bit. I will have them uploaded there. www.facebook.com/Motherhoodat24.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

12 Goals for 2012

I know, I really should be posting my birth story or telling all of you curious people all about my Peanut, but since we are now 3 days into 2012, I feel like I should really post my resolutions. I'm stealing the number symmetry from another blogger, but I'm sure she won't mind.

1. Pay off half my student loan debt
Only my husband and I can appreciate what a hefty goal this is, but I think that making it is necessary. We need to get out from underneath these loans in order to start moving forward with our lives and careers. I thought about saying we wanted to pay off half our debt, but then I remembered that we have a 120,000 mortgage. So, for now, this will go a long way towards making us feel better.

2. Read 100 books
Ok, I know that I've already made this goal, but I feel like this year could be different. For one, I'm not putting the stipulation on myself that I can't have ever read it before. I'm also not going to make a list and then check it off; instead, I'm going to write the books down as I read them, so that I can read whatever happens to come into my hands. I'm excited about this goal.

3.  Make the Monte Carlo last through 2012
God bless that Monte Carlo. My mom bought it new in 1999 and it has seen 185,000+ miles. Our intention was to buy a new car for me sometime this month. I'm realizing, though, that it's really not necessary at this time. We paid off the husband's car last year, and I just hate the thought of putting another payment on us. Actually, what I would rather not buy a car until all my student loans were paid off, but who knows if my car will last another year. Bless it.

4. Have a full time job in my area of expertise
 I have wasted a lot of time since being married moping around wondering when I will get the chance to act again. No more. I'm taking action. Starting in January, I will be starting some voice/acting/piano students. I'm hoping to have enough students by the summer to quit my full time job and just teach what I love. I think that would mean having about 20 to 25 students as well as working part time at the clinic. Even if that doesn't happen, I think I can have enough students by the end of the year to tell people proudly that I have my own acting studio.

5. Return to pre-baby weight
Pre-baby I weighed 135 pounds. I reached 180 pounds at my last weigh in at the hospital. In the two weeks since I gave birth, I've lost 26 pounds... which is mind blowingly awesome. So current weight is 154 and I need to lose 19 pounds. Obviously, this is totally doable in a year. I hope to get it done early so that I have some momentum to keep going the rest of the year. 

6. Run three 5ks
I had started running right before I got pregnant, and that obviously got put on hold for 9 months. I'm excited to start up again- I've really missed it. I think that 3 races is a really reasonable goal. 

7. Go on vacation
We have gotten in the habit of taking quickie vacations that end up being more stressful that anything because we haven't saved for it or planned well. I hope to end that this year and take a nice vacation as a family. 

8. Read my Bible daily
I'm not going to waste time trying to figure out exactly how much I should read or what precisely it should be or split hairs over whether I should journal it. I'm going to start small and say that even if I only have the strength or sanity to read one verse, that's ok. As long as I crack open my Bible at some point in the day, that's enough.

9. Have $10,000 in savings
I don't know if this is realistic with the previous monetary goal, but I'm going to do my darndest to make sure that this happens. If we can accomplish this, I would be ok buying a car next year because we would have a considerable down payment. 

10. Keep up with my house
I am a terrible housekeeper. I'm not going to say that my house will never be dirty, because it will. But I do want to make sure that it doesn't stink... which it does from time to time. I want to make sure that I never feel totally overwhelmed.

11. Write to Yanci once a month
We adopted a child through Compassion International in December. I want to make sure that she knows how special and loved she is by us. She is really so precious. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her picture.

12. Cook more
This goal shouldn't be hard, considering that I never cook now. That's all I have to say about that.