New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!  I feel as though the holiday season went by in a whirlwind with lots of travel and family time.  Now that it is January 2nd, it is time to get back to the daily grind of Randy going back to work and me keeping our home running and our child growing/learning as smoothly as possible.  2012 was a year of big changes for our family with our move to Connecticut and me becoming a stay-at-home-mom.  Both of these transitions however are temporary and that brings us to 2013 being   a year of even bigger changes.  In March, Austin will become a big brother, in May, I will turn 30 years old (yikes), and in June, Randy will complete his fellowship and we will move to where his new career will take us.  There is so much to look forward to and that is just the first half of the year.  The second half will consist of me going back to work, making a house our home, Austin starting in preschool, and tons of weddings.

With all these changes, I'm really hoping that I can continue to grow as a Mother, Occupational Therapist, and in general be a healthier version of myself.  Here are some New Years Resolutions that I hope can help me evolve into that person.

1.  Help Austin adjust to each transition as smoothly as possible.  If this is a year of big changes for me and Randy, it is an even bigger year of transition on our two year old son.  While all of the changes happening to us this year in my eyes are good, they may seem scary and unsettling to our little man.  I think the easiest way to help him adjust is to try to maintain as much consistency in our daily lives as possible.  This will definitely be difficult around some of our bigger transitions (new baby and move), I think that as long as we take the time out of our day to make sure some of his most basic routines remain the same, that he should have an easier time with each change.  That will mean less sleep and downtime for me but I think it will be worth it in the long run.  (Sleep and downtime will come someday).

2.  Become a runner again.  Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love running.  I'm definitely don't fit the mold of a record setting runner (lean, long, fast) but I know that I'm a runner when I hit that stride (somewhere around mile 2.5) where it feels like I could run for miles and miles.  Running is therapy for me.  Its my "me time" and I can't wait until this baby arrives and I'm given the all clear to hit the pavement again.  My running goal for 2013 is to try to run 4/7 days of the week and to train for the Adirondack Ragnar Race set for this September.  Not only will this help me to shed my unwanted baby weight but it will help me to designate time for just me.  (win/win!)

3.  Learn to sew a quilt.   I love the way quilts help to make rooms look cozy and classy (especially ones now made with more modern looking fabrics).  My goal for this is to make our new baby a quilt for his/her new nursery.  My In-Laws set me up with materials and a book of quilt ideas as a Christmas Present so now it is just a matter of me sitting down and getting it done.  Once this baby's quilt is done, I'm hoping it will jumpstart me into making one for Austin's new room where he will transition into a twin bed.

4.  Get a new Job.  As much as I love staying home with Austin, I miss adult human contact and doing something I love.  Its also been difficult adjusting to not making my own paycheck.  Randy and I have decided that the best solution to this problem is for me to rejoin the workforce partime this fall.  I'm excited and freaked out by this all at the same time.  Will I be ready for this when the time comes?  How are my skills as a therapist since at that point I will have been out of work for almost a year and a half?  Will I be able to balance working and having two kids and a busy husband?  I'm hoping that each of these questions/doubts will work themselves out as time goes by and as far as my OT skills are concerned, I will have to keep my eyes peeled for some continuing ed opportunities so that it doesn't look like I've been wasting my time during my time as a stay-at-home-mom.  (ATTN: OT friends, keep me posted on continuing ed ideas/opportunities!)

What do you think?  Are these resolutions managable/obtainable?  What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Again, Happy New Year to you all.  I wish anyone reading this lots of love, health, and happiness for 2013.