Not Resolutions

This past week I had my first graders write paragraphs on their New Year's Resolutions.  Some of them were pretty sweet (like a little boy who said he wants to play more with his older brother) and I'm very proud that a good number of them wrote about becoming better readers (loved reading this on their papers!).  It's been a few years since I've made a resolution; mainly because I never keep them (ummm who does?).  I realized that I really don't like the word resolution.  So this year, I have some goals I'd like to achieve.

1. Make breastfeeding work this time.  Yes that is my biggest goal this year.  Those of you familiar with all the details of my breastfeeding experience probably understand why I'm so determined to make it work this time.  I really feel like things are going to be better.  For one thing, I totally get how hard it really is (at first) and how even though it is a natural thing for mom and baby to do, that does not mean you (or baby) will instinctively master it the first time you try.  Also, I've been doing much more research this time around.  And, lastly, the nurses at Carle's breastfeeding clinic might just get sick of me because of all the times I plan on visiting!  Can I just say how awesome it is that they are a free clinic to everyone in the community?  And how stupid my insurance company is for not covering any services provided by Carle?  Anyway, moving on....

2. Have a shorter labor. Well, okay there may not be a whole lot I can do to control this.  According to my dad, my mom had long labors with all of us children.  So I could be doomed.  Wait, I need to revise that goal.  Have a labor shorter than 16 hours.    Considering Taylor took 26 hours to get here, I really need to specify because while a 25 hour labor is shorter than 26, I certainly don't want to experience that.  But along with this, I'm hoping I'll be able to labor at home longer than I did with Taylor.  Don't get me wrong- I didn't fly to the hospital the moment I started having contractions. But now that I know how long it took my body to dilate, I'll know that just because my contractions are close together and painful doesn't mean the baby is going to come flying out anytime soon.

3. Clean out and organize.  Okay this one could just be there because my nesting instinct has been on overdrive the past week.  But in reality, we have too much stuff.  We have a tiny house that is about to have another person in it- gotta make room!  But I must say getting rid of stuff feels so good.  Before the holidays, Walker and I went through our closet and dressers and filled 5 trash bags of clothes for donation and another trash bag of clothes that needed to just be thrown away.  This past weekend, I attacked part of the kitchen.  Next up, the storage closet in the hallway.

4. Lose all the baby weight from this pregnancy and the last one. Alright, that might not happen before the end of 2011 but I'm certainly going to try.  I am clinging to some of my favorite pairs of pants from before I got pregnant with Taylor desperately hoping I'll be able to wear them again.  Don't worry, all the low-rider jeans got donated!  But I think I have a good chance of being successful considering I haven't gained nearly the amount of weight I did with Taylor.  And honestly, this goal is a small reason why I'm so determined about goal number 1!

5. Triple our savings account. Okay this sounds like a lofty goal, but in all honesty there isn't a whole lot in our savings account so it's completely doable.  As much as I'd like to get out of this house, it just isn't realistic for this year.  I'm really glad God changed my heart on this one because a few months ago I was very set on moving this summer, but He showed me that with a little hard work and creativity, a 2 bedroom house can hold a family of 4 comfortably.  I'm getting off track  here.....the point is, staying in this house will give us more time to save for a down payment hence this last goal.

I may have to keep revisiting this blog post over the course of this year so I remember what my goals are and I don't slack.  Of course I (we) would appreciate any and all prayers regarding any of these.  =)