Many moons ago, I sort of gave up on the idea of New Year's Resolutions. It wasn't because I didn't see the value in them. I do. I just also believe that you don't need to wait until a new year to try something new. So I resolved to just make life changes as they come to me. 

BUT, that being said, in 2016, I adopted the idea of a one word focus for the year. I liked the idea of having something to center myself on when it felt like maybe I wasn't accomplishing things or just generally felt a little bit lost. I've always tried to find words that focused on family but also accomplishments (as you can tell, this is a theme in my Type-A life - gotta have those accomplishments there too!)! Words of years past included: 

2016: Thrive

2017: Count

2018: Flourish

2019: Intentional

2020: Connect (ha! virtually, maybe!) 

And so in 2021, as we get closer to our new baby arriving, as we become a family of five, as we (hopefully!) get back to spending REAL IN PERSON TIME with family and friends again, as my business is what it is because of the wonderful customers turned friends who support me, the word of the year for 2021 is:

Cherish!

I went back and forth between words many times before landing on this one, but ultimately this is what I kept landing on. I want to cherish these moments with Henry and Harrison before their new brother is born. I want to cherish those moments with our newborn when he gets here, even if I'm sleep deprived and it feels hard. I want to cherish the moments of being a family of five - something we've never been before. I want to cherish the moments with our family and friends and not take it for granted when we can see each other safely again. I want to cherish the quiet moments with a cup of hot coffee and a book and a warm couch to snuggle on. I want to cherish the messages and connections with my customers when they tell me we found the exact perfect piece of jewelry that tells their story or a bag they're obsessed with or skincare that's revolutionized their lives. I want to cherish the big moments and the little moments and every moment in between. I want to cherish it all. All of it. 

So when things start to feel out of control in 2021 (as at some point they surely will), I'm going to refocus on cherish - holding dear, keeping and cultivating with care and affection. <3 

Navigating a pandemic pregnancy: What I've learned so far

 

Let's dive right in, shall we? When the ball dropped on NYE 2019, my husband and I had some serious talks about whether or not we were going to add one more family member. We'd always been on the fence between two and three children, and we knew that if we were going to have another, it was now or never. We both turned 37 in 2020, and our oldest will be six next year, and we wanted everyone close together. So, we decided we'd wait until after our Disney trip in February, and then we'd see what happened. 

Well, as you know, the world exploded. We returned home from Disney on March 4, about five seconds before everything in the world shut down due to Covid. Life got strange in so many ways. But our plan stayed the same - we knew we still wanted to add another baby, and if we could, we wanted that to be soon. And, as luck would have it, in early June, I got a positive pregnancy test! 

But, navigating a pregnancy during a pandemic is WEIRD, for so many reasons. We knew several friends that were due at the beginning of the pandemic, but of course, they'd had no idea there would be a worldwide illness outbreak when they got pregnant. We, on the other hand, kind of knew what we were up against (although we hoped and prayed it would be long gone by the time the baby came). 

Gratefully, this babe is our third, so we knew what pregnancy was like during "normal" times. I was blessed with in person baby showers with our oldest, and we had a wonderful sprinkle with our second baby. I continued going to my favorite workout classes and taught Jazzercise until I was 35 weeks pregnant with both babes. People  hugged me. They touched my belly. I went to lunch with my girlfriends and playdates with my oldest, and life continued as normal. 

This pregnancy has been - weird. I haven't seen more of my friends in person in months. Most have never seen me pregnant this time around. It feels weird to not physically share such a monumental journey of having a baby with the people I'm close to. 

I haven't gone out to stroll the aisles of baby clothes, diapers, and gadgets for our little man. Gratefully, we have mostly everything we need already, but it feels weird to not take some of those quiet moments to just go look for new little things for him. 

Hell, the fact that we even found out the baby is a HIM is because of this pandemic! We didn't find out with our previous two babies, but of course, we had the luxury of having our families come to the hospital to meet our boys. This time around, his own brothers won't be there to meet him in his first few days, so we opted to find out so they'd know in advance what they were getting. 

But. BUT. 

There are so many great things that have come out of this pandemic pregnancy too. Honestly. 

Our family has spent more time together, and I feel like we've better prepared both brothers for what's to come. I know part of that is just KNOWING what it's like to have multiple kids, but I feel like we've gotten so much quality time together in these past several months, and I don't know if life would have naturally slowed down for us to do that otherwise. 

I've been able to tune in more to what my body is saying it needs. I tend to be VERY go-go-go, and that's great. But sometimes I ignore the triggers that say, "you need to slow down," or, "you're tired - you need to rest." While this pregnancy has been stressful just because of the state of the world, it's been so much easier to step back and listen (and take more naps!). 

I've savored this pregnancy more... I mean, maybe not that first trimester, but AFTER that part. Because of slowing down, I've noticed the flutters and the kicks and those things that much more - I felt this baby LONG before I felt the other two. 

Maybe it's the pandemic. Maybe it's knowing it's my last pregnancy. But it's made me more grateful for those moments. 

So, if you're in the midst of a pandemic pregnancy too, give yourself grace in all the things. Have gratitude when you can. Feel when you need to. And give yourself grace, always. 

And when you can, enjoy the ride. <3