That’s me all dressed up at Christmas. Tonight for New Year’s Eve, I’m half in my PJ’s and half in my sparkly tank top. One must sparkle for NYE right? This post is a combination of posts. 2012 was a special year to me in many ways. The most obvious is that DH and I created Pumpkin. Which led to the start of my over-worrying and possible over sharing. But it took us eight months to get to her. I started by sharing about our trying journey. Frustrated by the lack of support women get when they are trying to get pregnant. Especially if you are over 35.

I find it hilarious that I’ve traveled more this year than I have in other year’s past (of course all after I found out that I was pregnant). I went to DisneyWorld!! I spoke at SheCon in Florida, but the memorable part was playing with the Sorcerer cards every day (even in the rain). I think that might be the fastest trip to take on all of Disney’s destinations in Florida, but @tech4moms and I sure did give it a go.

DH and I also went to Germany! I think this trip was both well timed and not well timed. Some days I felt so nauseous it was really hard to get the energy to do anything. I couldn’t drink (our favorite wine is German Riesling). But I think overall we had a great time and came back with some great memories. Next trip though is a tropical vacation where I get to sit on my booty and do nothing but drink by the ocean.

There are some sad parts to 2012. Some of my friends had miscarriages and I can’t even begin to understand what they went to. I’m still terrified to write one friend because I just don’t know what to say. We went through horrible layoffs at work. People that I admire and love were suddenly gone and instead there was a lot of confusion and stress to work through. I believe though we are almost at the light at the end of the tunnel with that one. I felt that politics this year showed how divided we are as a country. One would hope with the differences in opinions, that we would end up with better laws etc, but that isn’t the case. The lowest point of 2012 has to be the random acts of violence. It’s incredibly sad and unfortunately the debate has turned to gun control instead of the root of the issue, mental illness.

I’m not one to set resolutions because it’s almost like being set up to fail. But I do have the following goals:

• Attention to family and being the best mom I can be. Our family is growing this year and I cannot wait to see how this change in dynamic affects us. I can’t wait to meet pumpkin and show her all the love that surrounds her. I want to expose her to everything and encourage her to experience life with curiosity and excitement.
• Year of growing who I am. I’ve had this feeling of “don’t focus on me, focus on pumpkin”. But I know this year, I plan to grow as a person as well. Not just a new role of mom, but expand on my role as DH’s wife, a good community member, a blogger, and a creator of applications. I’m looking forward to my changing role at work and giving it my all with everything I do. GamingAngels will be going through changes as well!
• Focus on Storytelling I decided after my third convention last year that it was time to get back to basics which means focusing on my writing. It meant to stop thinking about all the opportunities I wasn’t getting and instead focus on finding my voice, wonderful readers, and really build a community. In 2012 I have met many amazing women in So Cal Lady Bloggers, Moms LA, CleverGirls, and Blog Her. People that have helped me along the way in 2012. While I may not speak at conferences this year, I am working on skills that I can hopefully help others with the year after. (that’s my goal anyway).
• Focus on my personal style I used to wear the same clothes that I owned for years on end. This was because I always have felt overweight and I didn’t want to invest in clothes if I was going to lose the weight. This year, I was forced to invest in myself for Maternity clothes. Bi-Monthly I spent about $200 on various clothes that I felt made me feel great in my changing body. With that, I consistently received comments about how nicely dressed I was. What I never realized is that while I want to lose the weight, I need to invest in myself, whatever that self if right now. I deserve to always feel my best and sometimes that’s tied into looking my best. So in 2013, I will continue building on my fashion. The maternity clothes will get packed away, but my self esteem will not.

In the end, I have nothing but hope for 2013. I’m lucky because I already know at least one thing that is definitely happening in 2013 and I cannot wait!

Tuesday, January 1st, 2013, 12:20 pm   |   And Baby Makes Three  |  RSS feed |  Respond  |  Trackback