15 in 2015: January Update

1. Write at least 2 blog posts per month. 

Success! This will actually make post number 4 for January. Granted, if I do a post for Peter's month-by-month growth and a 15 in 2015 monthly review, I'll meet this goal every time.

2. Read 5 books.

Book #1: After seeing the movie, I read American Sniper by Chris Kyle. I have a lot of thoughts about this book, but I'd rather discuss them in person than via a blog post. There is too much controversy and debate surrounding this story already and I'd rather not add to it without the benefit of human conversation and dialogue.

3. Eat more whole foods.

We're doing really good here! I have probably consumed more vegetables in the past two weeks that I did in all of 2013. My recent grocery store trip was 85% produce (which annoyed the cashier who had to ring it up...yes, he was annoyed he had to do his job) and we've been doing a lot more cooking than eating "convenience foods". I took this picture half-way through dinner one night to send to my mom. There's nothing really good about the photography, but I just needed her to see I am FINALLY eating and enjoying my veggies, 29 years later. I'm really determined to help Peter learn to like them much earlier in life.

4. Spend less time on my phone.

I've had some really good days and some really bad days on this one. I have allowed my battery to run down a time or two which has been really good because then it's not even a temptation to pick up my phone and mindlessly scroll through app after app. I'm trying now to leave my phone on the kitchen counter instead of carrying it with me throughout the house. It's still centrally located so I can hear it if it rings, but allows me to do other things with my time without it in my hand all the time.

5. Find creative ways to save and/or earn money for our family.

I've heard of Ebates a few times before but I finally signed up for the first time this month. It's a great website which pays you cash back for shopping online through selected merchants that have contracted through them. I do a fair amount of online shopping since we live in a small town without many of my favorite stores, so it's great to get some money back for purchases I would make anyway. You get $5 just for signing up, so if you do any online shopping, I'd encourage you to click the link above and it will take you to the website to register. I've earned $7.76 so far in 2015.

I also downloaded the Walmart Savings Catcher app which allows you to scan your Walmart receipts and then it searches local stores to determine if anything you bought is advertised for a lower price elsewhere (just like price matching they do in store). If it is lower at another store, they send you the difference on a gift card. I've only done this once and it takes 3 days to get your results so I don't know if I'll get anything back yet, but I know people who receive a couple dollars a month this way. It all adds up!

6. Keep up with my One Line A Day journal.

There have been a few times I get behind by a few days, but I can always catch up quickly. I'm caught up as of today.

7. Purge our home of 300 unnecessary items. 

I got a really good start on this goal in January. So far, I've donated, trashed, or sold 136 items from our home. I'm keeping the bag pictured below but donating the contents. I'm not really showing the items in these bags because some of them are possibly gifts (but not necessarily!) and I don't want any feelings hurt because I'm getting rid of something I was given. If you are wondering if I'm donating something you gave me, I'm not. It's all stuff someone else gave me. :)

8. Spend time outside.

I've done ok, but not great at this goal. However, it is January, so that's my excuse for now. We've been on long walks several times this week when it was sunny and mid-60s, but now that it's back in the 40s and low 50s, I haven't done as well to get out of the house besides running errands.

9. Learn how to use our new camera. 

I haven't really messed with the camera much this month, so I'll try to focus on that more in February.

10. Run a 5k.

I haven't started running yet but I did download the Nike+ app again to start recording my workouts.

11. Complete 6 crafty/house/Pinterest projects.

I didn't complete any projects this month.

12. Try 12 new recipes.

Well, I was doing really well at the start of this list, but I'm not doing so hot anymore. Truth be told, I forgot I was supposed to be finding new recipes to try. I have been doing some cooking lately, but it's all been tried and true recipes I already knew we liked.

13. Lose 20 pounds.

I'm working on it. So far, it's mainly been a change in my diet but the exercise part will come also.

14. Organize and file our stacks of paperwork.

I got all of the paperwork on my computer desk filed last week. Now, I need to go through the files themselves and purge some old paperwork that we no longer need to keep as the file box hardly has room for any more papers.

15. Plant a garden.

I made little newspaper seed pots which I will use to grow plants from seeds indoors next month. We have a perfect window for this in our master bathroom so that's where the vegetables start out. This picture is a cuter version of mine from HGTV.

15 in 2015

I'm a little late in getting my 2015 goals posted because we left for a two week trip to Texas and New Mexico right at the start of January. (I'm actually still in NM with my family now.) I'm excited to work on these goals this year. I feel like they're challenging but not impossible. Here's what I'm shooting for this year:

1. Write at least 2 blog posts per month.
When I looked at my blog posts for 2014, I noticed that I posted every single month of the year. This was probably the first time that has happened since this blog was born in 2009. I realize that my pregnancy updates were the reason for my constant posting, but I hope to continue that trend with keeping up with Peter's monthly developments this year. I plan for this to be his digital "baby book" of sorts, so I want to stay updated on those posts. Additionally, I want to post one entry each month about something non-baby-related in an effort to have some interests and hobbies outside of my life as Mommy.

2. Read 5 books.
I love reading, but my time is much more limited in this season of life and reading a book has become a luxury. I don't particularly care if the books are long, short, fiction, non-fiction, inspirational, or just plain silly. I want to read 5 books cover to cover in 2015.

3. Eat more whole foods.
I like junk food way too much. I've been researching the Whole 30 plan a lot lately and am toying with the idea of doing a modified Whole 30. As long as I'm nursing, I just don't see that I'm going to follow the plan perfectly, but I've got a lot of room for improvement. My goals last year included a couple related to eating more vegetables and cutting out processed food, so I'm just continuing those into this year.

4. Spend less time on my phone.
This was one of my goals in 2013 and I don't think I really achieved it. However, I have a renewed motivation now as I want to be present in Peter's life. I don't want him to see his mom valuing time on her phone over time with him. I want to live my life more than I post about it. I will be staying home with Peter instead of returning to work, so I know the temptation to be on my phone all day long will be great. This might be one of my hardest goals this year but I am bound and determined to make it happen!

5. Find creative ways to save and/or earn money for our family.
Since we'll be going from two incomes to one in February, I want to find some ways to help ease the financial burden on our family. I don't have any concrete ideas but I feel confident I can make things work in the next year.

6. Keep up with my One Line A Day journal.
My sister-in-law, Brynn, and I got these journals for each other for Christmas. I really want to update it regularly and post in it daily. It's not a huge time commitment but it will take a while to get in the habit.

7. Purge our home of 300 unnecessary items.
I LOVE getting rid of stuff. Cleaning out closets and trashing/donating bags gives me some sort of weird purging high. A few years back, I set a goal to get rid of 150 things because I was about to get married and knew I would be adding a lot more "stuff" to my household. Now that I've got a baby, I'm feeling the same need to simplify. Last time, I lived by myself in an apartment. This time, I've got a house with two other humans in it, so I feel confident I can double that number. For this goal, any item counts. A shirt or a bag or a trinket or a pen all count as one item--size doesn't matter. I will donate some items, sell others and then trash some that have no future life with anyone (think clothes with stains or holes in them).

8. Spend time outside.
I can already tell that it's really easy for me to spend days at a time inside with Peter and never step outside our house. I want to go for walks with him and spend weekends hiking with Kory and play in the backyard with Sky. I live in a beautiful place and I want to take advantage of that and enjoy time outside!

9. Learn how to use our new camera.
Our family Christmas gift this year was a new camera (Canon Rebel T5i). I really wanted to have good pictures of Peter that weren't just taken on our iPhones. I know it has a lot of really cool features, but I don't know how to do much other than use the Automatic setting. I hope to improve my photography skills this year and I have no doubt I'll have plenty of opportunities to take photos of my cute kid.

10. Run a 5k.
I've run two 5k's and I loved the way I felt when I was training as well as the feeling of accomplishment after the race. I haven't exercised in far too long, so this will take a good while for me to get back in good enough shape to run 3 miles, but I really want to make it happen this year.

11. Complete 6 crafty/house/Pinterest projects.
I don't have anything specific in mind here, but I love doing projects and want to make our house feel a little more homey. Decorating is not my strong suit, but I can copy a Pinterest idea pretty well, so I'm going to try to do a few of those this year. I feel so much better when I spend my time doing something productive rather than watching hours of TV or playing on Facebook, so this will help me use my time better I hope.

12. Try 12 new recipes.
I think one new recipe per month is very reasonable. If I had fewer than 15 goals, I might try to do more, but I want to be successful, so I'm going to stick with 12 new recipes. We have quite a few cookbooks that we've never used, so I'd like to go through them and find some inspiration for new dishes.

13. Lose 20 pounds.
I've got about 20 pounds of baby weight still hanging on (which is totally reasonable since it's only been two months) but I'd love to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of 2015. Goals number 3 and 10 should help with this one.

14. Organize and file our stacks of paperwork.
I used to be really organized and have all of our bills/receipts/invoices/household paperwork filed away neatly. Then, I got pregnant/had a baby and I started stacking them all on our desk because I was exhausted and didn't want to take the time to think about it. Every time I look at this stack of papers, I feel a little bit of anxiety. I really want to get back in the habit of filing what needs to be filed and trashing the rest.

15. Plant a garden.
Few things in life (besides having a baby) have given me the immense satisfaction and pride that I get from growing a garden. I kind of let it slip this past year, mainly because I had a giant belly that prevented me from bending over, so I want to do a better job of tending to the garden this year. The thought of a garden fresh tomato makes me salivate right now.


I've certainly got my work cut out for me this year. I'm excited that I'll have time to focus on more of these things this year since I won't be working outside the home. Caring for Peter will take a large chunk of my time, but I want to work towards finding a balance between being Mandy and being Mom. Here's to a fun, productive, and meaningful 2015!

Two Months

Two months! We've made it past the "survival stage" and things are really getting fun now! :) 

Peter's two month appointment isn't for two more weeks (we've been off schedule from day one due to our infections/antibiotics/extended hospital stay), so I don't know his exact measurements, but these are my best guess using a tape measure and our bathroom scale.

Weight: 11.2 lbs.

Length: 22.5 in.

He started really smiling about 4.5 weeks and now he smiles ALL the time. Diaper changes are usually the best time to see them. Kory and I make fools of ourselves doing funny faces or voices so we can get some more of those gummy grins.

At 5.5 weeks, Peter rolled from his tummy to his back, but he's only done it once or twice since then. Honestly, that's probably due to me forgetting to make tummy time a regular occurrence more than anything else.

He slept through the night (6.5 hours) at 7 weeks on Christmas Eve. He has 4 other times since then, but not consistently. We have been to bed before midnight maybe 5 times since he was born. Sometimes that's our own fault, but usually it's because Peter is wide awake, He's a night owl for sure! (We have tried more naps and less naps and waking him up and letting him sleep and still haven't figured out how to change this. I am open to suggestions!)

Our biggest accomplishment this month was dropping the nursing shield! We are headed to TX/NM for almost two weeks and the thought of having to keep up with those dang shields was motivation enough for me to wean him from using one. It was tough for a couple days but I'm so glad we don't need them anymore. He eats a lot quicker now and feedings are more pleasant for both of us.

Highlights of this month include:

• Staying in the nursery at church while Mom & Dad went into the service (where he slept the whole time)
• His 1st Christmas which was spent with friends who feel like family
• Lots of time at home cuddling and enjoying Dad being off work 
• Watching a lot of football (including a Cowboys playoff win!)

I've learned this month that the exhaustion of motherhood (with a newborn/infant) isn't just about sleep deprivation. For me, it's more about the nonstop cycle of feed/burp/play/change/sleep and feeling like I *just* put him down sometimes and he wakes up and we do it all over again. I love my time with him and sometimes I even start to miss him when he's sleeping for hours at a time, but when I want to get something done or just take a break to watch a TV show or eat a meal in silence, it's hard to know the clock is ticking and it's about time to start this cycle again very soon. 

What a happy two months it has been! I'm beyond thrilled that I get to be this boy's Mama. 2014 was an awesome year, but I can't even handle the excitement I have for 2015 as we get to watch him grow and develop. Life is good. Life is SO good. 

14 in '14 Review

So, it's no surprise that Peter took over my brain and my life in 2014. I honestly forgot I even made these goals for the 2nd half of the year. Oops! I did a few recaps in January, February, March, and June to show my progress on these goals, so if you're interested in what I actually accomplished, I'd recommend checking out those links. This will be more of a quick recap with my bragging for doing well or my excuses for why I failed. =)

1. Eat {more} vegetables.

I did well here because I made the goal simple and easy to measure. I ate *more* than I did the year before. So what if I still eat way below what I should? I'm improving and that's good enough for me. 

2. Learn to drive a stick (again).

Yippee! I did this one and am happy to say I could drive a stick shift in an emergency, if needed. I don't plan to ever buy a car that requires it on a regular basis, but I can drive someone else's and keep the car moving, even if it is a bit jerky at times. 

3. Read books.

I did read books, so this gets to go in the success category as well! I didn't complete The Empty Shelf Challenge as I hoped, but part of that was because I was borrowing books or reading them on my iPhone/iPad.

4. Print and make albums with the pictures I take in the year.

This one didn't happen, but I have faith it will this next year. More on that in my 2015 blog post.

5. (Continue to) memorize the book of James. 


I failed here and don't even have excuses. I didn't make the time or the effort. 

6. Crochet a blanket for Kory

I didn't do this one either, but it actually wasn't my fault! Kory decided half-way through the year that he didn't want the blanket anymore. I decided to do a baby blanket but then we were super blessed by family and friends and have a ton of baby blankets and don't need another one. So...I realize I could have finished my blanket I started like 3 years ago and never finished, but I didn't.

7. Can 3 foods.

I did it!! I canned strawberry jam, dill pickles, and salsa. I'm still very much a novice when it comes to canning, but I really enjoy the process. 

8. Do puzzles.

Another yes! I think I did 4 puzzles this year? That's not a lot but one of them was 2,000 pieces and took months and months to complete, so I still spent a good amount of time doing puzzles. I think I should do another one soon before Peter's old enough to help me out, aka grab and eat the pieces.

9. Make my blog prettier. 

Umm...technically, this is a yes. I added a background and changed some fonts. I don't love it, but I do like it. I'd still like to make it better at some point, but it's pretty low on my priority list these days. Still, it's prettier than it was before so I'm calling this a win.

10. Read through the entire Bible.

This is the one goal I am most ashamed of failing at because I failed miserably. I just quit trying. I still had a reminder each day and I dismissed it day after day without even trying to read. I have a whole list of excuses why, but they're all selfish and dumb and embarrassing. I've got to do better here. 

11. Eat more whole foods and, therefore, less processed foods. 

Again, the goal was *more*, so I succeeded. I'm toying with some ideas for how to kick this up a notch in 2015, but haven't made any decisions yet. I still have a deep love for junk food, but I did take some positive steps in the past year. 

12. Get my braces off.

Yeah baby!! This happened! I got them off on October 27, which was my due date. Peter came 9 days late so I easily reached my goal of having them off before he was born. I'm wearing a retainer now, but it's still so nice to be able to take it out to eat or brush. Flossing is so easy now! 

13. Brush up on my Spanish.

No. Yo no hice esto. I had to look up how to say "I didn't do this" because I don't even remember that much. 

14. Move out of our house.

I am very grateful that this one didn't happen. We spent Christmas 2014 in our home with our new baby and it was awesome! 

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Alright, so the final total I accomplished was 8 out of 14. That's over 50%, so I'm happy with it, particularly during a year where I grew a human being!! Because I consider him the best part of 2014 (obviously!), I can't finish this post without a picture of him.

Currently

(I wrote this blog last week and forgot to publish it...sleep deprivation really does a number on your brain!)

Despite what social media might depict, there is more to my life than being Mom to Peter. Not much more, but I am finally to a point where I feel like I can rejoin the rest of the world and not be *quite* so consumed with keeping him fed/burped/clean/alive. I'm going to do my best and not let any of these things be about Peter; we'll see how it goes.

What I'm Reading
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp I planned to love this book. I don't yet. I don't hate it by any means but I'm not loving it like I expected to. I'm not giving up on it just yet and will keep reading for a bit longer in hopes that I'm going to really get into it soon.

What I'm Excited About

We're going to Texas and New Mexico in January! We'll get to see lots of friends and family and eat delicious food and sleep in my childhood home and it will be awesome.

What I'm Inspired By

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Kory & I have been reading a daily devotion from this book most days and then discussing it. The thoughts are really deep and moving, but not difficult to understand. I highly recommend it.

What I'm Watching
Movies with Kory occasionally. For the first time in many years, I'm not watching any TV these days. It's largely because I have plenty to do around the house to keep me busy and am making a real effort to be more productive with my time. I'm also in between shows as the one I was keeping up with (The Blacklist) is on hiatus until February, so that helps.

What I Want to Accomplish
I've still got 15 pounds to lose to be back to my pre-baby weight. I'm not particularly caught up on the numbers on the scale, but I do want to get back into my favorite pair of jeans, so that's my goal. I don't really like running, but I love the feeling of finishing a run and especially the high of finishing a race, so I'm thinking I'll start running again to do a 5k in a few months.

What I'm Listening To
Christmas music, but not a lot of it. In fact, the only two things that haven't annoyed me lately are Pentatonix and N'Sync's Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Yeah, I don't know...blame it on the sleep deprivation.

What I'm Working On
Spending less time on my phone. Since I'm not working right now, I have the freedom to be on my phone all day, every day. I don't want that, but it's really easy to fall into that habit. I've been putting my phone on the charger and keeping it out of my reach to help in this effort. It's ridiculous how hard it is for me to go half an hour without checking my phone or mindlessly browsing Facebook, but it only affirms to me that this detox is necessary.

Since becoming Mom...

His old man pants crack me up :) 

I've Learned:

Zipper pajamas are far easier to get on a baby than those with snaps.

Newborns take forever to nurse (or at least mine does). You can only stare in wonder or stay awake for so long. Smart phones help the time pass quickly and help you stay awake in the middle of the night. 

There is something really special about other people who love your kid and invest in them.

The ridiculous comments from strangers don't end when you pregnancy ends. (Today in Costco, an older man asked me how old Peter was and when I told him he was just over a month, his response was, "Yeah, I knew he couldn't have been out too long because you've still got a tummy."

I can't get over:

How much more I love Kory since Peter was born. Watching him as a dad is one of my very favorite things!

How calm I feel about nothing going as planned in my labor and delivery (I'm a planner by nature and often have trouble adjusting when things go "off course").

How cute Peter is. I seriously planned for him to be an alien-looking newborn for a while and then he was cute from birth. Don't tell me if you feel differently. =) 

I have been surprised by:

The incredible flood of emotions the first two weeks after giving birth. Whoa. People told me it would happen but I had no idea how intense it would be.

The fact that my nursing cravings are far more intense and urgent than they ever were in my pregnancy.

How quickly my perspective on everything changed: work, faith, family, stress, love, you name it. 

How well I am able to handle this lack of sleep. It was the thing I was most nervous about before Peter was born and it just really hasn't been nearly as big of a deal as I imagined it would be. I'm tired, but not miserably exhausted beyond belief. It helps that I don't have to work right now, so I'm aware this could totally change.

I don't want to forget that:

The scary thing to me about having more babies is having to endure delivery again. Having Peter has made me want lots of babies, but I need the memory of the pain to fade away before I can commit to going through that again.

My view of my mom (and all moms) changed right away. When I watch movies now, I see them from the perspective of the mom and not the child. 

I understood all of the mom cliches immediately and found myself saying/thinking really corny and cliche things about my baby that I used to roll my eyes at in the past.

I have seen God at work:

When I remember that I spent the last few weeks of my pregnancy wide awake from about 3:00-5:00 a.m. I'm often up feeding at that time now and I had enough time to adjust to waking up at that hour.

When I receive texts from friends or family members at the perfect time with just the message I need to hear. After the hardest night yet, Kory and I were talking about me needing to ask for help from someone the next day while he was at work (this conversation was in the middle of the night). The next morning I woke up to a text from a friend offering to come watch Peter so I could go out by myself and take a break.  

I am thrilled that:

My parents got to be here for his birth. That wasn't our plan but it worked out so much better than our plan A.

God has given me the enormous blessing of being Peter's mom. It's better than I ever imagined it would be! 

One Month

Peter was born one month ago yesterday. The cliche thing to say is that "I can't believe it's already been a month" but it really feels like we've known him for just about that long. I can still remember life before Peter but I'm so glad he's here as a part of our family now! 

Weight: 9 lb. 4.5 oz.

Length: 22.5 in.

I love that he's the exact same size as this moose Katie gave us :)

Peter's been pretty good at holding his head up and tracking people with his eyes since birth. As you can see in pictures, he's very alert and sports the "deer in the headlights" look quite frequently. 

One of my favorite things is when I'm holding him on my shoulder to burp him and he will pat my back with his hand a few times too. It's so cute! I also love when he nuzzles into my chest and settles in for a good, long nap or cuddle time. Melts my heart!

He sleeps about 2-3 hours between feedings at night and usually naps 1-2 hours in the day (unless he wakes up right as I lay him down, which happens pretty frequently). He's most awake in the late afternoon/evening and prefers not to go to bed until midnight or later. 

This first month of life was kind of tough on him with the infection he got during delivery and his extended hospital stay (7 days on antibiotics), circumcision at 2 weeks, and a yeast infection/diaper rash that he developed from the antibiotics. 

We've spent a lot of time at home this first month, but he did go to church for the first time at 2.5 weeks (we stayed in the Nursery Annex so he could nurse) and growth group at 4 weeks. He also made trips to Edgar's birthday party, Thanksgiving at the Wonderly's, a Civil War party at the Swanson's, and the Christmas tree farm to pick out this year's tree. 

I am so thrilled that this is only the beginning and I get to keep loving and teaching and taking care of this sweet boy for as long as God allows. I am beyond grateful for his good health and the blessing he is to our family. Peter, you have given me joy in a way I never even knew existed. I can't wait to watch you grow and learn new things every day. 

You are THE coolest baby to ever grace Planet Earth! :)