Dillierama

2007 in review

I thought this might be a fun end of year exercise thanks to Linda at All & Sundry:

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
 Live in another country (Panama) for a month
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Well, let's see, here's last year's resolutions:

Loose 40 pounds (the obligatory weight loss goal) Not even close

Find things I love to do (i.e. get some hobbies) and do them often.  Ideas: writing, taking pictures, crafts... Took some photography classes this year

Take Alex out to socialize with other kids once a week at a minimum. And then some! We have playgroups / playdates three days a week.

Get myself out to socialize with other adults once a week at a minimum Unless playgroups count, no.  But I am managing a once a month mom's night out.

Less TV.  Ideally, Alex and I would limit our daytime TV to 1 hour and as a family, our evening TV time to 2 hours.  Not sure how I'm going to get John on board with this goal.  We're down to two hours or less daytime TV. 

Read one non-kid / non-parenting book per month about two a month!

Create and stick to a household budget.  Yikes! Not quite.  This will be on my 2008 list for sure.

Get our front yard into shape (Spring/Summer) Almost.  I did do a lot of work out there this year

Spend more time with family (both John's and mine).  Have everyone over for BBQ's, do crafts with mom, call Grandma weekly, have Alex draw pictures for Vince and Raquel, get Alex and Baby Lily together often (well, after she's born of course)... Not as much as we'd like.  Will work on this for 2008

I will definitely be making 2008 resolutions

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, and now we have our beautiful niece Lily
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully no
5. What countries did you visit?
We all went to Panama.  John went to Canada twice on his own
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
Better control of our finances
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Father's day / John's birthday.  Going to Fenway park and watching John and Alex get to play catch on the field.  That was really, REALLY cool
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I didn't do anything spectacular this year.  I think ending the year healthy, pregnant and still madly in love with my son and husband is a pretty great achievement though.
9. What was your biggest failure?
We did not stay on a budget this year, in fact, we managed to accumulate additional bills.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Only real "illness" I've suffered this year was debilitating morning sickness
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My camera, Digital Canon Rebel Xti.  Definitely money very well spent!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
John has made HUGE steps in being more engaged with Alex when he plays with him.  He's also helping out a lot more in the not-so-fun parts of parenting like diaper changes and discipline.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I am embarrassed to admit that I've been following the Britney / Train wreck /custody battle 
14. Where did most of your money go?
Travel
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Panama trip in February was huge for me.  I was so excited about it I didn't sleep for a week before we left.  There's also the whole, having a new baby thing too!
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
My favorite song this year has been Sweet by Jehro.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer? This is surprising.  Apparently wealth and beauty have nothing to do with my happiness.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Dates with John
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Throwing up (morning sickness)
20. How did you spend Christmas? Family get-togethers and lots and lots of honey baked ham.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Boston. I fell in love with Boston
22. What was your favorite TV program?
The Naked Archeaologist which I can't watch anymore because we canceled our cable :(
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Not really
24. What was the best book you read?
The life of Pi
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Jehro

26. What did you want and get?
A dSLR camera
27. What did you want and not get?  I got pretty much everything I wanted this year, and then some.  

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I didn't see a lot of movies this year, and I couldn't call any of the movies I did see a favorite.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Not a whole lot on my actual birthday, however John and I both turned 30 this year, so we pretty much celebrated our 30th year all year round by taking some opportunities to travel and make big purchases we ordinarily wouldn't make.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Maid service for our house
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
If it's clean it's fit to be seen on me in public.
32. What kept you sane?
My mom's group, Mom's Time Out
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Does Simcha Jacobovichi count as a celebrity or public figure?  I LOVE his show the Naked Archaeologist and I watched The Lost Tomb of Jesus twice.  I'm such a sucker for archeology shows and the way he goes about telling a story, like reenacting the battle of Jericho with Lego's.  I mean, what's not to love?  

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm really interested in the Democratic Primary.  This is the first time I've been really interested in some of the candidates and excited about the possibilities for change in the future

35. Who did you miss?
My dad.  I suppose I'll always miss him.  I also miss my dog Midnight.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
All the ladies from my mom's group
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Surrender to Motherhood.  Instead of thinking about the things I can't do or have anymore and dwelling on all of the "sacrifices" I'm making, remember how lucky I am to get to be a mother and how desperately I wanted to be one.  Appreciate the things I get to do now that I wouldn't were I not a mother.  Love every single second with Alex, even the not so great things.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
You never do know what's around the bend
A big adventure or a brand new friend
When you're curious, like Curious George
(Swing!)

2007 Resolutions

• Loose 40 pounds (the obligatory weight loss goal)
• Find things I love to do (i.e. get some hobbies) and do them often.  Ideas: writing, taking pictures, crafts...
• Take Alex out to socialize with other kids once a week at a minimum.
• Get myself out to socialize with other adults once a week at a minimum
• Less TV.  Ideally, Alex and I would limit our daytime TV to 1 hour and as a family, our evening TV time to 2 hours.  Not sure how I'm going to get John on board with this goal. 
• Read one non-kid / non-parenting book per month
• Create and stick to a household budget. 
• Get our front yard into shape (Spring/Summer)
• Spend more time with family (both John's and mine).  Have everyone over for BBQ's, do crafts with mom, call Grandma weekly, have Alex draw pictures for Vince and Raquel, get Alex and Baby Lilly together often (well, after she's born of course)... 

2007 is going to be SO AWESOME!

My Precious

My obsession with getting a new fancy-shmancy digital SLR camera has now reached new and quite frightening levels.  I can not walk into Best Buy without making a bee-line to the camera section to fondle the display models.  Yesterday, John and I were out looking for a particular video game he wanted and I ended up getting shooed out of the camera section by a short, plump balding employee after he discovered me with my face pressed against a glass display case and drooling, tracing little hearts on the glass doors with my finger.  God help me if I find myself in a Ritz or Inklies. 

My step-mom-in-law just got a new Nikon D80 for Christmas.  I'm afraid that at our holiday get together next week, I'll pounce on her and steal her camera.  They'll find me hours later, hiding in a closet somewhere stroking the lens and muttering "my precious".

My intense desire for a new camera is odd, considering, I don't even know how to use an SLR camera.  I have an old Canon (film, not digital) in my storage room, and I think I'll pull it out, dust it off and start teaching myself how to use it.  Maybe by the time my penny jar is full enough to take a ride out to Inklies and buy my beloved camera, I will be worthy of it.

My first 29th

So this is it.  My last year of my 20's.  I'm officially in my 30th year.  I guess that means I'm a grown up now huh? 

My 20's proved to be the most wild ride I could ever imagine.  A summary of my 20's:

• Enduring the tail end of a horrible marriage
• Divorce
• Bankruptcy
• Loss of employment
• Living on my own for the first time
• Dating (for the first time as an adult - I married at 17)
• Illness and death of father
• Fall in love
• Marriage
• Travel
• Real estate
• Miscarriage
• Paying off all debt
• Pregnancy
• Motherhood
• Career change (from working mom to stay at home mom)

Right now, I am exactly where I want to be, doing what I want to do, I'm surrounded by the people I love... I could never have imagined at 20 that my future would look so bright at 29. 

I want this year to be my best year yet.  Last year was pretty damned good, but I want to enter my 30's happier and healthier than I've ever been.

Trying to find a hobby

I went out today in search of a suitable stay-at-home-mom-type crafty project to work on, being a rainy day and all, I thought it would be fun to do something during Alex's nap other than mop the floors, do laundry, clean the litter box or flop on the sofa and watch Dr. Phil.  I came home with a "learn how to knit" kit and some super sexy variegated "fuzzy" yarn.   I put Alex down for his nap and went to work. 

Lesson 1: Casting on.  Oh, I was a pro at that.  Just whizzed right through. 

Lesson 2: The knit stitch.  This one stopped me in my tracks.  Because I had bought the super sexy fuzzy yarn, I couldn't see any of my loops in the midst of all the yarn fuzz.  I tried for a good 20 minutes or so and ended up with a big fuzzy knot ball on both of my knitting needles.  I ended up chucking the yarn ball and my needles into the corner of the room and watched the tail end of Dr. Phil's episode on teen runaways.  I'm going to get some el cheapo plain old boring yarn tomorrow and give it a go again.

It's ALIVE!

So I washed and dried my MP3 player and was sure it was broken, but just to be sure, I went ahead and charged it up overnight and lo and behold, it works!  My cheapo Phillips brand MP3 player survived and works beautifully.  I'd bet no iPod could take that kind of abuse! 

Ow! Ow! Ow!

My back is totally f***ed!  It hasn't been the same since the pregnancy, but in June, something, I'm still not sure what, (it could be lugging that stupid baby carrier* around, a particularly hard workout or maybe a kinky sex act with the hubs... who knows) happened and I haven't been able to bend over without wincing since.

Today I've been hobbling around like an elderly woman.  The fact that my elderly grandmother (83) is staying with me and she's more spry than I am has made me decide to go ahead and make an appointment with a doctor. I go on Tuesday.  Until then.  Ow.

*stupid baby carrier in that I hated the carrier, not the baby.  I lugged that thing around town for one day and then decided it was stupid and Bjorned him instead.

Shopping prowess

I have become The Ultimate Super Shopper! I went to the store, grocery list and kid in tow, and with my amazing and brilliant shopping skills I cruised through the store with a screaming and feverish 11 1/2 month old, making use of all of my coupons, various store savings and BOGO's.  I managed to walk out of the store with $80 worth of food and only paid $55!  And no, I didn't steal anything.

I was so excited when John came home, I opened up the fridge for him pointing out all of my great buys: 

"Look at that sliced cheese, I got both packages for $2.50!"
"And look, 10, count 'em 10 chicken breasts for $12!"
"Did you know that the store brand peanut butter is a whole dollar cheaper than JIF?"

John was not nearly as impressed as I thought he should be. He got Taco Bell for dinner tonight.

Weekend update: Jamie Socializes!

Over the weekend I attended a neighborhood BBQ.  Being "socially challenged" as I am, my attendance at this event was quite the big-to-do for me.  Especially considering there was a soccer game that night and I chose to go to the BBQ instead. Alone.  Without my husband there to shield me from the social trauma that is my attempting to make small talk with people I barely know.  Well, I wasn't technically alone, I took Alex with me, but he wasn't much help, even if his conversational skills are somewhat better developed than mine.

Part of the reason I thought I should go to this shin-dig was because it was being held, literally, right in front of our house. John did not feel the responsibility to attend that I did, and he happily left for the game leaving me at home frantically slicing watermelon for the potluck.

The BBQ was to begin at 5:30, but I thought I'd be fashionably late, and walk out the door at 6:00.  Of course, I was ready for the BBQ at 5:00 and I spent the hour peeking out my front window blinds to see how many people were already arriving.  Finally I installed Alex in his stroller, packed his diaper bag with formula, baby food and diapers (because apparently I thought being way out there in my front yard is too far to walk to Alex's bedroom for a changing.)  I picked up my gargantuan platter of freshly sliced seedless watermelon and walked down my driveway and into the party, dropping slices of watermelon the whole way.

I had a surprisingly good time. My neighbors are fantastic.  Not like other neighbors we've had, who forever avoid eye contact after they find out we're not members of "The Church".  These neighbors genuinely like us and after the obligatory "are you Mormon" question we got from everyone when we first moved in, have continued to smile and wave and make small talk about the weather when we're out in our yards or taking the baby and dog for a walk.  There are also a couple other non-Mormon neighbors on the block, so we're not the only ones.  Given that we live within one block of two LDS churches, it's unusual that there are several of us in the area.

The highlight of the BBQ was getting to reconnect with a couple of old friends from grade school that I haven't seen since I was 13 years old.  I grew up in a neighborhood close by and went to the schools in our current neighborhood.  There are several families that still live there from when I was a kid, and their grown children came out for the party as well.  I found myself sitting around with these old friends, now women with families, reminiscing about our childhood and giggling about rumors of the boys we used to like and how some of the popular girls are now fat (I was always chubby, so I haven't changed much).  It amazes me how we all turned out.  One of them is a stay-at-home-mom with four kids and looking forward to having two or three more.  The other has two bi-racial boys with different fathers and only sees her current husband on the weekends because he works out of state.  Another is a recovering meth-addict and single mom.  My favorite quote from the evening "Oh yea, I remember your house had that huge painting of a naked lady" (my parents were hippie / artists who loved nudes.  Had them all over our house.  This was a point of much embarassment for me during my childhood, though now, I'm wishing I still had the nekkid lady painting, it would look fantastic in my bedroom.)

I enjoyed visiting with the other neighbors as well. Since I've become a mother myself, I find it surprisingly easy to hold long detailed conversations about breast feeding, episiotomies and funny poop stories.

In the end, the BBQ was a great sucess and I am very glad I skipped out on the soccer game to go. I made some new friends, and reconnected with old ones.  The only downside is that I think I've tapped out my social reserve and I'll be avoiding any future get togethers for at least another six months or so until I fully recover from all the socializing I did this weekend.

The big decision

"I'm going to do it"
"I think you should"
"Really, because I want to do it"
"Then do it"
"Are you sure?"
"Yep"
"Maybe I shouldn't"
"Do whatever you want"
"Then I'll do it"
"Ok"
"Are you sure I should do it?"
"Yes, I'm sure"
"You're just saying that because you don't think I'll do it"
"No I'm not"
"'cause I am. I'm going to do it"
"Do it"
"I don't know, should I really do it?"
"Just do it already"
"Ok, I'll do it...maybe"

...to be continued