Thank You.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone that commented on my post yesterday. Your words meant so much to me...I truly can't thank you enough. I responded to everyone that commented, so if you didn't get an email from me last night, check your blogger profile email settings and make sure you click the box that says "show my email." Then I'll be able to respond to you in the future!

To the blogger who posted the original comment...thank you for commenting again yesterday and standing behind your words. While I will never agree with some most of the things you said, I appreciate you stepping up and not hiding behind an anonymous comment. I do, however, ask that you never make such a personal attack on someone {whether myself or another blogger} ever again. It was incredibly rude and mean. If you feel that way, that is your prerogative; just don't force your opinion on others in such a hurtful way.

With that, I am dropping this whole thing.

But I still don't believe in killing babies. 

I'm Sorry, but I'm Not.

{Disclaimer: This post is not intended to offend anyone or push my beliefs on any of my readers. It is simply an explanation to a comment that I received. I apologize in advance for the length, but I had a lot to say.}

This past Saturday, I posted a video about being Pro-Life. You can see the original post here. Before I hit "publish," I debated whether or not I should actually post it. I am not a very political person, and I didn't want the post to be viewed as such. I am, however, a religious person, and I just felt like it was a beautiful video that I wanted to share with my family and friends on my blog.

Unfortunately, I got an email yesterday from an anonymous blogger who appears to have followed my blog for awhile or at least read multiple posts before making her comment, and it didn't sit well with me. In fact, it was the first time that I felt like I had been attacked personally via my blog. I don't know if she's even still reading/following, but if so, I wanted to explain myself. {As well as for any of you who may feel the same way as she does.}

{The red, italicized portions are her words with my views in regular font.}

Although you view your two fetuses as precious blessings (and that's great) for me a fetus simply represents a terrible 18+ year burden, and a potential threat to my life. Do you really want a world of forced pregnancy? If I were to become pregnant - I would be proud of my abortion: a decision that would protect my hopes and dreams for the future. Also, a significant reduction in the murder rate occurred in the late 80's - which many research suggests is linked to the beginning of Roe v. Wade and a reduction of children growing up in lower socio-economic areas where they may be more prone to being victims or criminals.

A terrible 18+ year burden? Are you serious that there would be NOTHING positive about raising another life?? Sure, I know that there are times when my brother and I made things difficult for my parents, and I know that raising Liam and our other future children is not going to be a walk in the park. However, I also know that the good times will far outweigh the bad. Even now, approaching 30 years old, I treasure my time spent shopping with my mom at the mall, grabbing lunch with her, running with my dad, or family vacations together, and I can't wait to share those experiences with TJ and our children when they're older.

I very well understand that pregnancy does not always go smoothly. I probably understand this fact much better than the general population. I have actually taken care of many pregnant women as their physician, and I have spent countless hours in the hospital witnessing complicated pregnancies and the potential outcomes, both good and bad. But do you know what else is a threat to life, and much more widespread than pregnancy? Smoking and obesity. Two things that I try to combat MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, EVERY DAY in my career as a family medicine physician. Those two things cause many, many more deaths each year than pregnancy. In fact, obesity is starting to kill our kids too.

Maybe that study did show a correlation, maybe it did not. Has that trend continued today? Show me the study; I'll read it. The way I look at it, even if it did show a decreased murder rate, people {fetuses WITH a heartbeat} were murdered in the first place. Is that really winning?

I am strongly childfree-by-choice and I intend to remain that way. My career is the most significant part of my identity and I don't want the interference of a fetus during pregnancy, and an infant/small child after birth that continues for the next 18+ years.

First of all, if your career is your whole identity, and you put your career before your family and/or husband, I feel sorry for them. I have spent the last TWELVE YEARS of my life in school {college and medical school - 8 years} or training {residency and fellowship - 4 more years} to become a physician. I have spent HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars in order to achieve my long time dream of becoming a doctor. I have spent countless hours in the hospital {sometimes 30 hours in a row, sometimes 80 hours a week} in order to care for other people's families when I am missing spending time with my own. There is no doubt that my career is a significant part of my identity, and always will be, but it isn't everything. When I have the choice, I don't put my job before my husband, and I certainly will not put it before Liam and the rest of our kids. Does that mean I'm not putting my whole heart and soul into my career? Absolutely not. When I am in an exam room with a patient, I do everything I can in my power to get them back to health, whether that is giving antibiotics to a kid with an ear infection or giving life-saving medicine to a middle-aged female with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension or just sitting and listening while my patient sheds tears about her family stressors. At that moment, I am not thinking about my family; I am treating my patient like my own mother or father or child...that is what I am called to do as a physician.

Thankfully, I am blessed in the fact that my workplace is very understanding, and I have the time to go to my prenatal appointments, have time off for maternity leave, etc. Some of my female colleagues have had complications such as threatened preterm labor, and what did we do? We worked together to make sure her patients were seen and her hospital shifts were covered. I have no idea if complications will arise later on in this pregnancy...Will have to be on bedrest? Will I deliver early? I certainly hope none of the bad things happen, but, in the end, we never know when we are going to be sick, have a major accident, or have a family crisis. If you're so worried about that stuff happening to you, maybe you should just not work at all. It's just something on which you have to take a leap of faith.

I have NO problem with someone making the choice to remain childless. Being a parent is not for everyone. However, I don't think you should attack a woman with a career for her desire to have both a career AND a family.

As a successful female, I'm curious how you reconcile the inherent misogyny of the Catholic faith. Why do you want to raise a child in a religion that does not recognize women as leaders, in addition to endorsing an all-male trinity?

I'm pretty sure it's well-established, believed, and accepted that Jesus was male, the son of God. I can't change that fact; it just is. The Holy Trinity consists of the Father {God}, Son {Jesus}, and the Holy Spirit. I can't change that either. As far as women leaders, the Catholic Church was established on the rock of St. Peter {Matthew 16:18}. The Catholic Church is based on Apostolic succession, meaning that the popes come from the line of the apostles, which is why they are always men, and probaly always will be. TJ and I want to raise our children in the Catholic faith because it is what we believe. The fact that women cannot be priests, bishops, cardinals, or popes is not the deciding factor for us. If that would be the deciding factor for you, then you are missing the point. Big time. Women are a big part of the church. Have you ever heard of nuns or the religious life? In our Parish, the women of the church have a large leadership role, from planning the liturgy to running the Parish office to sitting on Parish Council. My mom even leads one of the committees. It may not be the type of leadership you are thinking of, but it is still leadership, nonetheless.

From reading your blog, it seems you endorse somewhat degrading gender roles in your marriage. You seem to the primary one cooking and completing household tasks. You've also mentioned you hope to work part-time. Hopefully, our generation will be the first for women not to compromise career aspirations because of silly notions of motherhood. For example, if I were to have a child why should I have to waste more of my time away from my career caring for it than the child's father? For someone with a college education {let alone an advanced degree} are the tasks of caring for children really more important than working?

Really? You want to bring up gender roles...okay, fine. Sure, I do almost all the cooking, I do a fair amount of the cleaning, and I do the laundry too. However, TJ doesn't like to cook, and I enjoy it, so I don't mind it...at least most nights. TJ helps with the cleaning when I ask him to, he almost always unloads the dishwasher {without me even asking}, and he helps fold the laundry too. We both pay bills. We both work and contribute to our bank account. However, you must have missed the fact that I am a doctor, and my husband and I both understand {and are okay with} the fact that I will always be the breadwinner of the family. Tell me how that falls into the traditional gender roles. I certainly have not {and will not} compromise my career aspirations because of my "silly notion of motherhood." What part of twelve years of school and training did you not understand? Even if I had gotten pregnant as a first year resident, I wouldn't have given up my dream of becoming a sports medicine physician. No way.

You're correct in saying that I want to work part-time someday. I am lucky that even if I want to work part-time as a physician, we will still be able to live a comfortable life. I see it as the best of both worlds...continuing my career that I have worked SO HARD to achieve, but also spending time with my family which is even more important. I can't even comprehend how that would be "wasting time." There's also something called daycare, which we will be utilizing in the future. It was created so that people {including women} could continue to work in order to provide for their children and families. Just because a woman has a baby doesn't mean that she is forced to stay home with them until they are 18 years of age {as you make it sound}. A baby is not a death sentence and an end to a career.

With all that said, yes, I am Pro-Life. When it comes down to it, the Fifth Commandment states "Thou shall not kill." I can't argue with that.

~~~~~

If you have made it this far, thank you. I had a lot to get off my chest. I have decided to leave Saturday's post up, as well as the anonymous comment. I have, however, closed that post for future comments. I am leaving the comments open on this post. Unfortunately, I am no longer allowing anonymous comments.

Thanks for reading.

Bumpdate! {20 Weeks!}

20 Weeks

{as of 1.25.13}

HALFWAY THERE!!!

 How Far Along?

  20 weeks...20 weeks or 140 days to go!

Baby S is the size of a banana {lengthwise, at least!} 

Weight Gain? 

I think around 15 lbs...yikes.   

Maternity Clothes?

Just ordered a couple new pairs of pants and another shirt last night...still going strong and only buying things on sale or with gift cards/rewards! 

Exercise? 

I worked out 5 days IN A ROW last week...go me!!! I hope I can keep it up; I feel so much better when I can get some exercise in everyday!

{I did take yesterday off, but was back on the treadmill this morning!}

Symptoms?

Going to the bathroom all the time and a stuffy/runny nose, but nothing too bad! 

Sleep?

Still doing well, although I can't seem to sleep in much past 8am on the weekends. 

Food Cravings? 

 Nope, not really. 

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick?

Nada.

Gender?

Liam Joseph :) 

Movement?

He has been moving so much more this past week. I'll be sitting at home in the evenings, feel him move, and I can't help but smile. It's such an amazing feeling...I can't wait for TJ to be able to feel him too.  

What You Miss?

Not much 

Mood?

So happy. :) I'm also excited for my cousin-in-law's baby shower next weekend. She's having a little boy in March, and I know Jack and Liam will be great buddies! 

Best Moment of the Week?

Our anatomy ultrasound last Wednesday went perfectly. In case you missed it, Liam gave an update {complete with pictures} on the blog last Friday.

Yesterday, TJ and I spent 3 hours in Buy Buy Baby working on our registry. I think we have the majority of things done, although we still need to figure out which monitor and baby carrier we want to get. I'm planning on doing a registry post sometime this week. Stay tuned.

Choose Life.

This past week marked the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. While I don't often get political or super religious on my blog, abortion is something that I am adamantly against, even moreso after having a miscarriage in 2011 and now pregnant with my sweet Liam. As a Catholic, I believe that we should respect life from conception to natural death.

I came across this video on Facebook this morning, and I had to share. It didn't take long before I was in tears. It's beautiful.

CHOOSE LIFE.

A Little Note from Liam

{Note: We had our anatomy ultrasound on Wednesday morning, and after we got home, Liam sent our family a full update complete with pictures...and now, he wants to share it on the blog too. Enjoy!}

{written 1.23.2013}


Dear Great Grandma Mar, Great Grandma Helen, Grandma Sharon, Grandma Donna, Grandpa Ed, Great Aunt Ann, Uncle Joe, Aunt Tiffany, and Uncle Matt,

I just wanted to say hi and let all of you know that I am doing great. They say that I am growing right on track {in the 55th percentile...apparently mommy cares about that stuff}, have a great 4-chambered heart {beating at 143 beats per minute}, and overall, I look perfect {Duh! Who do they think I am!?!!}. The ultrasound tech said that I was very cooperative today, and I heard mommy say that she hopes I'll stay that way...we'll see about that.

Anyways, they took a ton of pictures of me today {what's with that anyways}, and mommy thought you'd like to see them...

oh, you know, just working on my throwing arm...

my spine

see that line down the middle of my tummy? that's my aorta splitting into the iliac arteries...mommy thought that was cool

hi guys! those are my knees on the left, my hand in the middle, and my head on the right

yep, i'm still a boy!

just chilling...check out my profile and my cute little nose

Mommy and daddy said they were both very happy that I look perfect.

That's it for now...I have to get back to growing. I'll see you in a matter of months, although I really like it here in my nice, warm pool....

Love,
Liam

Nursery Update

A couple weeks ago, I shared my little man's nursery inspiration with you. Since then, both the crib and the glider have been delivered as well as the fabric, and I am super happy with everything so far! However, before the furniture could be moved in to the nursery for good, I needed to do some deep cleaning! I started out by vacuuming the room for a good 20 minutes {sounds ridiculous, but my vacuum has an IntelliClean that turns to green when it doesn't detect any dirt...I vacuumed my little heart out till that whole room was green!}. I also wiped down all the walls and baseboards with a water and vinegar solution, then cleaned the window. We rented a carpet cleaner from the local hardware store and spent a Saturday deep cleaning the carpets. Once that was all done, the room was ready to go!

walking into the nursery

closet with Liam's clothes to the right

the whole nursery from the doorway

The first thing to be delivered was the glider, and my mom and I wasted no time in carrying it up to the nursery to see how it looked with the fabric {we couldn't even wait till TJ got home from work!}. 

 And, of course, we both had to test it out!

The next day, the crib was delivered! I was so excited to see how the gray of the crib would match the glider and the fabric.

Unfortunately, when I was taking everything out of the package, I discovered a small crack in the base frame. I called the company the next day, and they were very quick to send out a replacement free-of-charge. That piece finally got delivered last Friday after a little bit of a FedEx snafu, so this past weekend, TJ and I put the crib together!

with the two pillow covers I ordered...still need to get the pillow forms

TJ relaxing in the glider...can you tell we were both wearing our lounge around Sunday clothes?!?? ;-)

I am so happy with our couple of big nursery purchases. The glider got here in perfect condition, was a good price, is super comfortable, and the color is great! Even though the one part of the crib was damaged, it was a pretty hassle-free process to get the replacement piece. And putting the crib together? It didn't take much more than an hour with just two people!

{In case you're interested, you can find our glider here and our crib here.}

Bumpdate! {19 Weeks!}

19 Weeks

{as of 1.18.13}

my camera did something weird and made my sweater look like it has 2 different shades of orange...just ignore that

How Far Along?

  19weeks, 21 weeks or 147 days to go!

Baby S is the size of an heirloom tomato! 

Weight Gain? 

Didn't weigh myself this week, but we'll see what it is at my appointment on Wednesday 

Maternity Clothes?

Love the pants, but still wearing a mix of maternity and regular tops 

Exercise? 

Working on it... 

Symptoms?

I feel like I have to pee every 2 seconds 

Sleep?

Great! 

Food Cravings? 

 Nothing in particular, although I'm loving the toasted ham and fontina cheese sandwiches I've been making for lunch recently. 

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick?

Nope 

Gender?

Liam Joseph :) 

Movement?

I've decided that I have been feeling Liam move...I'm noticing it more and more now, but I still can't wait to feel the big kicks and punches! 

What You Miss?

Not a whole lot 

Mood?

Excited! We have our anatomy ultrasound on Wednesday...can't wait to see how Liam is doing!!! 

Best Moment of the Week?

We put the Liam's crib together yesterday, which you've already seen if you follow me on Instagram. If not, I'll post a nursery update later this week!

Bumpdate! {18 Weeks!}

18 Weeks!

{as of 1.11.13}

How Far Along?

18 weeks, 22 weeks or 154 days to go!

Baby S is the size of a bell pepper or mango!
  
Weight Gain?

I think it's around 10 lbs, which I really don't like. Time to start making some healthier food choices and getting into a regular workout routine!

Maternity Clothes?

Loving my new skinny jeans and tops that I got this weekend! Mama needed some more options! :)

Exercise?

I've exercised the last 3 days...I'm on a roll! Yesterday, I even did some running intervals, and although it's not as comfortable as running sans baby, I felt pretty great afterwards! 

Symptoms?

Stuffy nose, but that's about it!

Sleep?

Overall, I'm sleeping pretty well, and for that, I am very thankful.

Food Cravings?

Not really

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick?

Nope

Gender?

Our little buddy...Liam Joseph :)

Movement?

I'm still not positive if what I've been feeling is him. If it is Liam that I'm feeling, I notice it the most when I'm driving...hopefully that means he'll love riding in the car once he's here!

What You Miss?

Not gonna lie, it'd be really nice to be able to go on a long run...especially this past Saturday when it was gorgeous outside!!
  
Mood?

Definitely happy. I'm also looking forward to our anatomy ultrasound next Wednesday the 23rd. I want to see our little Liam again and know that he is growing strong and healthy!

 Best Moment of the Week?

Announcing the name last week and feeling the love from everyone!


And one more pic, just for fun...

It's definitely getting bigger!!! Liam, keep on growing! :)

Friday's Thoughts

First of all, THANK YOU for all of your kind words on our name reveal! Secondly, if you are new around here, welcome! I don't have anything super-exciting for you today, so you'll just have to deal with some of my random thoughts....

~~~~~

Jury duty is really boring. I first got summoned last summer, but I deferred until later because it fell during my vacation between residency and fellowship. In November, I got summoned again, and this was the week. I was kind of irritated when I called Wednesday night and found out that I actually had to go in yesterday. Thankfully, they didn't even call me to be questioned, and I got some studying done, but still, it was pretty boring. The good news is that I won't have to do it again for at least 2 years!

~~~~~

Crepes are one of the best alternatives to a sandwich. After I got released from jury duty, I met my mom at the Indianapolis City Market for lunch. We have been wanting to try the 3 Days in Paris crepe stand, so we had some very Parisian crepes for lunch. I had the Harvest crepe, which included ham, havarti cheese, cranberries, apples, spinach, and a raspberry chipotle sauce...it was delicious! We were both pretty full, but I can't wait to go back sometime and try one of their sweet crepes too!

~~~~~

I can't stop thinking about our vacation to Florida in less than two months. As I've mentioned before, my parents have a time share in Orlando and always go in March. Orlando was our yearly spring break vacation, but even now, TJ and I always try to get down there for at least part of the week while my parents are there. I'm so excited to be spending a full week there this year, starting on my birthday! This year is kind of a big birthday for me {yikes}, and I can't think of a better way than to spend it with TJ, my parents, and my brother at our home away from home. I can't wait!!!

~~~~~

I am overwhelmed. In a very good way. I cannot tell you how happy each of you made me with your comments on Wednesday's post. I already loved the name we chose for our little guy, but I think I love it even more now. Having a name picked out for him makes it seem even more real...because honestly? A lot of times I get busy and kind of "forget" that I'm pregnant. I know this will change as soon as I start feeling Liam move around a lot more, and I can't wait. I found myself sitting in his nursery yesterday, just looking at the crib pieces on the floor, the clothes hanging in his closet, and my diaper bag hanging on the door...and I got tears in my eyes. It just makes me so happy {and a little nervous}, that he will be here in 5 months.

Absolutely crazy....and totally amazing.

~~~~~

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Now Introducing...

As I shared in Monday's Bumpdate, our Little Buddy now has a name, and I am so excited to share it with all of you!!!

Without further ado....

~~~~~

Liam Joseph Stochel

~~~~~

Liam is a form of William and is of an Irish origin. After I learned that it meant "unwavering protector," I just fell in love with it. I think Liam is a perfect name for someone who will one day be an older brother, perhaps to a little sister. :) TJ liked the name right away too, but he just wanted to be extra sure before we committed to it. On Monday, when he told me we could name him Liam, I was just so happy.

We knew we wanted to use a family name for the middle name, and it didn't take long before we decided on Joseph. We have some Joseph's on both sides of the family {including TJ's paternal grandfather and also my brother, who will be Liam's Godfather} so it works out perfectly. Joseph is also a little more biblical than Liam, although there is a St. William too.

I've already been calling him our sweet little Liam for days. I just love the sound of it. :)

Bumpdate! {17 weeks!}

17 Weeks

{as of 1.4.12}

How Far Along?

17 weeks...23 weeks or 161 days to go!

Baby S is the size of a turnip or sweet potato!

Weight Gain?

probably around 8 lbs

Maternity Clothes?

Love my maternity pants and jeans and still wearing a mix of maternity and non-maternity tops

Exercise?

Walking on the treadmill 2-3 times per week...yes, it still needs to be more...

Symptoms?

I had some pretty bad round ligament pain yesterday. Thankfully, it got better with a Tylenol. Last night was also my first night of having trouble sleeping. I was okay for the first couple hours, but when TJ came to bed, I could NOT get back to sleep. After going downstairs and watching a little TV, I was able to sleep on the couch till morning. I'm now taking any recommendations for pregnancy pillows!

Sleep?

It was great up until last night...usually just getting up 1-2 times to go to the bathroom.

Food Cravings?

Nothing in particular.

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick?

Nope! 

Gender?
Little man!
{We've decided on a name!!! Announcement will be coming later this week!!!}

Movement?

Still feeling a little something every once and awhile...I think it's him?!??

What You Miss?

I'm feeling great! 

Mood?

Excited. I love all the planning going on right now. :)

Best Moment of the Week? 
Our glider, crib, and my diaper bag came in the mail this past week! Unfortunately, one of the crib pieces had a small crack in the wood, so I'm waiting for the replacement piece to come in the next week. My mom and I cleaned carpets all day on Saturday, so little buddy's nursery is all ready for the furniture! I can't wait to get things set up!

Happy Birthday to my Man!

I couldn't let today pass without giving the man in my life a birthday shout out. Today is TJ's 34th {!!} birthday! I tease him all the time about being an "old man" {he's a little over 4 years older than me}, but in all reality, he's a little kid at heart. And I love that. He keeps me laughing. :)

TJ,

Happy birthday babe. I can't believe this is the 8th birthday we've celebrated together. Even so, it's safe to say that I love you more and more each year. I can't wait to see you as a daddy to our little guy, and I know I'll love you even more when I see you hold him for the first time. I think this is going to be our best year yet. Love you lots!

Forever yours,

Em

Little Man's Nursery Inspiration

Once we found out we were expecting a little buddy and the news wasn't a secret anymore, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the nursery. We live in a 3-bedroom townhouse, and the guest room will now be the nursery. Here's a "before" picture:

Even before we knew if we had a little boy or girl on the way, I had decided that I wanted to keep the wall color the same. I love the turquoise blue color, and I figured we could change up the accent colors depending on whether it was a boy or girl. Enter the following pillows...

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

I found these on Etsy and instantly fell in love. The colors are PERFECT, I love the crazy chevron, and the car print provides a great theme for the room. {For those of you that don't know my family personally, my dad is a bit of a car fanatic, so our little guy is destined to have a love for things with four wheels.} I ordered the pillows {they should be coming in the next few days}, and my mom was able to find the fabric plus a couple other coordinating ones online. She will be helping me make the crib skirt, curtains, and whatever else we can dream up. I can't wait to see it all come together!

My aunt and uncle were nice enough to give us their old changing table and dresser that they used in my cousins' nurseries, and my mom is working on painting those white. {Pics to come once they are finished.} At first I thought I'd get a plain white crib to go with the furniture, but then I found a white and gray crib, and I couldn't stop thinking about it!

Source: amazon.com via Emily on Pinterest

It's supposed to come on Friday, so maybe we'll be able to put it together this weekend!

Continuing with the gray theme, I really wanted to find a gray glider. I was very against getting one of the glider/rockers that are mostly wood and I didn't want to spend $1000 for one that looked more like furniture. I was so excited when I found this Babyletto glider, and even more happy when I found it on Amazon for $50 cheaper and free shipping with Amazon Prime!

Source: buy.com via Emily on Pinterest

I was hesitant to buy furniture on Amazon without being able to sit in it myself first, but it had great reviews, so I decided to take a chance on it! It looks kind of brown in the picture, but the reviews all said it was a very nice gray in person. It should be delivered next Monday, and I can't wait to sit in it myself!

As far as some of the other decorations for the room, here are a few prints and ideas that I like. I think the small details will be the most fun and really pull everything together.

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: cozycottagecute.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: oneporkchop.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

So that's what I have so far! I feel like it's a really good start. I hope to get everything done well before my June 14 due date because I'm sure I will be stressing out about a million other things at that point!

~~~~~

Linking up here today!

Happy 2013!

I was really excited for the arrival 2012 one year ago, but I think it's safe to say that I am even more excited for 2013 today. We have so many changes coming our way, and I am so excited for all of them!

Without further ado, my resolutions...

{Grow closer to God.}

I've always been a weekly church-goer, but I know that's not everything. I want to spend more time in prayer, reading the bible, or reading a devotional. I want to be sure that our little buddy knows God's love from the very beginning, and I think it's only right that I get started on this now. 

{Deep clean and organize our home.}

I like organization and when everything is in its place, and lately, I feel like things have gotten a little out of control. Our home is not as clean as I'd like it to be, and there's a lot more "stuff" lying around than I'd prefer. I don't think there's any better time than now to go through the house, room by room, get rid of all the stuff we don't need, organize it, and clean it. I also wouldn't be surprised that, if by the end of the year, we hire someone to clean the house at least once a month. Unfortunately, that will have to wait until I get a real job, and I'm making more than a resident's/fellow's salary.

{Back up and organize my digital photos.}

I have a fear of something happening to my computer and losing all my pictures. In the spirit of organizing, I need to make sure that all my photos are backed up on an external hard drive as well as organized on my computer so that they're easy to find. I hope I can keep up with this even after our little man's arrival because I know we will have many more photos once he gets here this summer!

{Learn how to use my new DSLR as well as Photoshop.}

My parents were so generous and gave us a Nikon D5100 for Christmas. It takes amazing photos right out of the box, but I want to learn to use it in its full capacity! I'm hoping to read a lot and also take a class at one of the local camera stores. I already have Photoshop Elements, thanks to a Christmas gift from my brother last Christmas. However, every time I open it, I get very overwhelmed and feel like I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. I need to spend some time reading and watching online tutorials in addition to just playing around with it!

{Study sports medicine!!!}

This is a big one. I feel like I have totally slacked off the last couple months {hello pregnancy fatigue}, and I really, really need to get back into study mode. I have to take a practice sports medicine boards test in February, and although it doesn't count for anything, I don't want to bomb it. {I won't take the real Sports Medicine boards until November because of maternity leave.} I only have 7 months left of my fellowship, so it's time to really immerse myself in my books and work!

{Cultivate friendships, both old and new.}

I think we're probably all a little guilty of letting life get in the way of things. I haven't been the best with keeping up with my friends over the last year, and I really want to work on doing better this year. I'd also love to work on my friendships with you guys, my blog friends. Maybe I'll even be able to do a blogger meet-up!

{Try to stay in shape throughout my pregnancy and get back in shape post-baby.}

You've heard me mention on my bumpdates how I want to start walking on a more consistent basis. I'd also like to start doing some more weights {I hardly do any now} to get my arms in shape for carrying a baby everywhere! My goal right now is to run a half-marathon {The Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon} the first weekend in November. I will be about 4.5 months post-partum...it may be a bit of stretch, but I think it'll be a good goal to work towards.

{Get back into my cooking groove and try more recipes.}

Cooking is something else I've let slide a bit since the first couple months of pregnancy, and I'd like to work on it while I have the time. I'm sure cooking will take the back-burner again once baby is here, but if I can find more "go-to" recipes, maybe that will make it a little easier post-baby.

{Continue to make weekly {or monthly} date nights a priority.}

This goal is only going to get more difficult as the year goes on, but I think it's really important to remember that TJ and I came first as husband and wife before our baby came along. Whether it's dinner, a movie, or even a little weekend getaway, I want to cherish the months we have left as a family of two before we become a family of three.

{Continue this little blog as a way to document our lives, especially in this new chapter.}

Over the past year, I started blogging much more regularly, and I really like it as an outlet for myself. The blog world is a wonderful support system, and I've met some amazing ladies along the way. It's also really fun to look back at my old posts...maybe this will be the year I make a blog book too!

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I'm linking up here today! Happy New Year!!!!!