I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe transition into the new year. Every year I like to do a look back at the previous year before starting fresh.  Here’s my overview of 2015.Â

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?
Well, I had a baby for the very first time. I breastfed for the first time. I took a 13-week maternity leave from work, which was the first time I didn’t work in some capacity since I was in middle school.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make any new year’s resolutions this year. I did choose a word of the year, and yes, I will definitely do that again this year. I think I’m going to try to make more goals for 2016, but I’ll save those for a separate blog post.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! It was the year of babies. 4 of my 7 bridesmaids had babies in 2015, and so did I, among many other friends!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. Unfortunately quite a few people passed away. Both my good friend and my great aunt passed away. Two of Mr. O’s uncles died, as well as one of the best mentors I’ve ever had in my life.
5. What countries did you visit?
None – I stayed in America this whole year.
6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you didn’t have in 2015?
More money! I’m very grateful for the salary and bonus freelancing money that I made in 2015. In 2016, I plan on working harder and smarter to earn even more than I did this year.
7. What dates from 2015 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
The day I had my baby. That was a pretty big day for me.
8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
Definitely carrying, laboring and birthing a child. Childbirth (and the growing process leading up to it) is no joke. Oh, and surviving all those months of infancy.
9. What was your biggest failure?
“Failure?” Well, I don’t like to focus on “failures,” but if I could pick anything it would be that I failed at my labor progressing. I know I didn’t do anything wrong in any way. The baby simply didn’t want to be delivered in the same way that we all wanted her to come. It would have just been nice to either 1) know I was going to get a c-section or 2) not go through all those days of labor at the hospital. If I would have known it would be a c-section earlier, I would have just scheduled it, showed up, and BAM – baby would be here. Instead, it was a hot mess of a few days.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, but I did have a c-section and a few minor colds.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Christmas presents for the people I love? I don’t really know. I didn’t spent a lot of money in 2015 on things. We went to NH once, so that’s always a good way to enjoy our hard-earned money.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Wolverine. He’s a great big brother. It’s a big change when you’re an only child (with two households) for 9 years to all of a sudden being a big brother, and he’s handled it with ease.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled or depressed?
My baby. It’s tough having a newborn. I don’t mean to blame her for any of her “behaviors,” either. She is simply learning about the world around her. She had to learn how to eat, sleep, breath, etc. However, it can be depressing to function on little sleep while feeling clueless as to what your baby needs.
14. Where did most of your money go?
I think we spent very wisely this year. Coming off the holiday season, I feel as if this year, money was spent on gifts. When I look over the year I see birthdays, weddings, and holidays of many special people.
15. What did you get really excited about?
Waiting to have a baby. Growing when I was pregnant. I was one of those pregnant ladies who loved being pregnant. It was all so new and magnificent to me.
16. What song will always remind you of 2015?
“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. I’ve always loved it very much, but it was extra special this year.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? possibly fatter, but about the same
c) richer or poorer? I’d say about the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Summertime activities. Summer ceased to exist because of either being too pregnant or the baby being too new.
Oh, and sleep. I love sleep, and I certainly wish I did more in the second half of the year!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stressing. I stressed a lot in the second half of the year (new babies have a tendency to make you worry!). It’s almost impossible to completely live in the moment when you have a little one, but I sure wish I could have stressed less and enjoyed more.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my husband and our two children. We spent Christmas eve at my parent’s house. Then Mr. O and Wolverine went to my in-law’s house. Wolverine woke us up in the morning and we opened presents with him while Little C slept in the next room. My parents then came over to exchange gifts with us, and the baby decided to wake up and join in on the fun. After all of that we went to my in-law’s for a gift exchange and then Wolverine went to his mother’s house. The afternoon was lunch at my parents and second lunch at my sister-in-law’s. It was a busy tiring couple of days.
21. Did you fall in love in 2015?
I fell in love on the day I had Baby O. I fall in love every day with my husband, and my love grows deeper every day for my son, family and friends.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Walking Dead & Narcos
23. What was the best book you read?
A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca
24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Watching Little C play the piano with her Grampy. She loves it!
25. What did you want and get?
A healthy baby girl.
26. What did you want and not get?
Sleep! (This is starting to sound repetitive.)
27. What was your favorite film of 2015?
Minions.
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
The day started off watching Wolverine play fall ball and enjoying a pumpkin-flavored coffee. Then my four-person family did our own fantasy football draft, and we finished the evening with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. My baby gave me an extremely difficult time to fall asleep. My boys ate snacks and fell asleep without me, and I finished my evening all alone with a candle in and ice cream cone!
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Sleep?
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2015?
Evolving. I spent a little more than 1/2 of the year growing, so I transitioned out of my “normal” clothing into maternity clothes. Then, after you have a baby, your body doesn’t know what fits and what doesn’t. So my style concept of the year was definitely one in transition.
I pretty much wore the same outfits over and over and over again. And I still am now.
31. What kept you sane?
My two best friends. They both had children before me. One has a three year old boy and a baby boy who is ten weeks older than Baby O. The other has a baby boy who is six months older. I’m so grateful to them for keeping me in check and teaching me along the way.
But it wasn’t just those two. It was my community of close friends, colleagues, even acquaintances. My community made this year immensely better.
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Supreme Court ruled that all marriages – between a man and woman, woman and woman, or man and man – are legal. What an incredible day that was. It was my absolute favorite political issue because for once we were talking about growth as a nation, not regression.
33. Who did you miss?
I miss my memere. I thought of her a lot when I was pregnant and after I had the baby. I wish she could have been here to meet my child. I also wish she could have made her little baby booties that she made for all the newborns she met. She passed away just a week before her 102nd birthday, so in some ways, it felt like she’d be in my life forever. I believe she’s looking down on my baby and smiling, but it would have been nice to see that little smile up close.
34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.
Patience – with everyone, including yourself.
The baby is learning everything in life, be patient. The husband is in the same shoes as you, learning about the baby and guessing at what to do, be patient. The son is growing and developing his own little personality, be patient. The friends and family have opinions which are all kind-hearted, even if you don’t want to hear it, be patient.
35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“Good times never seemed so good.”
Like this:
Like Loading...