December always seems to be a good time for reflections. Not just because it is the sunset of the current year (or the dawn of the coming year depending on your outlook). But also because of my geographic standpoint in all of the Decembers of my life. I am an East Coast gal, and December is dark, and brooding of course, but also blanketed with snow, cracking fires, and hot drinks. This kind of scene lends itself to reflections. Alas, I shall reflect.

Let me start by saying that I did not weigh myself for an entire month and it served it’s purpose. While I only lost 2 (TWO!) pounds in November, that beat the 2 month plateau I was on- and included Thanksgiving. However, I did decide to throw out my scale in an effort to keep the crazy at bay. I’ve now started weighing myself once a week at the gym and that seems to serve me just fine.

As I typed “Alas, I shall reflect,” I tilted my head back and thought back to January 2010. I first remembered that on January 3rd Paige was admitted to the hospital under respiratory distress. At 2 days under 3 months old she had a touch of pneumonia and that was VERY scary. I was in the ICU with her for 2 days, nursing her then pumping for Aiden, while Scott was at home with the boys. Not all was lost on scary though. During that stay, my dear friend and former caregiver to Quinn, Meghan, gave birth to her first child, Allie, at the same hospital Paige was in. While she was in labor I would wake up in the middle of the night, feed Paige, and walk down the short hall to visit with laboring Meghan. It was quite an experience.

The “spring” of 2010 here in Saranac Lake seemed especially long. It rained a lot, snowed a lot, and the snow seemed to take forever to melt…Once we thought we were in the clear, we had a freak snowstorm on Mother’s Day…..I was sick as hell and Scott had to work alllll day. It was AWFUL.

*Thanks to that snow in May that means in 2010 we saw snow in SEVEN MONTHS out of the year….SEVEN! We usually get snow in October- but it didn’t happen this year (did it?) if it did and I’m simply not remembering correctly, then there were only 4 beautiful months where nary a snowflake was to be found.

The summer was great. Quinn got to play outside lots and the twins started napping and eating on the same schedules (which started more in late spring).

I spent most of 2010 (8 months) nursing 2 babies. It feels like SO LONG AGO.

At the beginning of this year, Quinn wasn’t yet 2 and the twins were 3 months old. That literally seems like a lifetime ago. As I sit here, he is almost 3 and the twins are almost 15 months and walking, saying a couple of words, and responding to instruction…

This year was truly ALL ABOUT THE KIDS. I was nourishing 2 babies with my own body and starting to adjust to our new family of 5.

***While the rest of my life will certainly be “all about the kids” in some respects, 2011 is going to be about me. It will mark 10 years since I’ve graduated high school. It will mark the second part of my weight loss journey (a journey that has no set number of parts at this time). It will mark a renewed committment to the spiritual side of myself- YIPEE! But, as I am still a mom, this will ALWAYS be “Mommy Diaries,” even if I happen to leave the kids out of a post or two. That likely won’t happen too much since their lives have completely shifted my view of myself and the world.***

A whole new person can happen in a year…and not just in babies.

xo

andrea