Another Guest Post

Happy New Years Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is time for another guest post from none other than my amazing mama...prepare yourself, it is about to get sappy...


Amanda here.  Every year around Christmas we take a step back and reflect on the year.  I have always been able to look back and see that I live a very blessed life, but never before has it hit me like this year.

2011 began with a mix of emotions, excited for the life I was about to bring into the world, anxiety over when and how the entrance was going to take place.  Excitement about watching my sweet baby grow into a little person, fear that something might be wrong or that I might not do a good enough job.  Joy for the possibilities and opportunities she will have growing up, concern that she might have to deal with things such as bullying, peer pressure and negative media influence.

Trying to put the negative emotions aside, I aimed to focus on the present and watched my little girl blossom right in front of me.  As a working mom it was my fear that all of Linden's firsts would occur at daycare, I was lucky enough to experience many of them (even though I am sure there were others that I missed).  I got to witness her first smiles, the first time she rolled over, her first foods, her first giggle, her first boat ride, her first swim in the lake, her first attempts at crawling and her first steps.

The other day a friend of mine posted about her little boy turning 8 months old (aYearOnPins) and she made a list of her son's likes and dislikes, noting how his lists of likes is so much greater than his list of dislikes.  Her post got me thinking about Linden's lists:

Likes
   - Fruit, especially peaches and pears
   - Reading books
   - Meatballs and meatloaf
   - Swimming and bath time
   - Destroying towers of blocks that daddy builds
   - "Wrestling" with mama on the floor
   - "Petting" the dogs and cat (unfortunately, they don't share this love)
   - Pushing buttons, especially on TV remotes, cell phones, the laptop and TV
   - Walking all over, crawling is over-rated
   - Saying "Hi", she knows many words, but I am certain this is her favorite
   - Shiny things like jewelry and the tags of the dog's collars
   - Music and singing, which leads to some pretty adorable dancing
   - Climbing the stairs, both up and down
   - Playing at daycare and baby class with her friends

Dislikes
   - Being told "no"
   - Taking naps
   - Cucumbers
   - Being sick / Getting her nose wiped / Taking meds
   - Being confined

It is amazing how when putting these lists together it was so easy to come up with the likes, and so much more work to find the dislikes. 

Blessed.  That is the first word I came up with when thinking of 2011.  I have an amazing husband.  A Beautiful, happy, healthy daughter.  A warm house with plenty of food, clothing, entertainment and joy.  A family who loves me, and who I am lucky enough to get to love back.  Amazing friends who I know are there for us in both our triumphs and sorrows.  A great church community where we have made friends and feel welcome, even though we now have an active toddler.  Great jobs that allow the opportunity to travel and enjoy all sorts of fun experiences.  A safe city where I can take Linden on walks and not worry.  The list could go on and on.

If you haven't taken a moment to reflect on the past year I encourage you to do so now. 
Happy New Year,
Amanda