Oh, What a Year!

2009 has been one insane year!  This was our first full year as a family of three :)  This was the year that Maddie experienced so many of her "firsts".  She crawled in 2009, she pulled up, she cruised, she learned to walk.  She has learned so much!  She's already learning her ABC's, she's counting to 13 (maybe not in the right order...), she knows her colors at about a 90% accuracy and her imagination has blossomed in 2009!  Just the other day she was crawling around and growling and said she was a lion.  The sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "ABC's", and "Jingle Bells", some parts to E-I-E-I-O and "Itsy Bitsy Spider".  She also sings in her lion voice!  It's so adorable!!!  During 2009 Maddie also learned to go down a slide all by herself!  She's started climbing up in the kitchen chairs (later than most kids, but I'm not complaining about that!!)  She has already used the potty in 2009...but maybe 2010 will bring the end of diapers, no rush on that so we'll see.  On a physical note, Maddie has gained 9 pounds and 6.25 inches through 2009.  Her hair is growing like crazy (FINALLY!) and she's just your average active toddler.  Maddie has started to "tease".  When I tell her to come to me (to get her jacket on, change her diaper, get dressed, etc.) she looks at me, laughs and runs away.  I REFUSE to chase her, that will only make a bigger game out of it.  She has just really gotten the most fun sense of humor in her young age.  She laughs if we sing the wrong words to one of "her" songs, she's just too smart!  One of the nicest things about Maddie that has come about in 2009 is her ability to entertain herself in her crib!  Like right now, for instance, she's been awake for about 30 minutes but I've been messing around in the kitchen and blogging so she's just sitting up there singing and playing in her crib.  She's so pleasant in the mornings!  She'll only cry if she's woken up suddenly (like a loud noise from outside) or if her diaper is about to explode.  She still loves her Snuggly...we now carry Snuggly with us everywhere we go.  Maybe this is a bad thing, maybe it's not.  We'll never really know for sure.  Some people might judge me for it, but this is her security and her best friend so I'm going to let her have it until she feels she's ready to be without it.  Yesterday morning she lost her Snuggly just before 5am in her crib.  I watched her in the video monitor as she was moving her blanket around trying to find it.  She fussed for about 10 minutes, didn't find it and went back to sleep without her Snuggly or her thumb!!!  When I went up to get her around 7, Snuggly was on the floor.  I was proud of her for being about to go back to sleep without it :)

During 2009 I've learned so much.  I've learned to seriously pick my battles.  I'm learning to be more carefree and think about what's REALLY important.  I have a very happy, friendly, unselfish baby girl to enjoy every day...if that means the laundry sits in the dryer overnight then I'm ok with that :)  I'm realizing that she's not going to be my little girl forever.  She's already grown and changed so much, I can only imagine what she's going to be like next December...  I'm also learning that it's ok if things don't go my way :)  But it's also ok if things don't go Maddie's way.  I guess that's a typical "mother of a toddler" skill you have to learn...COMPROMISE.  I'm enjoying it, though.  My biggest lesson this year has been patience...although I'm sure that lesson will continue throughout my life!  I'm learning to be patient with Maddie when she wants to be silly and I want to be serious.  I'm learning patience when she wants to "help" and it's actually creating more work for me.  I'm learning to be patient while she learns to "use her words" instead of screaming in frustration.  My biggest struggle in the patience department comes when I'm trying to cook a meal and Maddie wants to eat "NOW".  She tells me "hurry" now...nice, huh?  :)

2009 has been an overall struggle for our family, even with the many blessings we've had.  In April Eric took a job overseas.  He works for 8 weeks, then comes home for 3 weeks.  It's a blessing in that we're financially secure now.  We don't have to worry QUITE as much as we did when Eric was working in Houston.  But the job is also really hard because Eric is missing out on watching his baby girl grow up, and the two of us are missing out on being together.  (In our 5 years, almost 10 months of being married we've only lived together in the same house for 1 year, 9 months).  2010 will bring this same schedule, pending any major changes to his contract, so we're just trying to get used to it as much as possible.  But every time Eric leaves, it gets harder and harder.  He just left this past Monday and Tuesday morning Maddie was already crying asking for Daddy.  It will only get harder as she starts to get an understanding of time...8 weeks is FOREVER to a toddler! 

Tonight Maddie and I will ring in the New Year 6 hours after Eric...no fancy plans, I just plan on putting her to bed at her usual 7pm-ish and I will go to be around my usual 10:30 and pray Maddie sleeps through the fireworks!  If she doesn't, I guess we'll ring in 2010 in our rocking chair in Maddie's room...there could be MUCH worse ways to celebrate a new year!

My hopes for 2010...I hope to get more "me" time.  I REALLY need to get better about setting my alarm so I can have my peace and quiet before Maddie gets up.  I need a really good devotional so I can have my alone time to pray and mentally prepare for the day (and a much-needed cup of coffee) before Maddie even starts to stir in her crib.  I'm going to work on that...if I can manage to get that to last through January, then I'll work on another resolution for February :)

What are your "resolutions" or hopes for the new year?