Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Choose Joy

Today, my sweet baby girl is 11 months old.


11 months since the morning my water broke and we hurried to the hospital in the falling snow.

11 months since I labored and pushed and gave birth to our daughter.

11 months since she took her first breath of air, cried her first cry, and we held her in our arms for the first time.

11 months since we announced to the world that we finally had our beautiful baby girl, safe and healthy.


This time last year, I was counting down the last few days at work, preparing for a whole year stretching out ahead of me with nothing to do but be a mom. 

Today, I am counting down this last month as a full time stay at home mom, preparing myself to go back to work in just four short weeks. If 11 months have passed by at the speed of light, I know that four weeks will feel like the blink of an eye.

So, for these next 26 days, I will be soaking up all these beautiful moments, cherishing every smile, every giggle, every cuddle, and yes, even every 5am wake up call.



In these coming weeks, we will celebrate our first Christmas as a family of three.

Then, a month from now, we will celebrate Tessa's first birthday and us surviving our first year as parents.

There is so much to be thankful for and to celebrate, and I don't want to spend the last month of my year at home being whiny or miserable.

So, with that in mind, my aim for this next month is to always choose joy. Even when I'm tired, or sick, or grumpy. When my baby is fussy and clingy and teething. When the house is a mess and there are a million things to do and it just.keeps.snowing. 

I will choose to find something to celebrate. 
I will choose to be thankful. 

19 comments:

  1. Her scarf- I'm loving it! I definitely needed this today. We've had a couple of rough mornings and I need to remember to choose joy always!

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  2. That is wonderful you got to take the first year off. Baby G is 11 months too. Will you continue blogging when you go back to work?

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  3. Kelli K (Pretty Prairie)December 10, 2013 at 12:19 PM

    Great post! I'm 6 months in and it's flew by so fast - have to remember to soak in these moments, even the tough ones. What are daycare options like there? I'm on plenty of wait lists here and am so worried we won't have care when the time comes.

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  4. Haha - thanks...isn't it adorable? It's super easy to do - just cut the bottom 8-10 inches off a t-shirt and you're good to go. Can't take the credit for it - saw it on a friend's blog. :)

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  5. Yes, we are so fortunate here in Canada to get a full year of maternity leave! I would like to keep blogging - I'll only be working a couple days a week, so I'll definitely try! :)

    Can't believe our babies will be a year next month!! EEEK! Are you planning a big party?

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  6. Yes, absolutely. I really have to remind myself almost daily to look for things to be thankful for, even if they're little, because they're always there! It's so easy to let the rough moments and days get you down.
    We got lucky and found a dayhome that we like. Daycares are harder to get into, but I like the idea of a more home-like environment anyway. Part time spots are tough to find here too, but we lucked out. Hope you guys find something that you're comfortable with - it's hard! You still have lots of time though!

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  7. I love this and it brought tears to my eyes. Isn't it crazy how fast the time flies? And I love your message. Sometimes it is so hard to choose joy, particularly when your 2 year old is throwing herself on the floor because you won't let her paint the kitchen floor, but it is something that we should all try to do.

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  8. The first year is so crazy but awesome! My son is 15 months and I can't believe how he keeps GETTING BIGGER. Why isn't he staying small forever?! :) Thanks for linking up to Time For Mom. Hope to see you next Tuesday!

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  9. Thanks Becky - yes it can be so hard and I'm not always successful!

    And seriously, I can't believe you wouldn't let her paint the kitchen floor...come on!!! ;)

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  10. Crazy is right!! I know...why won't they just stay little! :) Thanks for hosting again!

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  11. Happy 11 months!! Her little accessories are SO cute! I love the scarf and the hat. :) Enjoy your Christmas-- it's so fun with little ones!

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  12. Thanks Robyn! It's hard to do sometimes - something I'm definitely working on. Thanks for reading. :)

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  13. Happy 11 months!! Adorable pics. I need that Choose Joy graphic on my wall!

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  14. Aww I hope you enjoy this month with your little family! My baby is a month behind yours so we will also be celebrating a first birthday soon. I love your attitude for how you're going to spend this last month on maternity leave <3

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  15. Thanks Amy...I'm so excited for her first Christmas! :)

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  16. Thanks for stopping by! Hmmm...maybe I'll have to make in into a printable! :)

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  17. Thanks Jessica - can't believe how fast a year goes!!

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