Wow, after a two-week hiatus from Little Sproutings, it’s time to start up again.

The holiday flew by and it feels like it was over before it even began! We had a really nice time in Charleston, SC celebrating Jia’s First Christmas at my parents’ house, along with Jeff’s parents. We spent 8 days eating good food and dodging lots of rain storms, but it didn’t feel nearly long enough. It was actually our first Christmas with both sides of our families together, which made it even more special. Even though it is always nice to go down South to be with my parents, I was really glad to be back in the comforts of our home with Jia back in her big crib and us back in our routine. 

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I don’t ever make good on them. But, for this year I wanted to make goals for self-improvement.

I think that this year is more important than other years prior because I’m a mom. I’ll eventually be a role model for Jia, though she is already building her perception of the world and interpersonal interactions from what she sees at home with Jeff and me. So, it will become more and more important to self-reflect and make myself a better version of what and who I am. These characteristics, values, and behaviors are what Jia will use to model her own behaviors as she grows up.

This week’s post isn’t so much a topic-specific health post, but more of a spiritual, reflective, and introspective therapeutic one. 

This year, 2015 for me: 

• Worry less about how people view me as a mom and a writer.
• Reflect at the end of the day and find 3 positives about it.
• Stop being mentally preoccupied with where my long-term career is going and focus on Jia’s end of infancy and early toddlerhood; it’ll be over before I know it.
• Repeat, “this is what’s best for my family here and now” don’t think about how others perceive this time for me.
• Limit myself to one major thing per day. As a nurse, we are very task-oriented people who knock nearly 50 things off our report sheet checklists {give antibiotics and other meds, blood sugar checks, insulin, oral care for intubated patients, blood transfusions, turning and repositioning, bathing, feeding, talking to families, suctioning, change wound dressings, mark chest tube drainage, tracheostomy care, skin care, empty foleys, neuro checks/groin checks every 15, 30, 60 min, change IV tubing, IV fluids, get orders from doctors, follow up on orders, complete all electronic charting, checking and verifying vital signs, generally make sure the patient doesn’t die, the list goes on} in any given 12-hour shift.  So, as a mom I am still geared in that way. {from 8 AM: Diaper change, nurse/feed, play, diaper change, solids, feed the dogs, clean-up, cook and eat breakfast, clean-up, take the dogs outside, play, diaper change, brush baby teeth, Nap #1, diaper change, nurse/feed, solids, diaper change, groceries, other errands, take the dogs out, diaper change, feed the dogs, prep dinner, diaper change, try for Nap #2, diaper change, solids, cook dinner, diaper change, play, bath time, nurse/feed, brush baby teeth, story time, bedtime}. For you readers who don’t have kids, this doesn’t sound like a lot (or maybe it does) but it is. Ontop of that, growing up in a Chinese household adds more of an expectation that your day is not only productive, but that it was actually VERY productive! So, accomplishing ONE task? Why just one? Why not three or four? So, it’s hard to ease up on this expectation and to not feel like I’m slacking off. Jeff is always encouraging me to do less. Far less. He said “If you work on your blog, that’s your activity for the day. If you go meet a friend (or other activity) don’t cook dinner.” I usually roll my eyes at that thinking “Yeah, right. I’m still going to make dinner,” or “Yeah right, working on my blog shouldn’t get me out of making dinner,” but I should listen to an extent. I should at least not feel like I’m slacking off if I “did something” that day.  I should take him up on the offer to pick up dinner every now and then, when I’m too tired to cook. I get so bogged down with making sure we have things to do or that I’m doing stuff around the house, that I see myself not soaking in every moment with Jia. So, in an effort to soak things in while I’m not at work, I need to take Jeff up on this suggestion and his offer to do the laundry and dishes and not go and do them myself. Do one thing per day. (Sorry, that was a long one)
• Make more time for my doggies. The poor things didn’t realize what was coming before Jia had already arrived and their world has been upturned. 
• Pick my battles, be more patient. This is with Jeff, especially. He works really hard at a job where he’s not exactly appreciated nearly as much for how good he is at what he does. The last thing he needs is to feel like that when he’s home. My mom is one of the best role models of this and I’m not sure exactly how she does it so well, but I need to try and do better. 
• Smile more. In middle school Softball, my nickname was Smiley Face. Somewhere along the road, life got in the way and I forget to smile as often as I used to. I’m really lucky for the life I have and for my friends and family. I have a healthy and very happy smiley little baby, happy little pugs, and a husband who is in love with his little daughter. Life is good. Smile more. 

Goals/Changes to Little Sproutings:

• Publish 1-2 “fun” and short posts in between Sproutings Saturday (health topic) posts, reflecting on how is Jia is growing and changing, what milestones she is meeting, her likes/dislikes, etc. so I am documenting them. I also want to do this to keep my readers engaged. 
• More product spotlight videos, aim for one per month (this is going to be very hard). 
• Make LS business cards to spread the word when out in public. 
• Topics on deck for posts: Baby-led weaning, sleep training, spicing up your baby’s food, nutritional requirements for babies and toddlers and healthy tips, Jia’s favorite toys, baby proofing, the changing composition of breastmilk, iron requirements as your baby grows, pacifier use and ear infections (not in this particular order, because who knows what I’ll be in the mood for).

So, even if you’re not choosing one resolution, what are you aiming to do for 2015? What are your hopes for 2015 pertaining to your kids? What suggestions do you have for this blog? 

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