Happy New Year!

What a cute bunch of Niedweckis and Ellers!

Happy New Year! I hope this posting finds everyone healthy and happy. Things are wonderful on this end and here’s what we’ve been up to lately:

We were able to meet up with and exchange Christmas gifts with Joe’s sister’s family this past weekend at Joe’s parents’ house in Myrtle Beach. New Year’s Eve was spent with Joe’s parents and their neighbors, Joe’s sister’s family, and Joe’s grandpa; a great time was had by all! Izaak was so excited that he stayed up for the celebration as well (we aren’t a quiet group, oops!) and though he seemed happy enough, I’m sure he was more than a little confused at the midnight hoopla. He’s not too keen on fireworks yet, something that we’ll have to work on given his father’s side job with Zambelli.

New Glo-Baby and awesome Izaak-couch
from Nana and Papa!!

What a year 2011 was! Perhaps it sounds cheesy, but bringing a new life into the world has made the past year my personal best. Well, not really the bringing part, but I couldn’t be happier with our little bundle of joy and I’m very excited at all the prospects the New Year has to offer! It’s nice to have an excuse to wipe the proverbial slate clean and have a fresh start. As expected, I was barraged at work this morning with questions about what my New Year’s Resolutions are. My answer is simply that I don’t have any. Of course I’d like to shed a few pounds (umm, around 40lbs would be fantastic!) and make healthier choices but I’m not going to limit myself to “not eating sugar” or “no beer except weekends” at this point. I do plan to use my jogging stroller but I refuse to set unrealistic goals such as “running 3 miles every other day”. Though I will attempt to be a better version of me, my main focus this year is going to be family.

Super fun learning train from Aunt Michele and Uncle Bob!

Before the baby came along, Joe and I were already a family of sorts (regardless of our non-marital status) but the dynamic has changed somewhat with the addition of Izaak. I can’t properly put it into words, but the kiddo has brought out the best in both of us. We don’t have as much time for each other as we used to but we also don’t seem to require that time as much as before. I don’t think either of us feels neglected or anything--the love connection is still as abundant as ever--our priorities have just shifted a bit.

 As parents, I think we are gaining more confidence in our perceived skills but I’m sure it still looks awkward to anyone else. Some days I feel like I’m doing ok, other days I feel terribly clumsy. I sometimes wonder if being a parent at a younger age, when you think you know it all, is easier than a little later in life, when you’re paranoid about all that you don’t know! Luckily, we typically maintain a good sense of humor and don’t freak out too badly when we run into issues like a diaper that has overflowed and run up the baby’s back and trying to figure out how to wiggle him out of his onesie without getting poo on his head. Despite our inept parenting abilities, I can confidently say that Izaak is thriving but I’m convinced that there’s a reason why nobody remembers being an infant!

Izaak's new gocrib! This thing is SWEET!!

Yummy dish from Aunt Jordana and cuzzies!

New jammies from Grandma and Grandpa!

Some things that perhaps should be on my New Year’s resolution list besides fitness goals and organization improvement are “keeping in touch with friends and family” and “keeping up with the housework”. It’s far too easy to fall out of touch with great people and I’m sad to report that currently, the inside of our home looks like a bomb filled with junk-shrapnel went off. We’re contending with “stuff overload” presently and suffering from not being home long enough to get the place in order. I could try to blame it on the baby’s plentiful accessories but that isn’t really fair (though we do need to figure out some toy storage options pretty soon), the real issue is the fact that Joe and I should be on the TV show “Hoarders”. Is it really so difficult to get rid of things that we don’t use anymore or put junk mail in the garbage? Apparently. And I need to be timelier with trips to the Post Office. I still have 4 sets of Christmas gifts that need to be sent out… pathetic! I was so excited about sending out Christmas cards this year that I totally slacked on getting the bigger stuff packed up and out to their respective destinations. In my defense, some of the items are breakable and I haven’t had the time to properly get them wrapped so that they (hopefully) arrive in one piece.

All in all, life is far from perfect yet perfectly fantastic and I’m currently quite content with my place in the universe!