Think Kit asked me today what habits I started in 2013 that I plan to continue in 2014.  First off, I go to bed early now and wake up early (due to baby waking up early).   I used to never be able to go to bed before 11 pm, I was a semi night owl.  I would wake up right before I had to go to work and be so tired.  By the time work was over, I would either have to take a nap or be exhausted until I hit a second wind around 9 pm and would be up another 2-3 hours.  I don't know if it's exhausting watching a baby all day, but I do not get that 9 pm second wind anymore.  The baby usually falls asleep by 8:30 pm and I go to bed at about 9.  I may watch some television or some reading for around an hour and am asleep by 10.  I naturally wake up between 6:30-6:45 (sometimes before Raven wakes up) and I find it much easier to have this schedule then fighting an alarm clock at 7 am and getting less sleep.  I don't really have a choice to get up early anyway (like most working people do), but I do plan on keeping my same sleep schedule since I feel like I am getting more sleep than before having a baby.  Don't get me wrong, though, I still get tired sometimes.

Another habit I've developed this year is always cleaning the kitchen, at the very least doing dishes all the time.  This mostly started because of having to wash bottles but I haven't had any dishes all piled up in our kitchen since Raven was born.  This is also true of laundry because baby laundry can pile up quickly!  Because I am home mostly with her, I try to clean up here and there.  I would say overall, we have not a spotless house, but a clean house.  Since Raven requires a lot of attention, I can't do a bunch of deep cleaning for a long period of time but when her grandmother wants to watch her, I try to do a chore that require more time than a few minutes.  I like having a clean house, I'm sure my husband does too, so I will continue this habit into 2014.

Today's Think It question is: what has completely surprised me this year?  I know this seems to be a running theme with me, but since it's a major part of my life now I would say motherhood.  Truthfully, not being around infants prior to my pregnancy, I didn't know what to expect or what type of mother I would be.  The sleepless nights in the beginning were extremely hard.  I've always had anxiety but parent anxiety is a new level of anxiety that surprised me.  I am responsible to keep a tiny human being alive!  Yes, I was surprised at how much harder the beginning seemed than I expected, and there are still trying days, but I can't describe the love you feel as a parent unless you are one.  It really is a rewarding experience to watch your child grow and hit milestones!  I also love the baby snuggles;)

Another surprising thing that happened this year was having to have my gallbladder removed.  Late May, I started having a lot of digestive issues and upper right pain in my rib.  My tests were coming back normal so doctors didn't suspect my gallbladder being the issue.   I felt so horrible that I had a short hospital stay in June and a few ER visits for the pain.  Still, ultrasounds were showing no gallstones in my gallbladder so they automatically thought it was ok.

Finally in September, I met a gallbladder surgeon and explained all my symptoms to him.  He said sometimes patients can have a diseased gallbladder with normal tests.  He agreed to go in and look at my gallbladder and take it out if there seemed to be any disease.  I was so desperate for the pain to go away that I agreed to have surgery 2 days later.  Sure enough, I had a very bad gallbladder without gallstones.   It was scarred over from how bad it had gotten.  I was glad to finally have an answer after suffering all summer, but recovery was painful for me and it was frustrating not being able to pick up my baby for a week!  I'm glad that thing is out, though.  Who knows how I'd feel today if I hadn't had it taken out!

Today's Think It question is: What have I made this year?  Well, I made a baby.  That's a pretty big accomplishment.  I did not have a great pregnancy.. nausea/heartburn all nine months, sciatic nerve pain, terrible insomnia in the third trimester, and a bruised rib from a hard kick at one point.  I also have fibromyalgia so I definitely felt the pain of a growing belly and frequent migraines.  And then there was labor, oy vey.  Not that labor is fun, but I did not have the greatest of experiences when it came down to get Raven out.  Drugs did help the first half of the day (I was induced), but the drugs didn't seem to help when it got close to pushing time and I ended up pushing for over 3 hours.  I am lucky that I did not have to have a c section and that the baby and I both were healthy at her birth, but labor was definitely worse than I imagined (which I guess is a good thing because I didn't have too much anxiety about labor while I was pregnant).

Other less important things I made this year was a garden, a scarf, some jewelry, a mom blog, wedding flowers for about 12 weddings, a new journal, my own bath product, some new recipes, and a scrapbook for Raven.  I guess I like making things, including babies.

Well I decided to start Think Kit, a daily question to blog about.  I actually had written an entire blog and then my baby decided to hit the keyboard and it was alllll gone.  So here I go again: how do I plan on getting involved in my community this coming year?  Well, it's been hard for me to do a lot of activities outside the home since becoming a stay at home mother aside from my floral design business.  The past few months, I have donated outgrown clothing and baby essentials to a couple families in need and still have plenty I can donate to those in need this next year.

As for being more involved in the community, I would love to help, but I am a little stumped on how/where I can help that doesn't take time away from my mom job.  The best solution I have found is to use my voice via social media.  I will continue to promote organizations, events, and fundraisers through the world wide web, even if I can't attend all of them.  Being on a tight budget, I can't necessarily donate to all the causes I would like to, but I will try this year to get some volunteer work in.  I want to lead by example to my child and hope to show her the importance of giving back, to think of others and help where you can.  I know she's too young to understand now, but hopefully she will learn to become a selfless person and realize the importance of community.                      

Love, Love, Love

Time flies when you are having fun! These past few weeks have been packed full of celebrations and projects. One important project that JD and I have taken a part of is The Purple Hat Project. All the information you need on it is at www.thepurplehatproject.org This is a positive endeavor, looking at how different couples from all walks in life have one thing in common: love. The goal of this project is to open the minds of those who feel that love is 'not natural' for those who are of the same sex. Indiana does not recognize homosexuals as being able to express their love in marriage, or even have any basic rights as a couple. I know that my friends and I are full of hope that one day this discrimination will end and our children and children's children will never feel second class or bullied if they are born homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. Just remember that whoever you are or how lonely you feel, someone loves you:)

Waiting On April

I am extremely anxious for April, it's a beautiful month. I'm excited to feel warm sunshine and see the redbud and magnolia trees blooming. I'm also excited to be 26 on the 23rd, every year I gain more wisdom and many more memories. JD's band, New Addiction, will be playing a show at the Hard Rock Cafe on the 22nd and promoting it as my birthday show. I get to pick out the playlist and I hope to see many friends out! My actual birthday will be spent getting my friend Holli's flowers ready for her wedding and attending the wedding. I think it's a wonderful way to spend my birthday, to see a friend so happy on their big day!:) JD will be playing guitar throughout the processional and bridal march, so I'm very excited to see him perform a wedding! Easter will be spent at my aunt and uncle's farmhouse in Rossville, IN. We are having a fish fry since my uncle is the master of frying the tastiest fish I have ever tasted. He also butchers the best ribeyes! Many more exciting things planned: concerts, birthdays, seeing dear friends from out of town, Indians baseball, another wedding, meeting new brides to talk flowers with, and did I mention spending time in the sunshine? I'm waiting for you April...

The Grand Opening

I changed this entire blog, except for its original post. I can't believe it has been over six months since I have added a post. JD and I have been married for nearly 5 months which is odd because it seems like those months have flown by. However, JD and my bond to one another has made us feel like we have been together for much longer. The special thing about marriage is the vow to be in charge of one another's happiness. It's one of the best rewards in life! On another note, I picked my blog's title as a metaphor. Some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen were the ones not intentionally planted. Wildflowers are not nurtured like your grandmother's garden, they are survivors but also have the advantage of freedom from the cookie cutter lifestyle. I believe a lot of people in this world can make light of any adversity if they realized the beauty they posess within their soul. Life is unpredictable, but that also makes us free. We are the beautiful survivors. More to come soon lovelies.