Waving Bye-Bye to 2009

This meme has been everywhere, but I'm striking a blow for individuality by doing it several days after the new year has already begun. Take that, conformism!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?


Gave birth to a baby boy (which felt much like giving birth to a girl). Had a (fortunately not very) sick child hospitalized. Flew by myself with a seven-month-old (and survived). Became the (delighted) godparent of a baby who is not related to me. Realized that I can be a (darn good) mother of two children.


2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


I didn't do any formal resolutions in 2009; since we were about to have a new baby, I opted for "make it through the year with everyone alive and sane" so I'm calling it a success. I'm still deciding on the resolution question for 2010.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


My dear friend Lauren gave birth. Ever since I "met" her online several years ago I'd been praying for her, and started praying even harder after we met in person and became real-life friends. The fact that she actually got pregnant and had a baby this year is mind-blowingly awesome to me.

Also, I myself gave birth, and wrote an interminably long account of it.

4. Did anyone close to you die?


No.

5. What countries did you visit?


Um, none. Which is weird, because most years I go to Canada at least once, but this year I didn't.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More sleep. More sleeeeeeeeep. More sleeeeeeeeeeeeep. (Oh please oh please oh please.)

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 14: the day Lauren and David called to tell us that she was pregnant. I was so thrilled I cried.

January 19: the day Blaise was born. Definitely the year's most life-changing day, and the one on which I was proudest of myself.

January 29: the day Blaise was hospitalized with RSV. The longest, hardest day of the year for me.

February 8: the day Blaise was discharged from the hospital. A day filled with relief and exhaustion.

March 8: the day Blaise was baptized. A very grateful and happy day.

May 9: the day my sister graduated from college. I was so proud of her as she gave her valedictory address, I thought I might burst.

October 6: the day Nate was born.

October 14: Camilla's third birthday. Three lightning-fast years since this happened.


8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


Being a mother to two children. Shockingly, it turns out that parenting two children is significantly more difficult than parenting one, and I am somehow managing to juggle the many different aspects of this stage of motherhood. I'm especially proud that I kept everyone alive and happy through July, when Bryan was out of town for more than a third of the month.


9. What was your biggest failure?

Oh, dear. Definitely the laundry. I'm so glad my laundry room is in the basement so that other people can't see the evidence of my failure to properly manage the cleaning/folding/storing of my family's clothing.



10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really. A couple colds, the swine flu, a probable sinus infection, and some neck/back pain that sent me to the chiropractor. Nothing major. My kids were sick a LOT more than I was.



11. What was the best thing you bought?

That I personally use: two dozen BumGenius diapers. I adore cloth diapers and am never going back to disposables.

For someone else: the iPod Touch I got Bryan for Christmas. He's a much better gift-buyer than I am, so I'm always gratified when I hit a home run.



12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My husband's. He's always been an exceptional husband and father, but this year he stepped it up in the serving-others department, to the point where I wonder daily what I did to deserve this man.

For example: my sisters and I were cooking for a party last week. He walked in the door, and within ten minutes had taken out the trash and washed several dirty pans, without being asked. And this is not at all out of the ordinary for him.


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?


No one I know personally that I can think of. (And if I could, I probably wouldn't mention it on my blog.) There's always plenty of appalling and depressing behavior online and in the news, but I try to put it out of my mind as soon as I see it, so as not to make myself crazy.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Where most people's money goes: taxes, the mortgage, charitable donations, utilities, groceries, transportation, shoes and clothing, and various incredibly exciting things like lightbulbs, humidifier filters, and vacuum cleaner bags.

It's thrilling being an adult.



15. What did you get really excited about?

Most recently, Christmas. I'm like a kid when it comes to this holiday. I also got excited about our trip up north in May, my trip to DC in August, hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and my parents' new house. But I don't know if I was "really" excited about those things, or just excited a regular amount. 


16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Just to prove I am really a parent now: "Wave Bye-Bye" from Sandra Boynton's Dog Train album. Camilla fell in love with this song and has demanded it incessantly for months, so it's definitely my most-listened-to track of 2009. Hopefully this will not continue very long into 2010.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:


– happier or sadder? About the same. But I have been sadder (or more emotionally drained, anyway) at many points during this year, so to be as happy now as I was a year ago feels like an accomplishment.


– thinner or fatter? Thinner. But last year this time I was eight months pregnant, so that is not really saying much.


– richer or poorer? I'm gonna say richer, not because we actually have more money to spend, but because we started a debt snowball and paid off a substantial chunk of debt this year, so we're in a better place financially than we were a year ago.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?


Leaving the house, alone, to spend time writing. Bryan is always happy to let me do this when I need to, I just don't ask enough. In 2010 I'm going to start asking more.

Also, of course, sleeping. 


19. What do you wish you’d done less of?


Being naggy, nitpicky, and judgemental instead of patient, calm, and loving toward those around me.


20. How did you spend Christmas?


With my parents, all my siblings, my brother-in-law, and my nephews in the morning: Mass, stockings, breakfast, and presents.

With my parents-in-law in the afternoon: stockings, presents, and dinner.

It sounds busy, but it was actually a lovely, relaxing day.


21. Did you fall in love in 2009?


Oh man, this is so cheesy, but yes. With my little boy. That kid has my heart in a vise-grip.



22. What was your favorite TV program?

The Office.


23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?


I don't hate anyone.


24. What was the best book you read?


I read quite a few good books this year, but there wasn't any particular one that stands out in my mind. Honestly, I can barely remember anything I read more than a few weeks ago. Maybe my 2010 resolution should be to keep a reading journal.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?


Ha. Does this question seem pretentious to anyone else? Or like it's looking for pretentious answers? I can't possibly write the phrase "musical discovery" non-ironically. But maybe this is just because I'm getting old and boring?

26. What did you want and get?


A healthy baby.

27. What did you want and not get?


Not to beat a dead horse here, but... SLEEP. 


28. What was your favorite film of this year?


Remember what I said about how I can't remember books that I read more than a month ago? Same goes for movies. I could check my Netflix history, but that would just depress me by reminding me how many movies we sent back because we didn't have time to watch them.

Thanks to my (seriously, rock star) husband I did see half a dozen movies in the theater by myself this year, and those I remember. (500) Days of Summer was my favorite of them.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?


I turned 27 on August 23rd, which was a Sunday. On that day I flew home from DC alone with Blaise, who obligingly (and in contrast to his behavior on the trip down) slept the whole flight. Then I took a nap. It was a pretty good day.


30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?


The equine carcass is rotting by now, but... SLEEP. Duh.



31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?


I'm supposed to have a "personal fashion concept"? This is as close as I came this year: If I Am Not Wearing Pajamas, I Feel Fancy.

32. What kept you sane?


I love the unstated assumption here. Shouldn't it say, "If you are sane, what kept you that way?"

Fortunately I am sane, and what kept me that way in 2009 was my partner in parenting, vegetating, and snarking (my husband), my library card, and the time I spent writing (at Faith & Family Live and here).



33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?


Ugh. Pass.


34. What political issue stirred you the most?


Life issues, as usual. They will always outweigh everything else for me.


35. Who did you miss?


Bryan, when he was traveling for work. Camilla, when I went to Florida and to DC without her. My sister Tirienne for the summer when she was in Italy, and my sister Miriel for pretty much the entire year, when she was living in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. My brother Brandon, who lives in Duluth.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

If you have a new baby in a year it makes the answers to some of these questions kind of obvious and lame, huh? My Blaisey is the best person I met this year. Not very original, but true.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

I might think I can't do it, but I am almost certainly wrong.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Ugh. Pass. I'd like to "wave bye-bye" to this question.

Comments

[A'Dell]

I can never figure out why humidifier filters are so damn expensive. And why can't they make a reusable one that you wash or run through the dishwasher?? I mean, I will be using a humidifier for YEARS and I'm not enjoying the price point on those filters.

I love reading these questions all over the internet - it's sort of fun to have everyone talking about the same thing at the same time.

[Elsha]

I'm with you on the personal fashion concept. If it's not pajamas I'm doing alright.

[Arwen]

We once actually bought a humidifier with a "permanent filter"
 that you could supposedly wash and reuse. Except we have 
very hard water and after a couple months there was buildup
anyway... And then we couldn't find a replacement filter because
they were supposed to be permanent. So that was actually worse
than just sucking it up and budgeting $20/month on humidifier filters
all winter long. Which is what we now do.  But we don't like it.

[Pippi]

My humidifying trick is to line dry the diapers. It might not work if you live in more than 850 square feet, though ;)

[Salome Ellen]

Arwen didn't mention that although the "Bye-Bye" song is annoyingly catchy, she and Tirienne have worked out what amounts to a dance routine for it, involving a lot of waving hands in the air. One one occasion I was riding in the carwith Arwen and the kids and Camilla requested the song. Then suddenly there was Blaise, "dancing" along in his car seat, hands in the air! I loved it.