Having Caroline has been one of the best things that has happened to me. Not that I wasn't responsible before but she has added another layer of accountability and makes me want to be a better person for her!
Develop a deeper relationship with God
I don't think people like to admit it but it is easy to fall out of the spiritual relationship one has with God. I know it happens with me more than I would like to admit. I want Caroline to grow-up not only going to church on a weekly basis (probably more since it is Adam and I's hope to send our children to a Catholic school) but to also grow-up having a relationship with God and those are two very different things.
It is my hope to set aside some time each week, for just myself, to meditate and start leading more of a prayerful life. Ironically, the homily given at the Mass prior to Caroline's baptism was about leading a more prayerful life and finding opportunity to really communicate with God. It was fitting for the baptism we had planned after.
Invest more in my relationship with Adam
It is only natural that when a baby comes, my time as a mother is now primarily devoted to taking care of the needs of Caroline. Of course those first couple of months we were both in zombie, survival mode. As soon as Caroline went to bed (whether it was 7:00 pm or 11:00 pm) so did we. Our conversations primarily circled around Caroline, how tired we were, the stresses of breastfeeding, Adam's classes, etc. Not very romantic huh?
Now that Caroline is in a much better routine and I am more comfortable leaving her, Adam and I have more time alone in the evenings, and since we think we have more of a handle on things, we can talk about things not just pertaining to her.
Over the holidays, we had a couple opportunities to go out together and with friends thanks to the help of our parents. it is my hope to have at least a couple date nights per month where we can really focus on us.
Become more financially sound
Adam is graduating in May! Woohoo! We will finally be at a point where we will be a two income family-pretty much the first time since we were married.
Now that Caroline is here, we really want to start looking at buying a house after graduation. We are running out of room in our apartment and she will need more space to be grow and play in.
We both also carry some student loan debt that, upon graduation, I am committed to start increasing payments to get them paid off quicker. We were able to pay off our car about three months early and it was a great feeling! So, right now, really the only debt we have is student loans and then the rest of my hospital bills from having Caroline (which should be paid off in the next month).
We have been so used to living on such a tight budget in order to get Adam through school that it will be refreshing to have more wiggle room. We are still probably going to live more on the frugal end to continue saving money but I can't wait to have some more breathing room!
Maintain a healthier, more active lifestyle
It is too easy to SAY, I will lose weight and even more difficult to do. I think weight loss will be a bi-product of leading a healthier lifestyle. I am already more active with Caroline being her-maximizing the "down-time" I do have to get things done, playing with her, and I know that it will only increase as she starts to move more!
I want to be an example to her of what living healthy means.
Having a baby has changes my life in more ways that I can count but I think the biggest change is that she is an inspiration to me. As cheesy as that may sound, it is so true. She inspires me to be the best mom I can be and she completely deserves it.
