Happy New Year! It seemed like a good time to make a few little changes to these monthly posts, including what they’re called. What I’m Into came from an old blog linkup that ended years ago (I’m probably the only one still doing it). Month in Review feels better and more concise to me, so that’ll be the name going forward. I may also continue to experiment with categories and their names. Let me know if there’s a new topic you’d like to hear about regularly!

I don’t write this post in December, so January’s edition is always a little supersized. Let’s get into it.

Events

We had a few rounds of mild winter weather in January. I was a little late on the uptake, but C3 is now outfitted with a winter coat, hats, and mittens for the cold. He and Rufus were both skeptical about the snow. Rufus pleaded to come out and see it, then sprinted back inside the moment his paws touched the ground.

We spent another pandemic New Year’s Eve at home, which was fine by me. I ordered myself a feast from my favorite Asian restaurant and made a few lists while we watched Miley and Pete’s New Year’s Eve Party.

My grandma has been in town, staying with my parents, since before Christmas. She has dementia but is still with it enough to enjoy her great-grandchildren and know who they are. We’ve had about a six-week visit with her. I’m glad she’s gotten to spend some time here and meet C3.

Reading

Arriving Well: Stories about identity, belonging, and rediscovering home after living abroad, ed. Kate Brubaker (3 stars) I always enjoy hearing about expat experiences, but it turned out this book is aimed at expats returning to their home countries, so I wasn’t exactly the target audience.

We Are the Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers, ed. Marissa Crawford (4 stars) I purchased this book minutes after I found out it existed. BSC for life!

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (3 stars) A well-written but sad story about two outcast kids in north Florida. Too bleak for me at this time.

Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford (4 stars) I’ve followed Ashley on Twitter for years. This is a compelling memoir about her relationship with dad, who’s been incarcerated for most of her life.

The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry (3.5 stars) I liked this magical-realism/time-travel YA, but by the end, the mechanics made my head hurt a little.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (4 stars) Read for book club: a novel about a Black married couple after the husband is wrongfully accused and given a 12-year sentence.

How Lucky by Will Leitch (4.5 stars) I LOVED this novel about a handicapped man with a beautiful soul who solves a mystery in Athens, Georgia.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (3 stars) Any runner can relate to (and laugh with) the thoughts and experiences shared here. His often self-satisfied tone sometimes grated on me, though.

Watching

In an effort to remember what I’ve watched and what I want to watch across platforms, I am now using the TV Time app. It’s not perfect, but it gets the job done. The only drawback is my increased awareness of how behind I am on entertainment. January is a basketball-dense month, so it’s been hard to catch up on anything. We started Station Eleven in December and still have a few episodes left. Also watched since my last update: Encanto (LOVED IT), Don’t Look Up (really good but sobering), The Inventor (maybe now I’ll stop having Avengers confusion when someone talks about Theranos), and Beanie Mania.

As a huge Matrix fan, I kept waiting for an opportunity to watch Matrix Resurrections straight through like a real movie experience. In the end, I had to watch it hurriedly the last night it was available on HBO Max, and stop several times to tend to the baby. The movie wasn’t quite what I expected, but I liked it.

Listening

I’ll spare everyone a link to WE DON’T TALK ABOUT BRUNO, but rest assured it’s in my head at all times.

Now that I’m driving C3 to his babysitter in the morning AND have new AirPods to use at home, I’m listening to more podcasts again! Some episodes I appreciated this month:

• We Can Do Hard Things: How Do We Make–and Keep–Good Friends? I could not relate to this more. At Taylor’s encouragement, I literally made a list on New Year’s Eve entitled “Who Are My Friends?” because… who are your friends when you haven’t been able to see anyone regularly for two years?
• Pantsuit Politics: Living Through Transformative Times – this comforted me on a high-anxiety morning
• Happy as a Mother Podcast: Baby Blues vs. Postpartum Depression – aka How Did I Ever Doubt That I Had PPD?
• The Daily: We Need to Talk About Covid, Part 1 – discussion of a new poll of American attitudes about Covid, with eye-opening (or “remarkable” as the guy said 25 times) results

Around Town

I stopped attending basketball games or church (my only pandemic activities) when Omicron hit, but now that local numbers are down 45%, I’m starting to venture out again. This weekend my BIL treated us to really good seats at the Grizzlies (who are #3 in the West if you haven’t heard!!)! I felt genuinely fluttery being so close to Ja Morant. My parents kept C3 overnight, so not only did I get to go to a great game WITH my husband (we usually alternate), I also got my second full night of sleep since C3 was born. I was equally excited about these events.

I gave my mom Hamilton tickets for Christmas – she’s been waiting and waiting to go. We went on December 30 and had a great time! I cried at the end as always.

I got my hands on a few Bluff Cakes cookies while my sister was in town earlier this month! (Both of us follow Chloe obsessively on TikTok.) We got Cookie Monster, lemon, and sprinkles, and cut them into slices so we could all sample. Worth the wait.

My mom, grandma, and I took C3 to the zoo on a nice Sunday afternoon. The rhinos gave us a show!

At Home

Christmas brought some exciting kitchen upgrades. I got a long-awaited rice cooker – I’m hopeless at cooking rice on a stove, and this is already expanding my horizons. My BIL and SIL surprised me with a DeLonghi espresso machine!! At this point I can brew espresso and steam milk, but I’m not even confident I’m doing that right. I need a full education on this machine and what’s actually involved in different drinks. A barista friend offered to teach me over Zoom. I should probably take her up on it.

Right before the holidays, I finally finished my home office refresh! I commissioned a second desk and display table from the same person who built my original desk. Very happy with my space. I even have a hanging plant, something I’ve always wanted.

I indulged in a few new things for C3’s room, including a backrest pillow (for sitting support) and this adorable sun pillow.

After a scary incident with a thin-slice apple cutter, I decided it was a good idea to have a complete first aid kit that we can grab quickly if needed, instead of random items scattered across the house. I ordered this case from Amazon, and it holds all our bandages, gauze, etc. with room for larger things like hydrogen peroxide!

Eating

Some new recipes I’ve cooked and enjoyed recently: lighter broccoli cheddar soup (so healthy and good!); chicken banh mi sandwiches; Salty Chocolate Chunk Rye Banana Bread. I’ve also gotten into buying frozen wontons and making a quick soup with beef or chicken broth plus bok choy or spinach. Trader Joe’s chicken and cilantro wontons are amaaaazing for this. I’ve been eating a lot of dinners out of my new pasta/salad bowls that my MIL gave me for Christmas. They’re simple but make everything feel fancy!

At 7 months, C3 is now eating solid food daily. I make his food by pureeing different fruits and veggies, then freezing them in ice trays and storing the cubes in freezer bags. I use both fresh and frozen produce. It’s easy, saves a TON of money, and I like knowing there’s nothing added to his food! So far his favorites are sweet potato and cauliflower.

Wearing

For Christmas, my mom gave me a sweater dress and long cardigan coat from my SIL’s boutique in Wyoming. (They don’t do online orders, so these links were found elsewhere.) I watch their Instagram stories every day and was able to describe exactly what I wanted when she was there visiting! She also got me a Dagne Dover phone sling that I’ve been eyeing for a long time. It’s sturdy and holds the basics – cards, keys, phone, and mask. I can wear it alone (crossbody) or throw it in C3’s diaper bag. It will never cause me any security headaches at FedEx Forum. Perfect for this time in the world and in my life!

I’ve also done some thrifting, and taken advantage of online holiday sales. From the Gap, I got a v-neck sweater (seen above when my sister and I both realized we were wearing the Mom Uniform) and what Gee Thanks, Just Bought It fans know as The Holiday Bra. It lives up to the hype.

I had the theoretical “return to the office” discussion with my boss, and whenever that occurs, I will only have to go to the office one day a week!! Basically my dream life! Now that that’s settled, I want to do a major overhaul of my wardrobe. We had a formal-ish dress code in the beforetimes, and all that stuff has been waiting in my closet for almost two years. Now I can assess what makes sense for me going forward as a new mom working from home most of the time.

Beauty

Posting a 10-year challenge on Instagram filled me with nostalgia for my shorter 2012 haircut. After some discussion with my faithful stylist Susan, I went for it and am SO glad I did. I was starting to feel smothered by my longer hair. It was hard to deal with and C3 yanked it all the time. This is much easier and feels light and cute!

During the holiday sales, I indulged in a Tatcha gift pack with full-sized Rice Wash, mini moisturizer, and a cleansing oil. I have a hard time removing eye makeup and was interested in the oil cleansing step. I don’t always remember to do it, but when I do, it works! In hair news, I also got the LUS Love Your Curls pack with shampoo, conditioner, and styler after a friend sent me a discount code. Unfortunately, after giving it a solid chance, it hasn’t really done anything for me. I’m passing it along to my fellow curly sister and nieces.

Lip color has always been a struggle for me. I’m one of those people for whom no “longwear” or “no budge” product will stay on – and I’ve tried them all, including many liquid lipsticks. Last month my Ipsy bag included a Sugar Matte as Hell crayon lipstick. I absolutely love the way this crayon applies and feel like it would fade evenly, instead of leaving me with the old ring around the lips. It also feels great, not tacky or drying. It was the push I needed to purge all the failed liquid lipsticks from my stash. From now on, crayons, balms, or classic lipsticks only.

Wellness

Taylor surprised me with a Peloton for Christmas, and unlike the woman in the infamous commercial, I was thrilled! Our elliptical had just been put out to pasture and I was hoping for this upgrade. The only apprehension I felt was uncertainty about stationary biking – not my fave in the past. It turns out what I didn’t like was boring pedaling on a recumbent bike. The interactive nature of the Peloton is what makes it good. Although there’s been a few stressful moments, I’ve really taken to it and am happy with my progress and experience in my first month. I’m on week 5 of the Mastering the Basics program and have also done multiple yoga classes, a barre class, and a strength class. So far my favorite instructors are Ben Alldis, Christine D’Ercole, and Tunde for cycling, and Chelsea Jackson Roberts for yoga. I generally do not thrive on tough-love, boot-camp instruction, especially when I’m postpartum and not in peak form. So I’ve gravitated toward instructors with a calmer vibe. Am I any skinnier at the end of month 1? No. Am I stronger and more comfortable in my body? YES.

On that note, I started pelvic floor therapy this month. I’ve had persistent hip and lower back pain and just wanted to see if it could help. I go weekly, and my treatment plan is basically learning how to relax. My body has felt like a big, tight knot since the moment of C3’s birth. Turns out that wasn’t my imagination. They also give me gentle exercises to do and tips on how to move when I pick up the baby, get in and out of the car, etc. It’s helping. I recommend it for all new moms even if you aren’t sure you “need” it. I’ve also started enjoying some heating pad time every night when I get in bed. I used to only turn it on when I was really in pain. Now I’ve decided I don’t have to be in agony to get some comfort.

Baby Update

C3 is almost 8 months old, and doing new things almost every day! He’s mastered sitting and rolling over both ways, but seems to be taking a break before tackling crawling. He is more interactive and playing more independently. He has one tooth. He’s been going through some kind of sleep regression, which has been rough, but appears to be returning to a more sustainable rhythm (fingers crossed). He’s a very loving baby and, I suspect, an extrovert. He dislikes having his feet covered, and loves to take off his socks and booties in the car. His favorite things are cats, hands (his own and others’), and ceiling fans.

Since our last update, he’s taken several trips to the park near my parents’ house and had a blast on the baby swings. He’s also had some quality time with his close-in-age cousin, and went to his first kid party!

Your Monthly Rufus

Rufus has been taking C3’s obsession with him fairly well. I continue to work with the baby on proper cat handling, because while Rufus has tolerated more than I expected, if C3 keeps grabbing and twisting his fur it’s not going to end well. Anyway, they’re cute.

Lately Rufus has been dividing his days between a Boppy Lounger in the sunny butler pantry, and his favorite cat bed that we recently moved to the upstairs hall. He will ignore this bed for months and then suddenly remember it exists.

On the Blog

I shared a little about my word for 2022, Renew, and my mantra for 2022, I Am Doing My Best.

Read This (We Have Questions Edition)

What’s Your Pro Tip? These comments are a joy to read.

The Undoing of Joss Whedon

What If We Just Stopped Being So Available?

The Internet is Failing Moms-to-Be

Have We Forgotten How to Read Critically?

Living With Mental Illness

Now, many Americans have spent years in a psychological space that Neal-Barnett, the Kent State professor, describes as “not knowing what’s going to happen next and believing that something awful is going to happen next.” TRUTH. How to heal our national exhaustion

Add a Comment + Posted in: month in review

2022 is my ninth year of One Word 365. Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I choose a word to guide the year. I usually start thinking in the fall about what areas I’m trying to grow in and what I need in my life. This round, a word fell into my lap early and I just went with it:

Inspiration

Renew:
to begin or take up again, as an acquaintance, a conversation, etc.; resume.
to make effective for an additional period.
to restore or replenish.
to begin again; recommence.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. – II Corinthians 4:16

To bring anything new into the world is to open one’s self and therefore to take on risk, to contaminate oneself with the other, to be made vulnerable. This requires not just courage but many things, among them faith, hope, help, companionship, grace — in a word, love. – Rachel Marie Stone

You will be at least a dozen different women in your lifetime and that’s okay. In fact, it’s more than okay. Learn to love the woman who you were once but be willing to let her go, too. There is a new you waiting to be born and you will grow to love her, too. – Sarah Bessey

What seems true is that something in life, on the highways or in our hearts, is always being installed, or being repaired, or being torn down for the next installation. ― Anne Lamott

Reflection

Thesaurus Analysis: Renew, renovate, repair, restore suggest making something the way it formerly was. To renew means to bring back to an original condition of freshness and vigor. Renovate means to do over or make good any dilapidation of something. To repair is to put into good or sound condition; to make good any injury, damage, wear and tear, decay, etc.; to mend. To restore is to bring back to its former place or position something which has faded, disappeared, been lost, etc., or to reinstate a person in rank or position.

After almost two years of a pandemic, I desperately want all of those things. Who doesn’t?!? Please inject freshness and vigor into my veins.

Since becoming a mom, I find it easier and more desirable to try new things. I’m less attached to my old ways, and at this point a lot of those old things seem fuzzy and far away, so even the old that I want to reincorporate into my life feels new. The time is right to start fresh in whatever ways I want to. I have a new body, new capabilities, a new role as a mom, and a rapidly growing baby who can do new things every day. I’m ready for some new friends, new activities, and new approaches… and to restore old friendships and connections. I know the pandemic will continue to limit me, but I will do what I can. Which brings me to my official mantra of the year (something I’ve never done before):

2022 Mantra: I Am Doing My Best

I am doing my best. I say this phrase every day. To my baby while I’m dressing him and he suddenly seems to have eight limbs, or when I’m not preparing his bottle fast enough. To my husband when my anxiety tells me I’ve done something to upset him. To co-workers when, on the fifteenth revision of a document, I miss that one change on page 5. To the Peloton instructor who, when I’m going full out and still not hitting an 80 cadence, tells me to speed up to 100 (this has also involved shouting and tears). To anyone who witnesses some kind of mom fail. Most of all, and for all kinds of reasons, to myself. So this year, I’m going to embrace it. Hopefully I’ll reach a point where my best is, at least, good enough for me.

Previously

• 2021: Release
• 2020: Peace
• 2019: Love
• 2018: Fearless
• 2017: Abundance
• 2016: Light
• 2015: Enough
• 2014: Alive
• 2013: Focus

2 Comments + Posted in: one word 365

Fiction

Top 10:

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam – The only book I read in one sitting this year. Could not put it down.

Recursion by Blake Crouch – I devoured this one quickly too. It’s disturbing and kind of exhausting, but also brilliant.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade – A satisfying romance for any sci-fi/fantasy fangirl, especially if you like Game of Thrones (I do not and still loved it).

A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin – I was just looking forward to a good sendup of The Wing, but this took some turns.

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry – An homage to When Harry Met Sally. Pure enjoyment.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin – One of the more unique concepts I’ve read, in which the boroughs of New York become personified in one of their residents, find each other, and set out to find the avatar of all New York City, who’s in trouble.

Writers and Lovers by Lily King – A quiet character-driven story a la Laurie Colwin.

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow – Another inventive concept that mixes mermaid mythology, racial justice, family issues and more. I just remembered a sequel is out now and I’m excited to get my hands on it.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner – This starts as a rekindled-friendship story and abruptly becomes a murder mystery.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson – I liked this more and more as I reflected on it. It involves children who spontaneously combust, so needless to say it’s also a little out there. I guess I needed a heavy dose of fantastical stories this year to take me out of our reality.

Also Read:

1. Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam
2. That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam
3. The Other’s Gold by Elizabeth Ames
4. Then and Always by Dani Atkins
5. All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg
6. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
7. In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
8. No Judgments by Meg Cabot
9. If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
10. Beginner’s Luck by Kate Clayborn
11. Best of Luck by Kate Clayborn
12. Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn
13. Love at First by Kate Clayborn
14. Missing Christmas by Kate Clayborn
15. Welcome Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
16. Beneath Wandering Stars by Ashlee Cowles
17. The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson
18. Entwined by Heather Wallworth Dixon
19. Find Layla by Meg Elison
20. Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay
21. The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
22. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
23. Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron
24. Queen’s Peril by E.K. Johnston
25. The Means That Make Us Strangers by Christine Kindberg
26. To Be a Man: Stories by Nicola Krauss
27. Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan
28. The Mistletoe Pact by Jo Lovett
29. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
30. The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
31. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
32. After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
33. Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
34. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
35. The Baby Plan by Kate Rorick
36. Last One Out Shut Off the Lights by Stephanie Soileau
37. Baking Me Crazy by Karla Sorensen
38. And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories & Other Revenges by Amber Sparks
39. Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah
40. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
41. Undeniably Yours by Heather Webber
42. Competitive Grieving by Nora Zelevansky

Nonfiction

Top 10:

Love and Salt: A Spiritual Friendship Shared in Letters by Amy Andrews and Jessica Mesman Griffith – A book of quiet reflections as two women move through life.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey – SO GOOD. I expected pure popcorn but came out with a deeper respect for Mariah as a person.

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes DuMez – Probably the most important book about American Christianity this decade.

The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons Down on Mischief Farm by Hilarie Burton Morgan – The actress who played Peyton on One Tree Hill buys a farm, helps save a town, and becomes BFFs with Paul Rudd and his wife.

And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O’Connell – I related deeply to this memoir.

Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (and Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer by Doree Shafrir – As a Forever 35 fan and fellow late bloomer, I was so excited for this memoir and it did not disappoint. However, I did feel a little like it stole my shtick. I guess my someday memoir will have to be about something else.

Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman – An interesting story with lots of honest tips about keeping close friendships alive.

Ghostbuster’s Daughter: Life with My Dad, Harold Ramis by Violet Ramis Stiel – I did not know a ton about Harold Ramis before reading this, but now think he was fascinating after seeing him through his daughter’s loving eyes.

Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level by Laura Tremaine – Another long-awaited memoir with lots to reflect on. I have yet to journal about any of the topics or discuss it with friends, but I hope to eventually.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner – A beautiful memoir about loss, mothers and daughters, and Korean food.

Also Read:

1. It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather B. Armstrong
2. The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood by Richard Blanco
3. Letters to Judy by Judy Blume
4. The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom’s Guide to Style, Sanity, and Big Success After Baby by Lauren Smith Brody
5. Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism, and the American Girl by Susan Campbell
6. Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan
7. Going There by Katie Couric
8. All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft by Geraldine DeRuiter
9. What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachael Denhollander
10. How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn
11. I’m Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering by Janelle Hanchett
12. The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right by Lisa Sharon Harper
13. How to Be a Person in the World: Ask Polly’s Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life by Heather Havrilesky
14. Glorious Weakness: Discovering God in All We Lack by Alia Joy
15. The Art of Ramona Quimby: Sixty-Five Years of Illustrations from Beverly Cleary’s Beloved Books by Anna Katz
16. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
17. Everything You Ever Wanted: A Memoir by Jillian Lauren
18. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald
19. Come and Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table by Bri McKoy
20. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
21. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
22. George Washington Is Cash Money: A No-Bullshit Guide to the United Myths of America by Cory O’Brien
23. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
24. Good Apple: Tales of a Southern Evangelical in New York by Elizabeth Passarella
25. Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
26. Where Goodness Still Grows: Reclaiming Virtue in an Age of Hypocrisy by Amy Peterson
27. What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood by Alexandra Sacks and Catherine Birndorf
28. Our Great Big American God: A Short History of Our Ever-Growing Deity by Matthew Paul Turner
29. If You Feel Too Much: Thoughts on Things Found and Lost and Hoped For by Jamie Tworkowski

2021 Book Total: 91

Add a Comment + Posted in: reading, year end

I’ve completed this survey every December since 2001. You can find past years’ posts in the Year End tag!

1. What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before? HAD A BABY; had major abdominal surgery; took extended leave from work; experienced intense, prolonged sleep deprivation; went on antidepressants; did not even try to exercise for months; worked from home the entire year; joined a mommy and me group; tried grocery delivery (highly recommend!).

2. What was your word for the year? My One Word for 2021 was Release. I thought about it a lot. I have had to consciously release a lot of things – expectations, hopes, plans, people’s opinions, each individual part of my body when I lay down at night.

3. What new places did you visit? My exciting new place in this sophomore year of the pandemic was Greers Ferry, Arkansas! We also did a family weekend at Pickwick right before my birthday, and Taylor and I went to Gulf Shores after our first vaccine for a babymoon of sorts.

4. What dates from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 6 – obvious. March 11 and April 1 – got vaccinated! June 4 – got induced. Not a fun time. June 5 – my son was born!!! July 20 – a really low point with the baby, after which everything got better. September 23 – became a Working Mom.

5. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 42. It was a Monday. I was on maternity leave. I went to my Stroller Strides class with C3 in the morning, saw my parents when they brought Newk’s for lunch, then had an uneventful day until Taylor and I went to dinner at CIMAS. I had scallops and the best white wine I’ve ever tasted (sadly I don’t remember what it was).

6. How will you spend Christmas? At home with both sets of our parents, my grandma from Florida, and Taylor’s aunt.

7. Did anyone close to you have a child in 2021? Other than myself: my good friend Kara; our wedding photographer (who’s now a friend); and several longtime friends. All of us had boys!

8. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no. My grandfather was seriously ill in January but pulled through. However, shoutout to Beverly Cleary, one of my lifelong idols, who died in March at age 104. What a life.

9. What 2021 achievements are you most proud of? Boy you know you love it how we smart enough to make these millions / Strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business – Beyoncé

10. What do you wish you had done better? I wish I hadn’t spent most of C3’s life so far in survival mode. I try to be present and appreciate each stage, but realizing how much he’s already growing, I wish I had enjoyed his newborn days more and not been so hard on myself. (In six months I’ll probably say the same thing about now.)

11. What was the biggest challenge you faced? I am fully aware that mine are First World Challenges. That said, lack of privacy was my most consistent challenge this year. Taylor and I both work from home full-time. We had contractors in our house for almost three months while I was pregnant, and since C3 was born, we’ve had family here every weekday and sometimes on weekends too. Again, that’s been special and I’m thankful for the help, but it makes existing in your house a different experience. I also realize this is weird when my other big challenge was the isolated feelings of living in a pandemic. What a cocktail of issues.

12. Did you suffer illness or injury? While I was spared illness per se, I felt bad and/or exhausted for the majority of 2021. I’m just now starting to feel more like myself, more comfortable in my body, with less pain at 6 months postpartum.

13. What was your best purchase? This toaster oven/air fryer I gave Taylor for his birthday.

14. Where did most of your money go? Medical bills, home renovations, and furniture.

15. What were your best new discoveries? Farmacy Honeymoon Glow; Emily Mariko; Lexapro

16. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sleeping.

17. What song will always remind you of 2021? See The 2021 Soundtrack

18. What concerts did you attend this year? None. Hopefully the only time I’ll ever say that.

19. What was your greatest musical discovery? Um… the Laurie Berkner Band? (One of my favorite moments of the day is singing “goodnight, baby rhino, goodnight” to C3 at bedtime.) I was also enthralled by the rise of The Linda Lindas.

20. What were your favorite TV programs? This Is Us (always) and Ted Lasso. Other 2021 favorites: For All Mankind, WandaVision, Loki, Glow Up, Years and Years, LuLaRich, and The Americans. I learned more from that show about the Cold War than I ever learned in school.

21. What were your favorite films? The only film I remember loving this year was In the Heights. But I’m VERY excited about Matrix Resurrections coming up.

22. What was the best gift you received? All the food everyone brought after C3 was born. Everything was delicious, but I’ll always remember the time I asked for a salad from Central BBQ and the person also brought some barbecue nachos. I did not know how much I needed those nachos, but they were so good I almost cried.

23. What did you want and get? A beautiful, healthy, loving baby. Vaccinated. A remodeled bathroom. A visit to the beach before the baby was born. Time with friends and family. A little 2019-era life and normalcy.

24. What did you want and not get? A more humane, holistic birth experience. Success with breastfeeding. For the pandemic to be over over.

25. How would you describe your personal style in 2021? Leggings (usually Girlfriend Collective) or Lucky Ava Fit jeans, loose tops collected at Goodwill, and every day, these sneakers. I hardly know how to wear other shoes anymore.

26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I can’t think of anyone I was really into outside the realm of social media or podcasting.

27. Who was the best new person you met? The only people I met this year were the other moms at Stroller Strides, and they were all very nice!

28. What were the best conversations you had? With my sister.

29. What political issue stirred you the most? The fact that a large chunk of our population is living in a completely different reality from the rest of us. *gestures at everything*

30. How have your beliefs changed this year? I think I’ve mostly leaned further in to my existing beliefs.

31. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked this year? More friends. More time out in the world.

32. What behaviors do you want to change in 2022? I want to overcome the constant urge to apologize for everything, including my mere existence and things that aren’t remotely my fault. I also want to get back to exercising consistently (even if that doesn’t look like it used to).

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

Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet, good – Taylor Swift

Add a Comment + Posted in: reflections, year end

Good Day – Greg Street feat. Nappy Roots // Someone posted this song on Inauguration Day and it was just perfect.

Beginning Middle End – Leah Nobel // This features prominently in the Netflix movie To All The Boys: Always and Forever, the final adaptation of Jenny Han’s Lara Jean books. It came out around Valentine’s Day and I really enjoyed it.

Levitating – Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby // IN THIS HOUSE we dance to everything Dua Lipa produces.

Cut to the Feeling – Carly Rae Jepsen // I don’t know why it just hit my radar years after its release, but if I was driving by myself this spring, I was usually jamming out to this.

Midnight Sky – Miley Cyrus // I think it was in 2019 that I began liking Miley unironically.

Together – Sia // My “becoming a family of three” song.

Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo // I took to this song instantly, and didn’t realize why until I heard the mashup with Misery Business (Paramore is my all-time favorite band). My mind was blown.

Rookie of the Year – Moneybagg Yo // A good addition to my running playlist, written about our Grizzlies star, Ja Morant.

The Business – Tiesto // Newborn C3 fell asleep or got distracted almost every time he nursed. Many times, I told him it was time to get down to business, then had this song in my head for an hour.

Be Alright – Ariana Grande // A mantra.

serotonin – girl in red // I too was running low on serotonin for most of 2021.

Solar Power – Lorde // A more Brenda-esque song has never been written.

Making a Fire – Foo Fighters // IDK, every few years Foo Fighters puts out a new lead single and I always like it.

All I Know So Far – Pink // I join Pink in thinking of this as a message to my child.

Happy Endings – Mike Shinoda feat. iann dior and UPSAHL // I’ve considered Shinoda an underappreciated genius from my first listen to Hybrid Theory in 2001. This is the first song I’ve heard that was obviously written in the pandemic.

3 O’ Clock Things – AJR // You definitely obsess over a lot of weird things at 3 am.

Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish // The moment I finally got Billie Eilish, whom I had previously left to the youths. The second part of the song rocks so hard, and her SNL performance last week was AMAZING.

I Am Woman – Emmy Meli // As heard on TikTok.

The Mother – Brandi Carlile // You were not an accident where no one thought it through / The world has stood against us, made us mean to fight for you. *crying emoji*

I Have a Dream – Amanda Seyfried from Mamma Mia! // I love this movie, which came on TV a few times during my maternity leave. At some point I decided this song was a nice addition to C3’s bedtime playlist, and for a while it was what I sang to him every night while putting on his pajamas. Eventually I took it off the list, but I will always associate it with this time. It’s also a nice sentiment going into a new year.

Previous Years: 2020 // 2019 // 2018 // 2017 // 2016 // 2015 // 2014 // 2013 // 2012 // 2011

3 Comments + Posted in: music, year end