New Beginnings

I belong to an on-line mother's group called Mother's Without Judgement and the theme this month is New Beginnings, so I decided to contemplate what new beginnings I will have and hope to have in 2009. The finished product is here for your reading enjoyment.

I guess I'll start wit the obvious. I will have a brand new baby in June. This baby itself will have its own brand new beginning, life, when it is born. Our family will have a brand new beginning as a nuclear family of 6 an a household of 7 (that includes A - my MIL). I will have a brand new beginning as a mother of 4 (and my husband as a father of 4), which is kind of scary but exciting as well. Also, I could be the mother of a girl, which is also scary. I am raising 3 boys, what would I do with a girl? I know I would love a girl or a boy - but I almost don't want a girl anymore. I am happy with my boys. They are rambunctious, playful, and, well, they're boys. They are all mama's boys and they love me dearly - but mostly I am scared about how to raise a girl, since I just have boys.

Another new beginning is that I am finally starting to feel pregnant. Backaches, hip being sore, and belly starting to feel full. However, I haven't started to feel the baby move yet. I know that it will come. I am just content being pregnant at this point in time.

I am also starting my "career" as a student of children's writing. I decided to try to make extra money by enrolling in this course and, hopefully, selling some of my writing, thereby accomplishing my goal of trying to pay back my student loans. I just finished my first story - the rough draft. I need to type it up and edit it and send it to my teacher - so I guess I'll see what kind of potential I truly have.

My boss is building a new clinic that is very exciting. We will actually have a barn and stocks for equine patients. More room - extra exam rooms, a separate surgery and radiology suite, an isolation ward, etc. I can't wait. We'll hopefully, be in it by June. She's also approached another vet here in town about the possibility of joining the clinic. I have to say that I am apprehensive about that move. I need to get more clients so that I can make more money and start paying back student loans and I am worried that another vet would take some of that away from me. However, he is already established in the community and would bring his clients with him and perhaps I would end up seeing some of them. - Another beginning that could be tied to this (and my student loan goal) is that if R gets a better paying job - but he's not looking and I'm not sure he wants to - but for the good of our family, he needs to. I don't know if he realizes it yet.

I would like to start reading more. I haven't read a lot over the past year. I hope to start becoming a contributing reviewer on my friend's book review blog - Books I've Read.

I am also excited to take a course on small animal fracture repair in April in Ohio. That would begin my career as an orthopedic surgeon as well as a general practioneer. I like surgery but I need to be more precise/patient and calculated in my decisions in surgery and not try to rush things, after all I am working on live animals.

I am also excited to start writing and reading as a way of doing something for myself - instead of just for work, the kids, and my family. I need an outlet for my own emotions and thoughts. I believe that this will make me a better wife, mother, and person.

Also, I hope for a new beginning as a wife. As my husband has pointed out that I have become distant to him and so I hope to start anew with him and find activities that will bring us closer. Especially in this town - there never seems to being anything to do - so we need to find something to do.

Another new thing in our lives this year is a "new" (to us) van. Smaller than the one we currently have but one that will be good for quick trips and running around town (it gets better gas mileage than our current van). My dad is buying it from my uncle for the money that dad owes me, then we just have to buy the parts to fix it. We will be giving up our Buick - which we can barely keep running anyway (and currently isn't running) - and my parents will have a new vehicle to run around in as well.

That is all the New Beginnings that I could think of now, but I will add to the list as new beginnings make themselves apparent during the new year. I wish you all good luck in all the new beginnings you will have this year.