I’m not usually one for making New Year’s Resolutions, typically because a few days into a new year, I have an awful habit of breaking them. Last year, I resolved to quit drinking soda entirely because rumor has it it’s bad for my health, rots my teeth, and is probably the leading cause of global warming. Not entirely sure about that last bit. Anyhow, not three days after the new year last year, what do you know I broke that resolution when I was playing Wii at a friend’s house and he had pizzas and soft drinks for dinner. I had to oblige, right? Besides, they were sodas of the healthy kind: fruit-flavored.

So instead of trying to give up soft drinks this year, I’m thinking of trying to quit hard liquor. I kid, I kid - I could never surrender my hard liquor! All silliness aside, alcoholic beverages of any hardness or softness rarely enter my mouth.

That said, here are three sensible and undoubtedly popular resolutions I am setting out for myself this year and the rest of my life:

1. Get into shape - a healthy shape like a cylinder or hourglass, rather than the shape that is a circle. I gained roughly 45 pounds during my pregnancy with Madeline and it’s been nothing less than difficult shedding those pounds. About half of those pounds disappeared almost immediately after delivery, but I still have a hefty way to go. The most difficult part about losing the excess weight and getting into shape is this motivator I have called lack-thereof or de-motivator-ator. Anyhow, I intend to battle said motivator and hop-to. I figure I can take Madeline for a walk in her stroller around the neighborhood; it would be a breath of fresh air for the both of us.
2. Get organized. My dream would be to have a closet like Nicole of Making it Lovely. I wish she had a television show on HGTV because her decorating ideas astound me and completely blow Eddie Ross and Martha Stewart out of the water. Surprisingly, none of those big-name decorators are HGTV … Anyhow, I plan to start off organizing Madeline’s soon-to-be nursery. I am a bit shameful to say this, but Madeline’s nursery has pretty much been located all over the apartment, with the exception of the kitchen (the day she learns to cook, she may take up residence there, as well. That was a joke for those of you ready to phone child protective services).
3. Blog more often. We’ll have to wait and see about this resolution, seeing as my blogging habits have been very sporadic as of late.

Ok, so I began adjourned blogging again in August of this year, only to realize I have been horrible at keeping up with it on a semi-daily — semi-weekly at that — basis. Before my life changed for the better, I considered taking on numerous side jobs to subsidize my income because as rumor has it, babies are expensive. Needless to say for all you mothers and/or fathers who are already in the know, time simply flies out the window when a baby is introduced into your life.

When I can steal away from the baby for a little while, I manage to do the following:

1. Sleep. Something I really treasure nowadays. Sleep is a rarity, and it leaves me feeling like a zombie. A non-cannibalistic zombie who still chants ‘braaaaiiiinzzzzzzz’ - if only I had all those z’s.
2. Snap photos. I’ve already shot 1000+ photos of Madeline, half of which look like duplicates or could comprise a stop-animation video. Can you blame me? She is cute and a half and what better way to store memories than to capture them with a photo?
3. Rearrange furniture or decorate my apartment. Since the baby was born, I’ve found myself watching an overwhelming amount of HGTV which has inspired the home-decor bug in me to finally make my apartment appear as though I didn’t recently move in. I’ve lived in my apartment since March of this year and I still have things in box. Shamefully, the spare bedroom — which may one day turn into a nursery — acts as my storage room. I am in the process of redecorating my living room, in hopes that friends, family, and other visitors realize that yes, my apartment IS being lived in.

It’s been about four week and a couple of hours since Madeline has graced us with her presence. She’s the chillest baby around, crying (for the most part) only when she’s hungry or needs a diaper change. Everyday I spend with her, I notice traits that she’s inherited from me.

For one, she’s got quite a lot of hair. I seriously thought I gave birth to a werewolf (there wolf!) or a Russian baby. Tons sprout on her noggin, shoulders, and back. Her pediatrician explained to us that the hair on her shoulders and back will likely fall off as she matures, which is a shame because it’s so darn cute.

Another trait I bestowed upon her was my smile. Her entire face seem to crinkle into the most contagious smile imagineable. I never knew I had such a smile, but a few friends have pointed it out.

Yet another trait of mine that Madeline shares are her toes. Unfortunately, she will probably be nicknamed ‘Pinnochi-toes’, if not by her peers later in life, than most certainly by me! Like mine, her toes are incredibly long … and incredibly edible. Nom nom nom.