Wow. 2018 was honestly such a whirlwind year! I remember thinking January was the longest month ever, but as soon as February hit, it was like full throttle, pedal to the metal the rest of the year. The beginning of the year was amazing. We were planning our move to Georgia, and just so excited for what God had for us here. We saw so much of God’s faithfulness in that time, and despite a few bumps in the road, all was well. One of the bumps we hit was my diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. After years of issues with my period and all things female, I finally had an answer as to why I had struggled for so long. It also gave me fear for the future, as I was given a 2-10% chance of conceiving a baby naturally, but we chose to trust God’s timing in the matter- and boy was that the best decision ever!
Fast forward to August when, after some odd symptoms, I took a pregnancy test (okay, 3) and found out we were expecting our miracle baby! We were so completely thrilled. Then came some of the best and worst months ever. Because I have PCOS, my body doesn’t produce enough progesterone to support the first trimester of pregnancy when all those hormones are normally being pumped out like crazy to build the placenta. I had to go on a synthetic form of progesterone to keep little Evelyn healthy. This led to a myriad of not-so-fun side effects including some crazy mood swings, and a severe type of morning sickness called Hyperemesis Gravadarum among other things that I’ll spare you the details of lol. For most women, HG only lasts through the first trimester, but I am apparently not like most women! I am 24 week tomorrow, and I still experience nausea all day long. I have to eat every two hours and wake up in the middle of the night for a snack to keep my blood sugar from dropping, as well as take a pill nightly to keep the vomiting at bay. This has definitely taken its toll in my body. I lost 12lbs in the first trimester from just not being able to eat and throwing up anything I did eat aside from applesauce, bananas, and mashed potatoes. I have to take it pretty easy, and have had to learn my body’s new limits the hard way- usually by exceeding those limits and waking up severely regretting it the next day lol!
This is not to give you an excuse, but rather give you a little insight as to why I have been so extremely absent from the blog. I have missed it, but if I’m honest, it was a much needed break. Pregnancy can do some crazy things to your emotions, and I am no exception. I needed a little emotional break to figure out where I was at mentally, but I am back a ready to rock! That being said, lets dig into my 2019 Intentions!
Keep up with the house better.
I have learned to accept the fact that I am not one of those people who is OBSESSED with keeping their house completely spotless and sterile (looking at you Mom and Dad). I think because I grew up with two people who would freak out if a pillow was out of place (and still do), I am okay with things being slightly messy. I’m not talking total pig stye, but an unmade bed or full laundry basket doesn’t send me over the edge. HOWEVER, I am making strides this year to change my standards around the house. I have made a chore chart separated into three sections: daily, weekly, and monthly. Here are a few examples of things I want to accomplish in each section
Daily- Tidy up the house before bed: dishes done, floors swept (bc cat hair, am i right?!), counters wiped down, load of laundry started if needed.
Weekly- Mondays are bathroom days, Tuesdays the couches get vacuumed (again, cat hair), etc.
Monthly- January and September are for cleaning closets and dressers, February is decluttering drawers, March will be a kitchen deep clean, April will be for finalizing Evie’s room and washing all her clothes, etc.
Genuinely refocus my relationship with God.
There were some things that happened toward the end of the year that really threw off my relationship with God. I will be doing a post on that in February, but for now my main goal is to read my Bible daily and use the SOAP method to better understand and apply the word to my life. I will be updating y’all and explaining how that works in February’s post!
Get healthy- for real!
This is both mentally and physically. And I’m not 100% sure what all of that looks like, but some steps I am taking are:
Physically:
Eating healthier
Light exercise while pregnant
Workout plan postpartum
Mentally:
Working on physical health
Working on spiritual health
Adjusting my standard from perfection to grace
Which brings us to no. 4- Have more grace for myself.
I am very hard on myself, which is a huge issue for someone who deals with anxiety and depression. This year I am going to learn that it is okay to not be okay or perfect. I have a feeling that will be necessary heading into motherhood!
Be intentional with blogging.
I am also setting realistic standards and goals here lol. I will be posting in the blog at least once a week, and will be posting on insta daily. I’m super excited about building content and venturing out of my comfort zone!
2018 was the year of the unexpected, both good and bad! Thank you all for having patience with me during all the ups and downs. I truly appreciate it, and I am looking forward to a great year in 2019!!
XOXO
ELK
Emily Louise Keller 