Pregnant! + Priorities

Happy 2015 everyone!  But seriously, where did 2014 go?!  I feel like I was just setting my New Years Resolutions and next thing I know I'm making the same goals for this year.  haha.  But seriously.  This year is a crazy exciting, and crazy busy one for us.  Brandon just started his fourth and final year of med school (!!!) which means this is our final year in Australia.  Come December we'll be selling all our earthly possessions and moving home!  It makes me kind of nervous to think about, so I try not to for now.  Then there's residency applications, a couple of trips home, family coming to visit, and most importantly little baby Steedo joining our family in June! We seriously couldn't be more excited to be parents!

Its kind of funny really how much I feel like this little baby has changed my perspective on life in such a short time.  Before I knew I was pregnant I spent a lot of time and energy on things that really don't matter.  I wanted so badly to be a successful photographer and spent more time than I'd like to admit looking at other photographer's work and comparing my business to theirs.  I wanted to have a studio where I could bring clients and sell them beautiful canvases and albums that I had on display.  I wanted to shoot 30 weddings a year.  My spare minutes of every day were spent brainstorming the next big business idea that was sure to make me famous. 

And then October 20th came.  We had been visiting some friends and their new baby the night before and Michelle was talking about the weekend she found out she was pregnant.  She had mentioned to another (also pregnant) friend that she always felt hungry, but the thought of food made her nauseous, and her friend had her take a test right away.  Positive.  Well, that's kinda how I felt the morning of October 20.  I had a couple of pregnancy tests at home, and over the past year had become very familiar with seeing one sad little line on that stick.  But this time was different.  A line showed up right away, and then TWO!  I waited for B to get home from school before showing him, and after I explained that any two lines meant it was positive (one line was a bit faint), he gave me a big hug and a kiss.  It was an exciting relief to know that in just a few months we'd be a family of THREE!

Since that day, everything has changed.  I have found myself not worrying about becoming a great photographer (partly due to my lack of motivation for life during first trimester, I'll admit), and reflect often on the great examples of wonderful mothers around me.  My own mother.  My sister.  My grandmothers.  Sisters-in-law.  Mother-in-law.  I am so lucky to get to join them on this journey, and want to do everything I can to be the mom our little baby deserves.  All of a sudden, that has become the only thing that matters.  I am so much more aware of the things that make me happy in life, and have gotten rid of so many of the things that don't. (Ahem - unfollowing about a million people on instagram).  Its so easy to get consumed by social media and the internet, but I just found that my response to things became very polarized, and if it didn't enrich my life in some way, out it went.  I am finally taking the time to just enjoy life and the people around me, and I am so much happier for it.

So thanks, little babe, for helping me to realize what's important.  I really am so blessed for this wonderful life that I have.