This was a hard year. Between the division brought about by the election, great losses in music and entertainment, and adjusting to a new life as a parent, I am exhausted. But there is no way I can call this a bad year. How could it be bad when it started off with bringing our daughter into this world?

2016 started with the hardest day of my life. The day I gave birth to Laurel. Labor was 27 hours, culminating in an emergency c-section after her heart rate kept dropping. When they finally got her out, she wasn't breathing. It took 9 minutes for her to take her first breath while the NICU team worked on her.

We spent the next 25 days in the NICU. That experience broke me in so many ways, but also rebuilt me into someone stronger than I ever thought I could be.

The election. I hoped to wake up that morning to the announcement of the first ever female president. Instead, my fears were confirmed as I reluctantly looked at my phone to see that Donald Trump was elected president. I've spent the months since trying to figure out how to move forward.

But through all of this darkness, there has been so much light. Laurel's first smile. Her first laugh. Watching her discover her hands, then her feet. The way she looks at me when I sing to her. The way she falls asleep in my arms.

I've learned that it's okay to not be okay. It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to admit that being a parent is the hardest thing I've ever done, and also the most rewarding.

So bring it on, 2017. I'm ready for whatever you have in store.

"The only way out is through."

Here's to a new year, new beginnings, and all the adventures still to come.

– Carmel