Things I Love: Toddler 12-15 Months Edition

Tory turned 16 months old recently which means we've hit another milestone point in chronicling the stuff that made our lives easier the last few months. If feels like watching paint dry when I'm typing these things up, but more than once I've gone back to these posts to see what baby items were our favorite. I'm glad I take the time to jot them down. With Tory, it seems every three months she hits a big developmental leap and we're onto the next stage. New likes. New hurdles. New interests. Here's some of our favorites during 12-15 months of age:

Items we continued to loved:
Tommee Tippee Bibs
Aden + Anais Sleep Sack

-Useful -
Snack Cup

I've mentioned it many times before, Tory is a bit of a picky eater. Her delicate palate even extends into the snack category. (She's never liked Gerber Puffs or Cheerio's cereal and her interest in Gerber Lil' Crunchies was short-lived). Normally, I wouldn't be so intent on peaking her interest in munching, but at times when she's melting down in Target or flying on an airplane, snacks provide a great distraction.

Enter these toddler snack cups (well, and animal crackers inside of them). No surprise, Tory loves the ability to control the flow of her own snack dispersal. She stays busy with the cup for several minutes, removing the crackers from the webbed top, and it's usually enough of a distraction for me to wrap up a shopping trip and avoid a major meltdown.

Dr. Brown's Plates

We're finally at a stage where Tory can be trusted with a plate. These are my favorite because they're on the smaller size and fit perfectly in Tory's highchair tray. The equally portioned sections help her see the difference between foods and remind me to balance out her meal with fruits, dairy and vegetables.

Anti Monkey Butt for Diaper Rash

Over the last three months, Tory gained three of her four one-year molars and they didn't come easy. We battled many unpretty bouts of diaper rash and many times, regular diaper creme didn't cut it. Andi picked up this powder one day and it works wonders when alternated between Butt Paste creme. Basically this is corn starch powder like the home remedy my mom recommended in an easy shakable/storable container.

Robeez Shoes

During the age of 12-15 months, Tory was really learning to move. It was over this stretch she went from toddling along to full-on running. Robeez shoes were an excellent first shoe because they held up to wear and tear (compared to other "first" shoes she had from Old Navy) and they were easy for her to walk in (shoes with a big sole were clunky and harder for her to maneuver).

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-Favorite Toys/Gifts -
Some of Tory's favorite toys this age were a little more "creative." A playroom full of colorful, noisy toys and everyday this kiddo played with the following items:

Plastic Eggs
I took an old egg carton and painted the insides of each egg nest? egg hole? (whatever the heck you call it) a different color. Then, I put matching colored plastic Easter egg in each spot. Seriously, this was Tory's favorite (favorite, favorite, favorite) toy for months. She dumped the eggs out. Put them back in (not necessarily in the correct color spot, although that was the intention) and dumped them out again. Sometimes she loaded the eggs into a bag and waved "bye-bye" as she walked away. Leaving the grocery store perhaps? Aside from my kitchen floor being littered with plastic eggs all the time, it was the best toy ever.

Baby Photos
Another handmade favorite? Old photos. For Tory's birthday, I'd cut some pictures into circles for a craft project I was making. I didn't end up using the photos, so I gave them to Tory to play with. Every day, Tory lined up the photos on the ground and pointed to all the babies (herself, ha!). She put the photos in a bucket, emptied them out and put them in the bucket again.

Learning Home
Tory's favorite toy this stage was the Fisher Price Learning Home. She played with this house every single day and with its many gadgets, lights and sounds there was plenty to occupy her.

Push Toys
Anything pushable like the Corn Popper toy and Activity Walker were big hits. Tory played with the activity walker more once she knew how to walk than she did when she was learning. One day I tied her baby doll to the front of the walker like a make-shift stroller and she lost her marbles in a full-on meltdown. Apparently this type of creative play was a little out of her realm. Oops.

My New Favorite Kitchen Accessory

Tory is a bit of a picky eater and sometimes, I struggle with new food ideas to feed her. I'm always on the hunt for nutritious items that are quick to prepare and soft/easy enough for her to chew. Muffins fall into this category often because it's an easy way for me to sneak fruits and vegetables in her tummy without her realizing it. It just so happens my husband also fancies foods in individualized portion sizes (meatloaves, broccoli cheddar cups, etc.) so let's just say my muffin pans get good use.

Enter silicone baking cups

I've purchased reusable baking cups a few times as gifts because they're so dang cute. Paired with a box of cupcake mix and voila! Adorable. I've always wondered if they worked and I'm here to tell you they do. I received a set for Christmas and I'm in love.

Yesterday, Tory and I made these banana chocolate chip muffins using the baking cups. She was a big fan of the recipe. I like making banana bread muffins vs. a loaf because it's more bite size and easier to serve in the early morning hours when I'm struggling to guzzle coffee and dish up breakfast at the same time. Plus, muffins are easier to freeze so we're not eating the same ol' thing multiple mornings in an row. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Recipe says yields 12 muffins, but they made 16 for me

Ingredients:

3 medium very ripe bananas (I used 4 because mine were on the smaller side)

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2-3 Tbsp. chocolate chips (I used white chocolate because that's what I had on hand)

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees. 

No need to coat the silicone baking cups with any cooking spray. The muffins won't stick!

Mash bananas with a fork in a large bowl. (Tory especially liked this job. Then she started eating the bananas by the fistful and well, it's a good things it's just us consuming them).

Whisk in egg, milk, sugar and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. (Now wipe down your flour-covered toddler. Oh wait, that might just be in my case).

Add flour mixture to banana mixture and combine well. 

Fold in chocolate chips. (Be aware of toddlers who try to steal them).

Spoon equal amounts of batter into muffin cups.

Bake 30 minutes.

My favorite features about the cups are they're reusable, they don't stick to whatever you've made inside of them (literally, it just pops out) and they cool almost instantly. 

The Sleep Strike is Over!

Amidst the very looong few weeks we've been trudging through around here with bouts of the flu, teething and toddler sleep refusal, I decided to cut Tory back to one nap a day. I might be crazy, yes it's true. My decision mostly derived from sheer exhaustion and dread in the fight of another 90 minute battle with Miss No Nap. I just didn't have it in me. Plus, most toddlers her age who attend day care have moved onto a one-nap schedule, so I thought maybe she was ready to do the same. Maybe I was trying to over-sleep her and that's why she was fighting me so hard.

We've been at the one-nap thing for four days now, and I'm not convinced it's the right move for us. For one, I've really fallen in love with the idea of having an hour in the morning to myself to shower, blog, throw in a load of laundry, clean, whatever. Before the holidays, we had a nice little system in place of wake-up, breakfast, playtime, poop (for Tory, in case there was any confusion about that), milk and a morning nap. I didn't even care we were confined to the house until mid-day because I was able to cross a few things off my day's to-do list and have a little "me time" to boot. Secondly, Tory is an early riser (usually stirring at 5:00am and up for good between 5:30am - 5:45am) so by the time 9:00am rolls around, she needs a little down time. Her morning nap is usually her solid sleep of the day, sometimes 1-2 hours, and it's the second afternoon nap she seems to need less.

I realize four days isn't long enough in the parenting world to test if any theory works. I should give this one-nap thing at least a week or two to see if it's really the path we're on. I've tried to busy Tory and I every morning with trips to grandma's house, Target or the gym so the day doesn't feel so long for us. Except, every time I put her in the car to go somewhere she falls asleep. Staying at home for six hours in the morning isn't my favorite choice as the constant whining, pant-leg pulling and shouts of "up! up!" can be a little overwhelming without a mental break somewhere. If it's not a morning nap for Tory, then Target or Storytime at the library will have to do.

Things seems to be getting back to normal around here. Tory's fourth one-year molar popped through her gums and she seems in less discomfort overall. I'm feeling about 90% better after the worst flu-turned-cold cough and congestion crap I've experienced in quite some time. After the holiday hoopla and being at home for two weeks now, Tory seems less insistent on being held during every waking hour and more interested in occupying herself with toys, etc. Back to routine feels good.

This morning, around the time of her old morning nap, Tory looked a little sleepy. I warmed up some milk and decided to rock her for a few minutes in her bedroom. She seemed drowsy and calm, so I laid her down in her crib, said night-night and walked away. Not a peep from her. NOT A PEEP!!! It was like the old days, a simple morning nap! No wrestling! No frustration! Hallelujah!

The benefit of being home with Tory every day is we can set our own schedule. Just because all the other toddlers her age are ditching morning naps doesn't mean we have to, right? Things seems to be back on track around here for both of us. I'm so, so glad. I'm going to relax and enjoy this moment we're in, instead of stressing over morning activities and one-nap schedules. And, breathe ... ahhh.

Peaceful Getaway

My poor husband has been working like crazy and his one day off this weekend, we decided to escape reality and head to the cabin. We were both on the fence if making the drive for less than 24 hours was worth it but then again, when have we ever gone there and wished we hadn't? NEVER. I'm so glad we took the opportunity to get away for some time together. Andi really needed the mental break, and I needed the quality time with my two favorite people.

Friday night, we stopped by the cabin to crank up the heat and then headed down the lake to our landlords' cabin for a beer. I had to laugh when we pulled up and Andi hopped out of the truck to run inside the cabin. It was dark and quiet in the car for a second or two before Tory worriedly said, "Mom?" Poor thing thought she was left alone in the dark car! "I'm here!" I said. It wasn't funny, but it was. I just get a kick out of her turning into a little person, communicating with us and all. Andi and I giggled about it all night long.  

Saturday morning, we lounged around the cabin, played toys and re-directed Tory from climbing on the  kitchen table about a hundred times. Andi bought some tip-ups to ice fish on the lake outside our cabin. It's a pretty good system - he drilled holes in the ice, set up these fishing "tip-ups" and then watched for the flag to raise from inside the cabin warmth. Unfortunately, he never caught anything because he needed to be deeper in the lake. Next time ....

The weather was fairly balmy for this area in January at 25 degrees, so we decided to take Tory for a sled ride. Andi got this new infant toboggan for Christmas and it worked perfectly for Tory's size. She loved it so much she even fell asleep! (That's what holding her off to one nap a day will do).

 
We headed over to the landlord / neighbor's cabin again to pick up Tory's Christmas present. On the way there, Andi decided we should walk on the frozen lake. It was snow-covered so it didn't really feel like we were on the ice, but I felt pretty proud of myself for walking on a frozen body of water without any complaining. You wouldn't have got me out there for anything a few years ago! I'm coming quite a way in being converted to a Minnesotan. On the way back to our cabin, we walked through the wooded trails.

Tory never made a peep during our entire walk. She had such a fun time on the sled ride.

Unfortunately, we had to pack it up and head home Saturday evening. Even for one day, the cabin proves to be our very favorite place on Earth.

Rough Patch

The last two weeks have been a ... challenging time with Tory. I think it's a combination of traveling to Nebraska for seven days around Christmas, being sick with the flu over New Year's, catching pinkeye, cutting her fourth one-year molar and possibly sleep regression (as if that weren't enough!) that have her acting completely unlike herself. On top of it all, I'm still not feeling 100% after being sick this week and it has my patience on thin ice.

The biggest issue is Tory's refusal to sleep. Every nap and bedtime is a 60-90 minute power struggle between the two of us. It's been this way since mid-December. Different than other sleep refusal episodes, she's bigger now and able to fight her way out of my arms or scream at the top of her lungs for much longer periods. I'm not against letting her cry it out, but I'm not comfortable doing so if she's not feeling well from teething or sickness. The result is a fussy toddler who whines and tugs at the pant legs of a worn-out mama 24/7. I am simply burnt out.

Andi asked me the other night if I'm regretting my decision to stay at home with Tory and my answer was absolutely not. We're just having a rough couple of weeks over here and unfortunately as a stay-at-home-mom in our current situation (read: Andi working ... all the time), there's never a break from parenting. Never someone else to tackle a dreaded bedtime routine. Never more than a few minutes to myself for anything. It's hard to recharge when that's the case.

I mentioned in Tory's 16 month letter how she's been experiencing some separation anxiety as well. It's no secret, she's always been a mama's girl but lately Tory won't let me out of her sight. She constantly wants to be held and will rarely let anyone else do anything for her. Andi's mom seems to be the only one Tory will go other than me, and I'm thankful for all her help while I was sick last weekend.

The last few weeks have caused me to put some plans in motion for 2013. I love staying at home with Tory, I really do, but I also know I need to carve out some time for myself. I hired Andi's cousin to babysit Tory for a few hours every week to give me so alone time to go to appointments, run errands, etc. I'm also joining a gym this week with childcare available. It's not secret I loathe exercise, but I wouldn't mind taking some yoga classes and having a place of escape where I can clear my mind. The childcare area will be a good place for Tory to socialize with other kids, too.

Lastly, I'm reminding myself daily (many, many times) how quickly things change with kids. This is a stage in Tory's development and it'll pass. Soon, she'll eventually be sleeping again without a fight and we'll be back to a regular schedule. I've decided to drop her to one nap a day which I think is a needed adjustment. Part of her refusal to nap may be because I'm pushing sleep when she's really not that tired. We'll see how the transition goes. In the process, I'm booking our morning calendar full of activities to run her little legs and give us a change in scenery from the confines of her playroom.

If all else fails, And and I are taking a vacation in February for my birthday so relief in one form or another is in sight. Not that I'm counting days or anything ....

2012

Happy 2013! It's a new year and therefore, I'm completing this year-end survey again. This time though, I completed it with Andi and added some of his answers for a fun twist. (Here's 2009, 2010 and 2011):

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?


Weaned my child from nursing. Made my own baby food. Drove an ATV. Celebrated my first Mother's Day. Cut cable. Andi held his first bike race.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


My 2012 resolution: host a dinner for friends once a month in an effort to stay better connected with people we love. Unfortunately, this goal of mine didn't last long. It proved to be very challenging to get other people to commit to a day on the calendar to get together. However, Andi and I did meet up with a few couple friends throughout the year for dinners out and those nights were always a highlight for me. Together, Andi and I also went on several date night dinners, just the two of us, which I loved every minute.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! My good friend Melissa had a baby girl, Vivian, in May. My sister had her baby girl, Neeley, in August and my best friend Ashley gave birth to a baby boy, Easton, in November. Several of Andi's friends also had babies this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, unfortunately. Andi's grandma passed away in December. My dad's aunt also passed away.

5. What countries did you visit?


I didn't travel out of the country in 2012 (sad!), but I visited these new cities in the United States: Austin, TX, New Orleans and Vail, Colorado. Andi traveled to Canada a few times for work and once for a fishing mancation with his friend, Charlie.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn't have in 2012?

A child who sleeps through the night. A tailgate party with my favorite dips and chips, of course. Andi hopes for more weekends at the cabin.

7. What dates from 2012 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
August 30 - Tory's first birthday
November 21 - first day as a stay-at-home-mom

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Andi and I both agree - being a parent is our biggest accomplishment. We're raising a smart, witty, strong-minded little girl and it's amazing watching her become her own person based on the skills I'm teaching her.

9. What's your biggest failure?
Saying things on my blog and Twitter to get them off my chest, when they likely hurt other people's feelings. I did this to Andi a few times because I was caught up in emotion and I felt terribly about it afterward.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, thankfully. Just a few colds and bouts of flu.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
We rented our cabin for an entire year, and that's worth noting. Biggest purchase - our pontoon boat.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband's - he worked so hard in 2012 to build a successful company. It's pretty remarkable all he's accomplished this year. We also celebrated lots of Tory's firsts - sitting up solo, crawling and walking.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I was fairly annoyed by all the political talk on social media around the election. I'm all for voicing your opinion by voting at the polls, but does everyone really to see your opinion splashed all over the Internet a gazillion times? I think not.

14. Where did most of your money go?
I don't know, I'd have to ask my husband - ha! Okay really, our mortgages, the cabin, cars, trips to Nebraska, child care, diapers, diapers, diapers ... 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My family's visit to Minnesota in late August. My parents usually visit once a year, and never before have my sister, brother, aunt, uncle and cousins all visited at the same time. 

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2012?
Pontoon by Little Big Town

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: 

a) happier or sadder? I'm pretty damn happy.

b) thinner or fatter? Thinner. Definitely had some baby weight to lose last year at this time.

c) richer or poorer?
 Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gone to the lake cabin more often. Working those stupid Gopher football games this fall really cramped our cabin style toward the end of the season.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?


I wish I would have done less worrying about the breastfeeding thing. In the end, formula wasn't the devil and I don't know why I beat myself up so hard about having a low milk supply. Everything worked out in the end.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Andi, Tory and I hosted Andi's parents and sister at our house for Christmas. We opened presents, ate great food and enjoyed each other's company before Andi, unfortunately, had to leave town for an event in the California desert. 

21. Did you fall in love with 2012?
I fell in love with coffee in a major way. Like, I need it every single day.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Sadly, I watched far less TV in 2012 than I would have liked. Darn parenting really gets in the way of things. I guess I'd say How I Met Your Mother - my tried and true favorite. Or Friday Night Lights. We definitely wasted many, many hours of our lives watching that show on Netflix.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
What a dumb question. I don't hate anyone.

24. What was the best book you read?

Hunger Games - I loved those books.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

The harmonica? I don't know. I'm the worst at music. I mostly listen to talk radio.

26. What did you want and get?
Andi wanted all the latest and greatest Apple products and got them the second they were released. I wanted an iPhone, too, and finally got one. 

27. What did you want and not get?

Andi said he wanted this can cooker. Ha. I wish I would have had more sleep.

28. What was your favorite film of 2012?
Hunger Games. I think that might have been the one and only movie we saw at the theatre the entire year.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31 this year and celebrated at home with dinner and drinks in downtown Minneapolis. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I wish I would had taken a big vacation. Andi would have liked Tory to sleep through the night.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2012?
Casual and comfortable.

32. What kept you sane?
The cabin. 
And earplugs, Andi said.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
I wasn't stirred by any political issue.

34. Who did you miss?

I missed my Nebraska family and friends.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
I met so many great friends in 2012 - many online blogger turned real-life friends and some mom friends met through Tory's activities.


36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Tomorrow's always a new day as a parent. I reminded myself of this every single day in 2012. Eventually Tory will sleep through the night. Eventually, eventually, eventually ... at the beginning of 2013, we're almost there, I think.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

We've got the whole wide world in our yard to explore.
We always find things we've never seen before.
That's why every day we're back for more
with your friends, the Backyardigans.

Andi and I listened to The Backyardigans theme song on repeat waaay too many times on the drive to and from the cabin this year. Our Tory Bean is hypnotized by that show. I'll never forget the theme song as long as I live.

Annual Report

Every December 31, when I sit down to reflect on the year gone by, I always have a hard time remembering what happened when. Maybe it's because I'm getting older. Maybe we're fortunate to have shared mostly happy memories and therefore they blend together over time. Maybe once I record something on my blog, the details fade into history. It's fun to look back at the last 12 months and see just how much we've changed and experienced. Here's a recap of 2012: (also here's, 2009, 2010, 2011)

January 16 
It took me five months as a new mother to start feeling like myself again. Longer really, if I count the moment I felt like my own person again and not just Tory's mom. Having a baby really does a number to a woman's physical and emotional well-being. Some people make it look so easy, as if becoming the primary care provider for another human life doesn't really affect them. January 16th, 2012 was the day I felt like me again. I finally found the balance of life with a baby, being a wife and a working mom.

The beginning of 2012 was also the transformation of Andi and I into adulthood. Real adulthood. The turning point in time where we realized we actually liked living in the suburbs and that eating at chain restaurants wouldn't kill us (Andi may still be struggling with that one). More than once, I found myself listening to Michael Buble and we almost always were asleep before the 10 o'clock news.

February 13
I stayed home for my 31st and playing it low key, which is completely uncharacteristic of the way I like to celebrate my birthday. Spending all day with my baby girl seemed just special enough.

March 5
Andi, Tory and I went on an impromptu trip to Austin, Texas when we saw a last-minute flight deal pop up on the Internet. I love my memories of this trip, even though it wasn't anything remarkably monumental. I love how spontaneous my husband is and any chance we experience something new, he takes it. This trip was also our first time staying in a hotel with a baby and we learned a few lessons along the way, like how to give a baby a bath in the sink, install a car seat into a cab and use the stroller as a high chair.

March 26
The end of my breastfeeding days. Nursing Tory for seven months really did a number on me emotionally, and this is one strong feeling I'll never forget as a mother. I'm not sure why I felt like such a failure when I was no longer able to continue feeding my child this way, but it consumed MONTHS of my every waking thought leading up to the day I stopped, and provided a gigantic feeling of relief when the pressure was all over. I'll absolutely breastfeed my second child if I'm given the opportunity, but next time I'll go easier on myself if things don't work just as I planned. The hard lesson learned: formula is not the devil.

April 5
I gambled and lost when I decided to try bangs as a new hairstyle. Luckily it didn't take long before they grew back into my old short bob hair-do.

May 14
My first Mother's Day! I'll never forget our relaxing weekend at the cabin when Andi and his family showered me with gifts and quality time together. It sounds crazy when I think about how much time it took to get to this point, but at nearly nine months of age and on my first Mother's Day, I was able to relax and ENJOY being a mom. All the daily baby rituals of eating, napping, etc. were second nature and I was loving every minute of our time together.

May 31
My sister married her longtime boyfriend Memorial Day weekend 2012, and I welcomed a new brother-in-law to the family, in addition to two nephews. Andi and I drove to Nebraska with Tory in what was probably one of the only times we'll ever commit ourselves to such torture. Fourteen hours in the car with a small child is not fun.

June 7
My first overnight away from Tory for a work trip to Chicago. A big milestone for any mom, and we survived!

June 23
We shared some fun weekends at our Turtle Lake, WI cabin this summer, but strawberry picking at a local farm is one I'll never forget. This was one of those pinch-me-I'm-dreaming days I'd always imagined when having a family. I think strawberry picking at the lake will be annual tradition.

July 31
Andi and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary in 2012 with a getaway trip to Vail, Colorado. It was the first time we'd been away, just the two of us, since we became parents and the trip was worth every minute. More today than ever am I reminded just how lucky I am to be married to this man.

August 2
My second niece, Neeley, was born on this day. She's as sweet as babies come - mind natured, cuddly and adorable. I wasn't able to be there on her birth day and I think it'll be one of my biggest life regrets. She is truly a sweetheart.

August 30
Our little Tory Bean turned one! It's hard to believe an entire year has passed since bringing her into the world. Our life is forever changed, and so much for the better. We celebrated Tory's birthday with two family birthday parties. Double the cake; double the fun. I'm convinced Labor Day Weekend is the most perfect time of the year to have a birthday.

September 9
I'll always remember fall 2012 as the straw that broke the camel's back when it came to work / life balance. It was the busiest time of year at my job, plus Andi was putting in crazy hours and the responsibility of being a good mother, wife and employee were out of hand. I wanted more for myself than to be tired and stressed while my little girl grew up before my eyes. Andi and I decided as soon as the stars aligned financially, I'd quit my job to become a stay-at-home-mom.

October 21
My friend Val and I drove to Omaha with our two little girls to host a baby shower for my childhood friend Ashley and her little boy (Easton). Anytime I get back to Nebraska to see my old friends and family is a special memory, and making memories with Val along the way was an adventure.

October 31
Our little lion went trick-or-treating for the very first time this year. She made it to three houses in the neighborhood before we packed up and drove to Grandma Marion's to round out our Halloween night.

November 8
I flew solo to New Orleans this November to attend The Blathering blogging get together. It was a scary thing to board a plane to meet up with 60 strangers, but I came back with some really fantastic friendships.

November 20
My last day as a career women. Hello stay-at-home-mom gig.

December 25
We started new Christmas traditions at our house this year. Santa Claus visited for the very first time, and we hosted Christmas at our house. Tory was especially fun throughout the holiday season, and I'm excited for her to understand and be more engaged next year.