During the first year of Liza's life the milestones came fast and furious. The changes seemed to happen on a daily basis. After walking and talking, things slowed down a bit though. I think this is especially true for me and Lee. We see her every day and the changes are more subtle to us as opposed to family who go months at a time without hanging out with her. I had never thought of holidays as a time to measure milestones, but Halloween certainly was. Her interest and participation this year compared to last showed us how much she's grown physically and socially. I'm not sure who had more fun...Liza bravely marching up the steps of each house (sometimes navigating a group of much older kids), reaching for the doorbell, holding out her bag and saying "trick or treat" to total strangers, calling a rushed "thank you" over her shoulder as she ran back to us commenting on how nice those people were and how much she loves candy (thank you, Uncle Allen!!). Or, was it me, Lee, Grandpa & Nana who got to watch this little person take care of all of those steps nearly by herself and with so much joy? She totally got it this year and tripled the number of houses she visited compared to last year. Watching her excitement was definitely a highlight this month!
2. Garnet Hill Pajamas
Our recent move has required a total revamp of my closet. Once the nights started dipping into the 50's, I had to have some warmer pj's (and socks and a hat...yes, I've been sleeping in a hat...the desert really made a wimp out of me). Like magic, a 20% off coupon + free shipping from Garnet Hill arrived in my mailbox. I immediately went shopping and found two sets of amazing pj's. I chose these in Violet Butterflies and these in Pink Dahlias. I adore both and highly recommend them if you're needing something comfy & cozy (and cute!) to snuggle up in this winter.
3. The Longest Shortest Time
Sometimes I toy with putting a sidebar on my blog of all my favorite resources for new moms and not-so-new moms who still are wondering what the heck has happened. The Longest Shortest Time would be at the top of my list. It's no secret, if you know me well at all, that finding my happy place with motherhood has been an epic struggle for me. (I hesitate to type this for fear I will jinx myself, but the last six months have felt much more happy between me and Liza and a lot less struggle than the first three years.) Still, I don't know that I'll ever forget how I felt as a newish mama when almost every other woman with kids that I knew was starry-eyed over their daily lives, and I was most decidedly not. I found Hillary's blog and podcasts during my darker days, and basked in the light they shed on my feelings. Somebody else out there was struggling and wasn't afraid to talk about it. The blog has changed since her daughter is now in preschool and Hillary has returned to work. There aren't as many posts and she rarely releases a podcast anymore, but recently she wrote a story about the mother-toddler relationship that had me shaking my head yes! It's actually part 2 of a pair of posts about her daughter and bath time. If you are a mother with a toddler, read this. I promise you will feel a little less crazy, especially after one of "those" days.
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