How Quickly Things Change

Yesterday I had it all under control. Yesterday I was on top of the world. Yesterday I had a happy, well fed baby, business paperwork completed, laundry folded, makeup applied and a date with my husband. Yesterday I loved my outfit, felt like my old self for the first time post baby and managed to video chat with one of Cora's grandmas. Yesterday I went jogging with the baby and soaked up the cold air and brilliant sunshine.

Today I have had 2.5 hours of broken sleep and a sick baby. Today I am wearing my dirty fleece jacket with snot all over it and can't manage to find socks to put on. Today the house is an instant disaster and I can't amass the energy to run any errands even though I have the car we share for the day. Amazing what a difference 24 hours can make. Today I am still loving my life but acknowledging how little control I have over it. I grasp those calm, composed moments like a shiny trophy gained after running a marathon.

Now that we have moved through the holidays my thoughts turn to Cora's first birthday. It's exciting to have a milestone to celebrate in the middle of the long winter stretch. I have mixed feelings about birthday parties for one year olds. I've been to a few that were complete, all out birthday bashes with piles of gifts and entertainers. While I don't judge that approach, it just isn't our style. I would like to have a small party for Cora, and, let's be honest...for us. It's a big deal to arrive on the other end of your first year of parenthood, especially when one spends 4 years hoping for a child. So, I want to celebrate. Now I need to craft a celebration that will be low key, no pressure to buy presents or get dressy. Suggestions appreciated.

These last few months have brought many new and lovely people into our lives. I have written candidly about how difficult it has been for us to lose several friends to relocation, especially as new parents. We held on, weathered the storm and now there are many new people in our lives to meet and delight in and fold into our community. So while my pool of people I love has expanded to all corners of the country, it continues to grow here. Amazing abundance.

Little Cora Eve is on the verge of walking and is playing around with facial expressions beyond the expression of happy or sad. It's wild seeing these new expressions and pairing them up with her emotions. She is finally playing around with word sounds again (it took a back seat to walking for awhile) and loves her kitty cat who spends lots of time cuddling with her. I am trying to soak in this time before she is running laps around me.

I know I have crazy eyes in this one but I have to post it because Cora's are so amazing.

And our eyes smile the same.

For Christmas we got Cora  a Wheelie Bug. I can't say enough about how much she loves it, and we love watching her playing with it. She is still a bit too small to ride it (we got the size large) but she uses it to practice walking every day. So cool! (grainy pics from my iphone while she barely sits still long enough to capture an image)