turning a new leaf

So the last couple (okay, most) blog posts have been all, "oh, life hard right now" and "I'm tired, wah!" and "I have a lot on my shoulders right now" and while this is true, I don't think it's either fair or fun to write like that. Not fair because a) we have the easiest baby ever, even with bumps in the road and b) we have SO much support it's ridiculous. Not fun because, duh, wallowing isn't fun and it's always better to change your attiude and move on.

girl was happy to have mama working at home on Friday!

(that's a skill I've been working on for at least 20 years. My step-dad always challenged me to "change my attitude" and for the most part, it's something I'm pretty decent at. Not always, but mostly. I do believe we can decide to have good attitudes despite the crap in our lives, and I try to live like this, but... it's hard....).

waiting at the pediatrician appointment for her six month checkup. Result? A+ baby!

Hi Mama! I want to eat your phone!

So moving forward. Less whining and more appreciation. What brought this on? Perhaps it's the spirit of Thanksgiving, perhaps is the genuine thankfulness I have in my heart right now, perhaps it's just the gorgeous fall days we've been enjoying lately, or the fact that the shortest day of the year is in just a month and from there the days will be longer. Or maybe it's that I've pulled out my Christmas music already and am absolutely itching to start decorating for the holidays. The thought of celebrating Christmas with a kid - my kid, and of being the parent who gets takes the helm on family traditions and of making memories for my family makes me absolutely giddy. As in, Peter has had to officially prohibit me from decorating the house before Thanksgiving... so I'm counting down til Friday when the magic will be unleashed. :)

Saturday morning, lounging in jammies!

It's been a beuatiful weekend filled with freezing temperatures but blue skies, good naps by one little babykins, decent night sleeps (that's saying something!), good food (which means I've had time to make not one but TWO dinners this week, each one providing leftovers for at least two more meals, meaning my meal-making for the whole week is complete!) and seriously - the sweetest little baby girl a mama could ask for. Her smiles have gone from amazing to radiant in the last couple weeks and she is so much fun right now that my heart can hardly stand the happiness she adds to our family.

No caption needed. The coolness speaks for itself.

Happy Sunday afternoon!