What I've Learned in 1 Year of Motherhood

1. Wearing distressed jeans can be tricky. I keep thinking those white distress marks are spit up, yogurt or something other random nastiness.

2. Having a dog before a baby is great practice, but way easier. Charlie sleeps a solid 18+ hours a day without ever putting up a fuss. Good boy.

3. Even though you may lose all the baby weight, everything is still just a bit off.

4. Planning what and when to feed Zoe takes up a good chunk of my time and brain space.

5. There's a wipe for everything. Baby wipes, hand wipes, Clorox wipes, pacifier wipes, toy wipes. So. Many. Wipes.

6. I never thought 8 am would be considered sleeping in, but it is now.

7. I envy Zoe's bright, colorful wardrobe. When did I stop being able to pull off hot pink pants?

8. Making new mom friends can be kind of awkward and intimidating, but so worth it.

9. Just when you think your baby can't get any cuter, sweeter, smarter or funnier, she does.

10. There really is such a thing as love at first sight.

Pigtails. Finally.

Okay, so it's not exactly as I pictured it. But, hey, these are pigtails, right? I've been telling Jody for so long that I can't wait for Zoe to have enough hair for pigtails. Well, today when I came home Gracie has figured out a way to get Zoe's 10 strands of hair into teeny tiny little pigtails. So much fun!

Happy 1st Birthday, Zoe!!

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet baby girl! And what a year it has been. I cannot even begin to explain how much joy and love Zoe has brought to us this past year. Zoe, we love you more than anything in the world. We are so lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful, funny and loving little girl!

Not Very Green But...

One of the challenging parts about chasing after Zoe all day long is finding the time to make dinner. I typically work during Zoe's nap times, so I have to get creative when it comes to dinner-making. My latest solution has been letting Zoe play in the 'fridge. I know it's not very green, and I still have to watch her pretty closely to make sure she's not about to drop something on her foot. But, it keeps her totally entertained. Today, she kept herself quite busy playing in both the 'fridge and the pantry. Sure, there was food all over the floor by the end of it all, but it gave me plenty of time to get all the turkey chili ingredients chopped and browned before putting them in the crock pot. Now I'm just a little scared to open the can of sparkling water that Zoe dropped, rolled and chased all over the kitchen.