fresh start

I feel like I've lost a little bit of myself over this past year. such things as pregnancy and drop foot and being a mamma have definitely changed the way my life is and the things that I'm doing now. this coming year I resolve to find my old self while still finding my new self. I realize my life is forever changed, and most definitely for the better, but I still want to reclaim some lost bits of who I am.

first christmas

staying up for santa.

merry merry!

we hope your holiday was just as meaningful.
xoxo

darkness isn't forever

hip! hip! today is the shortest day of the year. not that I'm really excited about that (but someone in this house is). I'm excited that tomorrow the day is just a teensy bit longer. that day after day after day we get more and more light until we're actually just swimming in it. ah, how I look forward to long summer nights. and warmth. I'm just sayin'.

so today I'm going to celebrate a return to the light. have a fabulous solstice everyone.

a-deal-a-day, now for babies

man, those one deal a day sites really feed on your impulse buying instincts, no? first it was steapandcheap, for that sick addiction of cheap gear. now it's babyhalfoff, for that sick addiction of cheap baby stuff. so what was today's deal? thirsties all-in-one cloth diapers. guess who found out about it too late? anna jo. blast!


and I was really excited about scoring one of these at such a sweet price. I really love the thirsties covers over my prefolds and fitted diapers, so I was interested to see how their AIO held up. {for all you cloth diapering newbies, an all-in-one has the water-proof cover plus the absorbant layers all sewn together, so you just throw the whole thing on easy peasy. it's kinda like a disposable, but you wash it instead of throwing it away. and it's cuter.} there is so much out there in the cloth diapering world and I just want to try it all! I think you could say I have a slight obsession with cloth.

big little man

last night we went to a holiday party for pete's extended family. there was a tiny, sweet little newborn babe there. only ten days old. so, so cute and so little. it's so hard to believe little miles pj was once that small too. and that was only three months ago. he never seemed so tiny and fragile for very long. he's solid. {and now weighing in at 14.4 pounds per the bathroom scale!}

it's so fun to watch him grow. he's learning new tricks. he's such a cute, smart, happy and growing little man.

[/end mamma gushing]

but baby it's cold outside

bundling up
for an outdoor adventure
someone isn't having as much fun
as the other

{post script: the bear suit no
longer fits the bear cub. sad.}

no impact man on the big screen!

I'm excited that the university of utah's social work department's green team is hosting the no impact man documentary on campus this coming monday. I've been following colin beavan, aka no impact man, for a while now and have always been fascinated by the whole project.

what I really loved about his adventure in lessening his impact is his realization that by consuming less he was actually a happier, healthier person. it's not about depriving yourself of everything, but simplifying and learning what you can really do with out. {he has a great bell curve graph HERE for those visual learners.}

so you should go watch the documentary too. it's free. and by the looks of it, there is a free raffle and free food as well. you had me at free food.

and if you're not a local, check this list to see if there is a screening near you.

{view the film's trailer HERE. it looks good, no?}

on a mission.

ugh. remember this shirt? how it's favorite but now it's too small? yeah. let's review why it's favorite again.

1. it has the fold over mitts. love love love the fold over mitts.
2. it's long sleeved. hello, it's december and it's cold. and it's even colder in my house.
3. it's not a onesie. I really like the fact that it's just a shirt. I like to layer here people, the plain onesie goes on underneath the cute shirt.
4. lastly, I love it because of the super cute ski lift patch. but that can be put on any shirt, so I don't know if that really technically counts for the purpose of my list.

so I was out and about spreading holiday cheer today (that means spending money, I guess) and tried finding a long sleeve white shirt with fold over mitts for my little guy. I went to BRU (I had a gift card, I don't think I'd normally shop there otherwise) and target (had some other holiday mischief at target anyway) and could not find what I wanted. for one thing, they were all onesies. and secondly, if I wanted long sleeves with the fold over mitts I could only get them in one of two sizes: newborn or 0-3 month (which isn't that practically the same thing anyway? come on!) I guess they figure people only want fold over mitts to protect faces from scratches, not for keeping hands a bit warmer.

so now I'm on a mission. to either find a shirt that meets my specifications in a 3-6 month size OR make my own.

I just might have to make my own, I fear. the ski lift patch needs a new home.

my foot!

is still dropped.

pete's prediction was better by thanksgiving. his new prediction is better by christmas. and hey, I know that christmas is true; I believe in christmas miracles.

and just so you all know, I once thought I had the back of an eighty year old woman but as it turns out I have the back of a healthy thirty year old. what a relief! I really was stressing over that. and the nerve damage isn't stemming from my lower back. again, what a relief! I'm convinced that it's from the pelvis--hello! childbirth!--but the spine guy says the next most likely place for this type of nerve damage is below the knee and that's where they would check next. (and then after that the next most likely place is the pelvis... which is where, I'm convinced, the damage happened.) but even if they check below the knee and my pelvis that won't affect my recovery time-frame.

so it's the same old story we've been hearing all along: wait it out. no one knows just how long that will take, though.

but the other day pete and I noticed movement in my toe. it's so subtle, so weak you can barely even see it, but it's there. I think. and I noticed a few days ago that the ligament (or tendon?) that runs across my ankle was responding. I think these are pretty big break throughs from a foot that was doing nothing at all for so long!

hello, december.

it's already here. december. I remember january, and that doesn't seem like so long ago. the new year, with new hopes and expectations. the fire crackers lit off in our front yard. oh, january, you are almost here again. time just tumbles forward, doesn't it?

now that thanksgiving has come and gone (goodbye dear, overlooked thanksgiving. you will be missed. until next year...) we are fully into the holiday season. it is a fun time, no? what with the lights, and the warmth, and the love of family and friends.

so let's embrace december before we slip into january again. let's slow it down. simplify it.

it usually rushes by too fast. there's too many commitments. too many things to do, things to buy. I don't want to feel like that this year. I want to create a cozy space for experiencing one's first holiday season. there will be lights. there will be warmth. there will be the love of family and friends.