THANK GOD 2011 is over. For 2012, we don't need anything spectacular -- I'd be happy with a slow, boring, uneventful, but healthy year. Despite our bumpy road in 2011, we did have a lovely Christmas, with - as Bill pointed out repeatedly to everyone who came within 10 feet of our house - the world's most beautiful Christmas tree. It truly was gorgeous. And this year, we got smarter and put plastic ornaments on the bottom, significantly reducing the volume of glass shards that occurred last year when Owen could no longer restrain himself and had to pluck them off and huck them across the room. We were able to celebrate with friends and family for Christmas, and then headed to Tahoe in search of some snow and Mac and Owen's Bennett cousins. Unfortunately, it was clear and largely sunny the whole week, with not a snowflake to be found. We drove all the way to the top of Mount Rose (10,000 feet) just to find a patch of ice to take the kids sledding. They had a great time an...
I remember my friend Janet using the term 'freakishly strong' to describe her oldest daughter's kung fu grip. I'm not sure if this bizarre feature exists in all babies, but I swear Mackay could break some weightlifting records for her weight class. At almost 9 months old and 16 pounds, she is literally walking up the side of her pack-n-play, hanging on furiously to the top with her little arms and hands. The day will soon be here where she can no longer be contained...Shudder. On the other hand, she's finally discovered the joys of food. Her favorites are yogurt, mozzarella cheese, wheat bread, fruit of any kind, and whatever we are eating - the spicier the better. As long as it's not baby food, she'll eat it. Go figure.
Fellow moms, you let me down. I was critically misinformed about the amount of sticky mess that a 1 year old can produce. How is it possible that one baby can cover 500+ square feet with drool, food scraps, and general gunk in less than 30 minutes? The combined effort of vacuum, Swiffer, broom and sponge cannot hope to keep up. If you don't hear from me for a day or two, please send help. I may be stuck to the kitchen floor.