It's beginning to look a lot like...

...my most favorite time of the year!

Here are a couple of pics taken in front of a big, beautiful tree at JFK, on our return trip from a fabulous Thankgiving celebration. 

Gaining lbs

When we went for Sophia's one year checkup, I was certain she'd be over 17lbs (because the scale at home said she was...). But she rang in at a sturdy 16lbs 10oz. That day I learned that when the nurse writes -3% for growth percentile, she means your baby is no longer on the charts because they don't track below the 3rd percentile. Fast forward six weeks to when we got our second round of flu shots. Sophia had felt heavier to me over the week leading up to the follow-up shots, and her daycare also commented that she seemed more solid. Plus, I'd put her in a few pairs of 12 month pants (instead of the 6 month "capris" she'd been sporting) and they actually stayed up! So I asked for a weight check....and she was up over 18lbs! I think the few oz over the 18lb mark were because she was still wearing a little bit of clothing so I'm not counting those...but I was impressed with how much she'd gained in 6 weeks. Hopefully Turkey Day did her some good and a forward facing car seat is in her future over the next year!

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's to hoping the rest of us stayed trim while enjoying heaps of delicious goodness!

A Nostalgic Night

A few nights ago we walked to the park. It was dark, since the sun sets early these days. We took our flashlights and enjoyed our little jaunt. We played at the park and eventually we made our way to the swings. At first it was just Aiden and me, swinging side by side...on the big kid swings. And then Ryan and Soph joined us, and as I watched my little girl in the baby swing and my big boy beside me, I couldn't help but get emotional thinking about how we used that swing set for the first time almost exactly three years ago, with a little boy who's bigger than I like to admit these days. On the way home from our walk he wanted to "ride" (okay, be carried) in the ergo, facing me, arms and legs wrapped around me. And this momma's emotions ran high and mixed all together, so much happiness, so much love and so much sadness that these moments will one day be over.