January brought a few really cold days and a few above average days. There’s always that weird lull that happens in the first month of the year after the craziness of the holiday season. There wasn’t a lot that happened with this family of mine this month, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Here’s what January looked like in review.

I AM CURRENTLY…

Still living in nursing tanks. But I did replace all my old makeup and bought some fresh stuff that I’m sure will take me three years to use up again. And yes I’m fully aware how gross that it. I’m still on “maternity leave” which means I haven’t pitched any articles to publications, but instead am fueling my creative side with writing more on the blog. I’ve missed it. I think all the hustling I did last year wore me out mentally, so I’ve been riding this break. I also decided to do a year of grocery delivery and I may never go back. Other methods of me-time include face masks where Olivia tells me, “OK Mama! You can be the scary ghost and I be the girl who runs!”

CHRIS IS CURRENTLY…

Back to running. He got a bunch of cold weather running gear for Christmas and has been back to running about five miles during his lunch break. He started on Juice Plus at the start of the year (read: I made him) because I was sick of his constant winter cold. So far…he’s OK though he keeps trying to get sick on me. He reorganized his office desk downstairs and now has a YOUGE monitor and turned his other widescreen one on its side so now he has this YOUGE set up for when he works from home (though I think he secretly did it to play computer games).

OLIVIA IS CURRENTLY…

Dealing with some very dry skin. Seriously. Inherited this from her daddy and we’re trying the Cetaphil cream to see if it helps. She’s starting Lunch Bunch on Thursdays at preschool where she gets to stay an extra hour and a half to eat lunch with her friends and so far she thinks it’s the coolest thing over. She continues to love all things art and her coloring has been really impressive with how well she can stay in the lines. Daddy is life and she finds any excuse she can to sit on his lap or climb on him.

EMELIA IS CURRENTLY…

Smiling. Cooing. Getting her cheeks caught on things because they’re so big and fluffy. She’s really interacting more with us and with objects around her. Her evening sleep and naps have been a hit or a miss, so I’m not sure if she’s starting a sleep regression. She loves her elephant lovie that is covered in tags and we’ll catch her gnawing on it periodically. She still hasn’t rolled from her tummy to back, but she’s getting close.

THE GOOD

• We made it until midnight on New Year’s. Sort of.
• Emelia’s hemangiomas are cosmetic, and there’s no medical concern for them.
• I bought a new purse and boots (unheard of for me, but they’re so CUUUUTE!)
• I also kept a super cute cardigan from Stitch Fix.
• Chris and I got out on our monthly date and I successfully used chopsticks on my stir fry ramen for the first time.
• Chris and I are doing a 30-day yoga challenge. Olivia is participating when we do it before her bedtime. She’s got a killer tree pose.

THE BAD

• My anxiety has been up this month waiting for the stomach bug to hit our house.
• It’s been pretty overcast most days and there are even days where we need lights on in the house and it does me no favors for my mental health.
• We’ve been having some frustrations with SURPRISE! our insurance. Specifically, because they continue to tell us we have unlimited chiropractor visits yet the company they contract out to for, whatever medical review, is telling us, specifically Emelia and me, that they’re severely limited our coverage or cutting us off outright. This is a problem because the chiropractor is keeping me from needing physical therapy, and Emelia is being treated for torticollis. I hate insurance companies.
• I ate way too much Chick-fil-a this month.
• I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I no longer have any shame posting photos of me in various states of undress to the internet with a baby smushed into my boobs. Sorry, not sorry.

ON MY MIND

• At what point can I take the Christmas decorations down without crossing the line from appearing too busy to pathetic?
• Is it a bad thing that I ate too much Chick-fil-a?
• Going through my old blog posts is bringing back a lot of memories of my IVFs. In fact, there was one night I stood in our kitchen telling Chris about reading the post where I was on bed rest after my second IVF—and it just brought back so much that I started crying.
• We’re implementing some new parenting tactics from a book my therapist borrowed me. There are different approaches depending on if we want Olivia to stop doing something, or start to do something.
• We’re planning our Valentine’s date. This is because I love to eat, especially at nice restaurants. They’re my jam.
• The helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter, among others.
• How amazing this photo is.