Once this is done, I can look forward, with clearer eyes, a lighter heart. I so often feel lighter from observing the heavy pieces one last time before putting them to the side, emptying my hands in order to take up the next year in our life. Knitting: Creatively, the start of the year felt a little slow, since morning sickness derailed any interest in much of anything. I did regain my knitting mojo, but then life circumstances were hectic with a cross-country move, etc...

Cooper woke up a little earlier than his usual, as of late. He gave me big, sloppy kisses when I got him from his crib today. I ate my breakfast while he sat next to me in his high chair, fascinated. He smiled and laughed as he dropped toys on the ground, sitting up so tall, like a little boy (not so much a baby anymore, but still my baby forever)...

Some of the smaller moments in this season are the ones I adore the most. Beside the Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, etc., there are so many sweet moments, tucked in, nearly missed unless I make a point to see them. Here are a few highlights from the last few weeks:Hot cocoa with these candy cane marshmallows (definitely a dessert drink, but very fun and Christmasy)This YouTube channel about a couple living in rural Sweden, off the grid...

In the past several weeks, we started implementing a bit more of a schedule for Cooper. And as such, we've seen him go from napping a maximum of forty minutes at a time to now napping for two hours (sometimes I have to wake him up after two hours), almost daily. A friend told me early on in motherhood to remind myself of the adage My joy is not dependent on how well my baby naps/sleeps. And that is true! That said, longer naps have been restorative for both me and Cooper...

It's been awhile since I wrote a knitting-focused post, but I have been knitting away over the past few months. Many of my projects are secret (or nearly secret) until after Christmas, but I did finish a sweater for Cooper that I wanted to share before the onslaught of finished Christmas gifts.I've knit this pattern once before, for a friend's little girl, so I was familiar with the construction. That said, it's a lovely pattern, but it does require a lot of finishing work (seamed hem, sewn-on buttons, attached i-cord neckline, etc)...