In between

It took time for me to write my last post, since that's typically my longest post of the year. And since then, as 2019 finished and 2020 began, lots of little things happened, smushed between past and present, one decade and the next. The time between Christmas and New Year's Day always feels like this to me.

As we transitioned into the new year, here are some favorite little things:

We've been on walks on mild days. Sometimes we go during the golden hour, which, thanks to the shorter days of winter, arrives at a more baby-bedtime-friendly time.

I've been on solo naptime walks (while Nicholas stayed home with Cooper) on a very cold, tiny-bit-snowy day.

Cooper is seven months old and doing so many new things. He sits up unassisted (for long periods of time), he's more chatty, and we've tried several new foods. He loves peek-a-boo, and he finds it hilarious if I put a (clean) burp cloth on his head. Bedtime stories are getting more and more fun as he reaches to touch the pages. His favorites right now are God Bless You and Good Night and See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book. He holds his arms out when he wants us to pick him up. He belly laughs and looks toward the door when I ask him, "Where's daddy?" towards the end of a weekday. He will grasp my hair, then his, then mine, then his, and so on. When I'm preparing food, I set him up in the high chair and hand him a measuring cup, saying he's helping mama bake. He loves it. And I love this stage! It's incredible to see the world through this little boy's eyes.

I've been using a few Christmas gifts a lot, including a leather backpack purse that's large enough to hold a couple of cloth diapers, wipes, a wet bag, and my wallet. It's hands-free, plus it's cute.

Drinking Fika Coffee (ps, that's pronounced fee-kah, if you've ever wondered), after brewing it in Nicholas' new coffee press, a Palm Press. Part pour-over, mostly immersion, we love the clean, but full-bodied cup of coffee it makes. And it's easy to clean too!

I'm slowly knitting away on the second sock in a pair of Christmas socks. They are so fun!

We bought a new mirror for our bedroom.  It's round, and I love the visually soft edges in contrast to a lot of right angles.

We had a mellow New Year's Day at home. I dressed Coop in overalls, wore my Tecumseh sweater, and held this baby on my hip a lot. In the afternoon, my in-laws came over for coffee.

I spent some time (maybe too much time) looking at photos on Facebook from a decade ago. It's incredible how different my life was in 2010. We were such babies! The photo of us together was taken at a formal dance our freshman year.

Cooper and I have been spending our days reading books, bouncing in a bouncy activity center, sitting up, squealing, chewing on silicone spoons, getting new diapers, napping, and snuggling.

I made a citrus-infused water with this formula (which is entirely adaptable to what you have on hand) : the juice of 1 grapefruit, 2 oranges, 2 lemons, and 2 limes (for approximately 1 cup juice), strained + 4 cups filtered water. Shake before pouring, and serve over ice. It's so refreshing and I love citrus this time of year, when it's in season.

Cooper and I visited friends and friends visited us, as well.

We've taken the Subaru in for an oil change and entertained ourselves in the waiting room. We've done grocery store trips, and filled the car with gas, made trips to the post office and the bank.

I found this vintage video about a step-saving kitchen utterly fascinating. And I've been watching a lot of videos from Food52, including this one about chocolate cookies (yum)!

I organized Cooper's outgrown clothing, sorting it into bins, and labeling them with washi tape.

I went on a day trip to Chicago with Cooper and my mother- and sister-in-law. We had a yummy lunch at Quartino, which has one of my very favorite bathrooms, which sounds odd, but it's the best. We then walked around, did a little shopping, Katelyn and I bought matching shirts, and we got coffee. Then we picked up Nicholas at his office, so he didn't have to take the commuter bus home. Cooper was such a good sport all day, despite going long stretches between naps. He rode in the stroller, but also snuggled up against me in the carrier for much of the day.

Weather-wise, temperatures been hovering around freezing, and the snowfalls we've had take all different forms: little snowballs, like pearl sugar, heavy and falling quickly. Or the slushy, just-barely-not-rain snow. Or last night's glittery snow, with tiny, shimmery particles, so lightweight you can barely feel them hit your face.

I love looking out Cooper's bedroom window to see the snow-covered hydrangeas and pink sunrises.

I drove around on a particularly foggy afternoon to let Cooper get a better carseat catnap.

And that's been life. Slow and cozy, and lots of very everyday things. Family time, and to-do lists, rest, and productivity. And well, life.