A new year brings new beginnings

Christmas #2 with cousin Monica

A new year has arrived and I find I'm feeling a bit nostalgic about saying goodbye to 2010 since it was such an incredible year. I've learned and loved more than I thought was possible this past year and 2010 will always be in my mind, the year of the baby. Hopefully 2011 will be the year of the baby who sleeps!

Today is my last day of maternity leave. How did that ever happen? Part of me feels ready to re-enter the real world, but part of me wants my life and little family to stay just like this forever! Luckily I will only be working on a really exciting contract part time for the next few months, which means I only need to be at the office 1.5 days a week which is a great way to transition into life as a working mom. Alan is able to look after Cale on the days when I'm working, so we are also very lucky not to need child care immediately.

Caleb is incredibly fun to be around right now. He is learning so much - mimicking speech, saying a few words (mama, dada, uh-oh and a big favorite is hat which means both hat and light and maybe a few other things) and he finally learned to clap! According to my What to Expect the First Year book, clapping should have happened a few months ago, so we've really been trying to encourage him (not that I compare him to the book often, but it was still a skill I wanted him to master). Finally over Christmas he decided it was time and he's been clapping non stop ever since! He has also taken his first steps!! Not a full on walk yet, but definite steps to get between people. I'm so glad that Alan and I can continue to enjoy these changes and milestones for a few more months.

Since I'll be returning to work, the time has come to really get serious about Caleb's sleeping habits. Of course, we completely regressed back into co-sleeping all the time over the holidays, but now it is back to the crib and no more night feedings. Last night went better than I would have thought, so here's to hoping that by Cale's first birthday he'll be sleeping consistently through the night. I'll write another sleep update in a few days to let you know how things are progressing.

Happy New Year everyone!