In Summary...

No time (and quite frankly, no energy) for a full post, so here are just some random thoughts...

• People who teach arts and crafts to small children amaze me. My recent attempt at doing a craft with Nathan was less than successful. I'm not really a crafty-type person by nature, so that plus the usual toddler shenanigans were NOT a good combination :(
• The next time I mention we are planning massive renovations on our home during the holiday season with a toddler underfoot... someone PLEASE have me admitted to the psych ward.
• Sometimes you have to stop... take a few deep breaths... and force yourself to re-evaluate your priorities. Are the chores to be done? Always. Do the new cabinets need sanding? Yes. Should you be wrapping gifts and addressing Christmas cards? Probably. But is taking your almost-two-year-old to visit Santa and ride the Polar Express more important than the endless list of to-do items? Definitely!
• It's really cute and fun to watch your toddler run around and play with other kids. It's super awkward when the parent of one of those kids decides to yell (loudly) at their kid in front of you for something they think their kid did to your kid but that you didn't think was a big deal (i.e. little boys rough-housing a bit).
• And speaking of discipline, it's hard to know where and when to do it! Obviously you don't want to be THAT parent who lets their kid get away with murder. But when you're talking about a toddler, they're just starting to understand right from wrong. In addition, there's a difference between actual disobedience and just trying to test you as a parent. Figuring out when to react, whether to ignore, and how to respond... it's tough! 
• Nathan amazes me every. single. day. He busts out a new word or sentence that I had no idea he knew. He performs a task that I think will be too hard for him. He remembers things that I didn't think he understood when they occurred. He is amazing. I am in awe. Kids are just fascinating.
• Sleep is oh-so-important to my overall health and well-being. I haven't gotten nearly enough of it lately and I'm feeling it. Headaches. Fatigue. Catching a cold that I know I would have fought off easily if I weren't so exhausted. As soon as this remodel is over...
• Looking back recently at Nathan's one-year pictures, I can't believe how different I looked! I'm down 25 pounds since then, and I feel great. I'm actually below my pre-pregnancy weight at this point (not quite back to pre-fertility treatment weight). Because the weight appeared so gradually over time, I don't think I realized just how much I'd gained. Or how much it changed my appearance. I feel like now, I recognize myself. But even then, when the pictures were taken, I didn't quite see myself in them. I kept seeing how I used to look and the picture didn't make sense. Now... I feel like I make sense again when I see myself in a photo. This is where I should be weight-wise. This is me. It's great to feel like me again.

Enough rambling for tonight... Time for more Nyquil and off to bed!