Eleven Months

Dear Owen,

Mr. Bear!  You have only a month left before your first birthday.  It's unbelievable to me how quickly these eleven months have passed and how much you have changed and grown.  Each month has been more enjoyable than the last and this month was no exception.  In some ways, it was our most challenging month but you are worth the missing sleep and hard moments.

You cut four teeth!  It was a VERY long process that involved you going through what felt like a continuous month long cold.  Between a very runny nose and all of the mouth pain, there were some tough days and nights.  When you got your two bottom teeth, it was kind of icky for a couple of days and then BOOM! two teeth!  This time we could see all four of the top teeth before they actually cut and it was a weeks long situation.  It was hard for you, I'm sure, and very sad/frustrating for us that we couldn't help you more.  There was a lot of Baby Advil and Tylenol in your life this month.

You're also a babbling fool.  You say all of the same things and you've gotten really good at signing "more", although sometimes it's more like clapping your hands.  It's funny to watch you try to communicate with us.  Sometimes we get confused because you clap/sign more quite a bit!  (Always "more" for food!)

You've had some fun adventures this month.  Gram came to see you for a couple of days, but unfortunately the weather was icky and icy so we mostly stayed home.  We also had Grandpa River and Grandma Bean in town for a nice visit.  We went to Klyde Warren Park and ate a nice dinner at a restaurant in the new hip neighborhood, Trinity Groves.  We found the Big D B&G letters and got some funny photos.  We went to the Arboretum for the first time this year with Natalie and Jack.  You had a great time even though you got a little cranky with me because it was too cold for you to just sit in the water and play.  You did get to splash around a little.

We celebrated St Patrick's Day by playing in the backyard and enjoying the mild weather.  You were getting over a particularly nasty version of your omnipresent cold that day so there were lots of Boogie Wipes involved in our celebrations.  We did spend the afternoon of St Pat's weekend down in Salado at the Big Green Egg Fest.  Alli Rae came to meet us and you ate all sorts of things including green chile chili and River's spicy meatloaf.

I got you a little walker at a garage sale and you love to push it all over the living room (and into the doggies if they don't move out of the way).  You do really well with it and you still cruise all over the house like a wild man, using the furniture and walls to make your way.  You have taken a few independent steps, usually just one at a time, toward us.  You kind of lunge/hurl yourself more so than actually walking so you have a little bit more work to do.  I know it won't be long before you're really moving, we assume by next month (your 1 year update?! What?!) you will be a full-fledged walking man.

You are a rockstar at all of your swimming lessons.  Currently, you are up to 7 seconds underwater and you even learned to kick your legs and swim to me without the instructor holding you.  It's amazing to watch you progress in the water.  You still seem to love going every week and you love observing all the other kids in your class.

Unfortunately, we had to miss one lesson this month.  We spent almost an entire week with both you and I sick as dogs!  You had been congested and stuffy for basically the entire month, which we assumed was cold after cold since you were teething for so long.  On Monday, you didn't nap well in the afternoon and fell asleep for a second time with me on the couch.  My first clue that something was wrong was that you weren't even happy when we went outside to play.  When you woke up from the second cat nap, I took your temperature and since it was a fever, we made an appointment to see the on call doctor for after hours.  We confirmed that you had another ear infection (#4 for those counting) and got some antibiotics.  This was the sickest, by far, that you had ever been.  You kept spiking fevers and life was a constant stream of alternating tylenol and advil for the next 3 days.  I was also feeling icky and by Thursday morning, I broke down and went to the doctor to find out I had strep.  Luckily Mimzy was available and helped us a lot this week so you didn't have to go to classes or the doctor with me.  It was no fun watching you be a sick fever baby.  Luckily, as this month ends, we're both on the mend and doing better and we can catch up with swimming next week!  We have to keep monitoring your ear stuff though and fingers are crossed that we are done with infections for this year.

Sick or teething or not, you are still the happiest little guy around.  You make us laugh every single day and you try to smile even when you are miserable.  We love your easy going disposition and even though you are impossible to keep still for more than a minute, we are having the best time watching you grow.

Love,
Mommy

Stats and Milestones:

Height and Weight: (weighed at the dr on 4/4) 26 lbs, 13 oz and 32 (!!!) inches long

Diaper Size:  size 5 

Clothing Size: you've started to grow out of everything that is 18 month and below.  2T it is! I'm basically skipping 24 months for the most part since 2T usually has a little more length

First Green Egg Fest:  3/15

First St. Patrick's Day:  3/17

You sleep from around 7-6:30 or 7 every night.  You only wake up at night when the teething is bad or you're running a fever.  You dropped down to 3 bottles a day and you don't always finish them.  We've started sippy cups with water and you're finally understanding how to drink from them!

You take two naps a day.  About 45 min-1 hour in the morning and about 1.5-2.5 hours in the afternoon.  Occasionally, you just do one longer nap a day for closer to 3 hours.  When you were sick, you marathon napped for 1-1.5 hours in the morning and 3-3.5 hours in the afternoon.  It was crazy! 

You cruise and crawl all over the place and have started taking some independent steps. 

Nicknames:  Owen Bear, Mr. Bear, Beary-Boo, Mr. O, Beary, Bud

Things you love:  food! you love beans and we do lots of quesadillas.  This month you've really mastered picking up and eating slimy pieces of avocado and it is definitely a favorite.  you also love:  going out to eat, pizza from Tony's, exploring other people's houses (especially non baby proofed homes), playgroup, being outside on your swing, water (especially the swimming pool or anything you can splash in)

Things you don't love:  being put in the "pen", which is your packNplay so Mommy can cook dinner; being hungry or tired; waiting between bites of yogurt; when you are on the wrong side of your living room "baby jail"; teething; fevers; ear infections

Ten Months

Dear Owen,

I cannot believe you are ten whole months old.  Double digits!  You change so much with each month that passes and month 10 was no exception.  You are starting to show that you understand some of the things that are happening around you, especially some words and phrases.  You clap your hands on command and when we say, "Are you hungry?" you make your grunting noises.  It's fun starting to communicate with you a little bit more.  You babble a lot and make sounds for your "ba-ba" (bottle? sometimes you mean water or food).  You say "mama" and "dada" a lot but I don't think you use them to identify us just yet.

Physically, you are cruising all over everything.  We have the living room pretty well organized to make moving from furniture piece to piece pretty easy for you.  Almost everything has a soft edge and you love to rotate around on the ottoman.  You even take your little activity table and push it around like a push walker.  You rarely stay seated for long and prefer to be up and moving.

We celebrated Valentine's Day with our playgroup buddies!  We had a great afternoon party at the park and the weather was sunny and perfect for you to play with your Mom's Club friends.

We also had a little bit of snow.  It wasn't too cold when it first started so we bundled up and you got to ride in your swing for a few minutes as it was falling.  It was so pretty and you and the doggies had fun outside.  It was my favorite kind of snow because it was fluffy and light and didn't hang around on the streets for long.

Mimzy came over and stayed with you and the doggies for a few days while Dad and I went to San Francisco.  He had a work trip that fell on his birthday so I got to go with him.  You behaved very well for your grandmother and I think she had a good time with you.  We got lots of good nap reports and other than Higgins eating two of your pacis, all the doggies and babies were good boys.   On the tail end of Mimzy's stay, you started cutting one of your eye-teeth or vampire teeth.  There are three more teeth on the top trying to break through.

You started some serious swimming lessons this month at Emler Swim School.  They are teaching you how to climb out of the pool on your own and be safe in the water.  You LOVE it.  You are the biggest kid in your class and also the youngest (not surprising).  You love to watch the other kids and parents and you do great with all the teachers.  It's so fun to watch you get even more confident in the water.

We went to your friend Kyle's 5th birthday party this month and it was at a really cool bowling alley.  They had this little alligator that helped hold the ball so you even got to bowl a little bit with Daddy.  It was so fun!  They were serving pizza at the party and I was going to split a piece with you until you grabbed it and ate the whole thing yourself.  You continue to be an excellent eater.

Each month with you, watching you learn and grow, has been even more fun than the last.  I'm so thankful that we ended up with you in our family.  I loved you so much when you were a tiny baby but watching you become a little boy is a blast.  Daddy and I spend so much time just laughing with you and having fun.  I hope you always stay so sweet and happy.

Love,
Mommy

Stats and Milestones:

Height and Weight: we didn't measure this month since technically you would have been 10 months on the 30th and there is no 30th of Feb!

Diaper Size:  size 5 

Clothing Size: 18 month and some of those are getting tight, you have a few 24m and 2T things in rotation

First swimming lesson at Emler: 1/31

First bowling birthday party:  2/8

First Valentine's Day:  2/14 (you gave your Valentine to Mimzy)

You sleep from around 7-6:30 or 7 every night.  You only wake up at night when the teething is bad.  You drink 4 bottles a day for a total of 26 oz or less.  

You take two naps a day.  About 45 min-1 hour in the morning and about 1.5-2.5 hours in the afternoon.   

You are cruising around the house and crawling faster!  

Nicknames:  Owen Bear, Mr. Bear, Beary-Boo, Mr. O, Beary, Bud

Things you love:  food of all kinds but especially greek yogurt and Ritz crackers; your swing; being a "standin' up baby"; your activity table

Things you don't love:  your exersaucer; being put in the "pen", which is your packNplay so Mommy can cook dinner; being hungry or tired; waiting between bites of yogurt 

9 months!

Dear Owen,

You are nine months old, three quarters of a year.  This weekend, you will have been on the outside for longer than you were on the inside, which we think is a fun little factoid.  You are, as you always have been, the happiest and most animated little guy.  You love to babble (da-da-da being your favorite sound to make) all the time.  You smile and laugh just about every time you meet someone.  You are so happy to sit and play both independently and with someone else playing with you.

You still prefer to army crawl, which we theorize is because of our slippery hardwood floors and tile.  You can crawl on hands and knees but you scoot on your belly much faster.  You can pull up on furniture and you love to climb up on us to stand.  You can stand at your activity table for 20+ minutes at a time just playing with everything.

We spent a week in Florida this month for your first trip outside of the state of Texas.  You did so well on both plane rides.  We had a challenging experience on the way because it was just me alone with you and it involved a major Mommy mistake when you fell out of your stroller at the TSA checkpoint at Love Field.  You had a pretty big goose egg on your head but you shook it off and were a little trooper on the way to Orlando.

We had a great time in Florida and you spent some time with Aunt Linda and Great Grandma Shirl.  Uncle Preston was also there for our entire trip.  We went to the pier, the beach and we got in the pool at Gram's house for a couple of brief swims.  The weather was really nice and we even wore some shorts and short sleeves for a few days while we were there.

We drove to San Antonio for a weekend and you stayed with Grandpa River and Grandma Bean overnight while Daddy and I went to Austin and ran a half marathon.  The weather was great and you spent most of the time outside in the yard and on the swing.

You had a little more separation anxiety this month and you do have a strong preference for being with Daddy and me, but you are still well behaved when you are with everyone else.  I can't know what you are feeling since you don't have the words to tell us just yet, but I can only imagine that you are a tough little man.  You have been battling ear stuff since November and had another round of antibiotics this month.

Days with a baby who is in transition to becoming a toddler have their challenging moments.  You fight like crazy when we have to change your diaper or clothes.  It is like wrestling with a little bear!  You don't have the understanding to know what I mean when I say "no" when you are bound and determined to pick up the floor lamp or play with a cord that you shouldn't be.  You get frustrated and impatient when you are ready to take the next bite (especially of Greek yogurt or applesauce) and sometimes scream at us.  But mostly, you are a joy to be around.  You laugh and smile with ease and only cry if you are hurting and/or frustrated.  You are learning so much about the world around you because you are curious and observe everything.  You are easy to take just about anywhere when you are well-napped.  You still sleep at night like a little champ, which we greatly appreciate, and you take two decent naps a day.  I'm hoping we can get things resolved with your ears soon because I hope you aren't in too much pain!  I hope you are always this happy as time goes on.

(your nine month shoot was a blur, you are a wild man!)

Love,
Mommy

Stats and Milestones:

Height and Weight: from 9 mo appointment on 2/3- 30 inches, 25 lbs and 4 oz

Diaper Size:  size 5 

Clothing Size: 18 months with a couple of 12 month holdovers and 24 month/2T in some stuff

First time leaving the state of TX: 1/23, flight to Orlando

First time meeting Great Grandma Shirl:  1/24

You sleep from around 7-7.  You usually nap between 8-9 and again in the afternoon from 1:30-3:30 on most days.  

You are army crawling (occasionally you'll use all fours) all over the place and you pull up to stand.  You love to climb up people and our ottoman.   

Nicknames:  Owen Bear, Mr. Bear, Beary-Boo, Mr. O, The Baby, Beary

Things you love:  mealtime, your backyard and especially your swing, bathtime, swimming, when Daddy gets home from work

Things you don't love:  diaper changes and getting dressed; when we don't feed you fast enough for your liking; being told no

Eight Months

Dear Owen,

Each month has been awesome but there is something so magical about a baby's first Christmas and your eighth month with us was truly special.  Celebrating the holidays coincided with so many of your biggest milestones to date.  The first week of the month, you started to babble in earnest.  You have so much to say and I love it when you talk.  Sometimes it's almost like you are shy to speak and you wait until you think that no one is paying attention to you to have a little conversation with yourself.  Your biggest sounds so far have been ba-ba-ba, da-da-da, blah-blah, ra-ra and la-la (and variations of all of the above).  We love your little voice and you get very vocal at meal times.  You even growl like a little bear.

You are working so hard on mobility.  You started by really pushing up onto all fours and doing a lot of rocking and by the end of the month, you have mastered army crawling.  You mostly only like to crawl when you are going for something fun that you shouldn't have like the curtains or a cell phone.  You've taken a few steps toward really crawling with your bottom in the air but you get frustrated pretty easily.

You have two teeth!  They are coming in on the bottom.  Your ear infection that would not die was still going on and you started having a pretty upset stomach at the same time.  I just assumed that it was related to the ear infection and/or antibiotics but then your dad found two teeth right around the time that your tummy got better.  Unfortunately, you make it pretty hard to get any pictures with said teeth, so you'll just have to trust me that they are in there.

We had the "Icemageddon" storm here in Dallas.  It meant that we had Daddy home for an extra day that week and you got to go out and "sit" in the snow/ice for a few minutes.  We were lucky to have power throughout the weekend since so many people in our neighborhood did not.  The snow and ice didn't melt for almost five days!  The first night of the storm was my birthday so you were left with a babysitter (that wasn't Mimzy) for the first time.  Miss Courtney came to watch you while we enjoyed my fancy birthday dinner out.  

You are still enjoying meals and we try to eat at least two a day with you.  Greek Yogurt is still probably your most favorite food but you continue to try just about everything we give you.  Your teeth are seeming to help you make progress with eating but you're also starting to master the pincer grip and getting better at putting food in your mouth.  Other than yogurt you love: broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potato fries, carrots, meatballs, and bread of any kind.  You got to eat at some special restaurants for Christmas and birthday occasions.  We went to LARK on the Park with the Smiths for my birthday, Savor with your grandparents at Christmas and Tillman's Roadhouse to celebrate Mimzy's birthday.  You were so well behaved at each place.  You even got to sit at the chef's table at Savor.  Little man, you are special!  Not even eight months old and you've already enjoyed some very fine dining.

Christmas was so fun!  Your Papa arrived on Monday morning and Grandpa River and Grandma Bean got here shortly after.  You sat in church with us for the Christmas Eve family service and went up for the Children's Sermon for the very first time.  We had a bunch of people at the house for tamales and chili on Christmas Eve and you were great at the party until it was time to leave out cookies for Santa and go to bed.  Santa came to visit you and you were very blessed this Christmas with so many things.  We even started a little savings account for you for some of the money you've received.  Daddy made us a fantastic brisket and we had a great Christmas lunch with Mimzy and Papa.  Alli Rae and Gram arrived on the 26th and we just kept right on celebrating all weekend.  Among other things, you got tons of toys, an activity table to stand at, and a very special swing for the backyard.

It was a big month!  We had so much to celebrate for the holidays this year but most of it was related to you.  You are such a happy little man.  You charm everyone you meet no matter where we are.  Each month we see a little more of who you are and somehow you become even more lovable.  Your little voice is so funny and you have a special laugh noise and smiles for those of us who are around you the most.  It's pretty special, just like you are.

Love always,
Mommy

Stats and Milestones:

Height and Weight: close to 30 inches, right around 25 lbs. (measured at home)

Diaper Size:  size 5 (made the switch this month)

Clothing Size: 12 and 18 month (mostly 18s) and you have a couple of 2T things that fit

First fancy dinner out (LARK on the Park): 12/7

First dinner at the Chef's Table (Savor):  12/23

First Christmas (!): 12/25

You sleep from around 7-7 every night.  I can't remember the last time you woke up during the night.  You are drinking about 30-35 oz. a day and we started eating breakfast, lunch and dinner together this month.  You eat Cheerios, fruit and applesauce for breakfast and usually what we eat for lunch and dinner.  

You usually take two naps a day.  About 45 min-1 hour in the morning and about 1.5 hours in the afternoon.   

You are an army crawler and will move to get something you want, which is very rarely a toy.  You prefer cell phones, remotes and computers.  

Nicknames:  Owen Bear, Mr. Bear, Beary-Boo, Mr. O, The Baby, Beary

Things you love:  food of all kinds but especially greek yogurt and Ritz crackers; your swing; having someone help you stand up; your activity table; having family around to celebrate the holidays

Things you don't love:  diaper changes and getting dressed; when we don't feed you fast enough for your liking; being told no when you want to do silly things like pull on the curtains 

To Do in 2014

My 2013 To Do List didn't turn out all that bad, despite that I really had no idea what to expect of my life with all of the changes.  I accomplished most of the things that I set out to do, so that is pretty great. Onward and upward, here's my 14 for '14.

1.  Get back to pre-baby weight and more importantly pre-baby body self-image.  I'd like to be able to wear the things in my closet.

2.  Only shop for and buy quality pieces for my wardrobe.

3.  Throw a super fun first birthday party for Owen.

4.  Continue our family Christmas traditions that we started this year.  We had a great holiday and it was perfect for our future as a family of three.

5.  Get my own cycle class.

6.  Enroll Owen in Mother's Day Out for the fall and along with that, teach at another gym/studio that is out of my comfort zone.  (This might end up being #5 as well!)

7.  Attend at least 2 classes that are not my own yoga classes per month.  This is, sadly, a big challenge right now.

8. Ride in at least one organized bike ride.

9.  Run a half marathon in under 2 hours.

10.  Find a place to volunteer and/or get more involved with our church.

11.  Continue to be involved with my mom's group and Owen's playgroup. (This turned out to be one of the best things I put on my list last year!)

12.  Continue to write Owen's monthly update letters for 2014.

13.  Travel more.  Make Vegas happen.  Take Owen to Boston.  Go on a trip that is just me (maybe DC or San Diego?).  Better plan for our 4th anniversary weekend.

14. Read 10 books.  Turn off my phone at 9:00 every night and read before bed.

2013

The annual Sundry year-in-review

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?

had a baby and all the various things that accompany being a parent for the first time - what a roller coaster! 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I did make a "to do" list and I accomplished several, if not most, of the items on said list.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

other than myself, a ton of people did and there were 4 of us that gave birth within three weeks of each other 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

no funerals in 2013, and that is enough to make it a pretty good year in my book

5. What countries did you visit?

just stayed here in the good ole US of A this year.  

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you didn't have in 2013?

this is a tough question, probably a better self-image.  After having the baby, things have been a  constant struggle of gaining and losing the same few lbs.  I still have anywhere from 10-20 lbs to go to get back to my pre-baby weight, which was a pretty happy body place for me. 

7. What dates from 2013 will be etched upon your memory, and why?

April 29-30, labor and delivery.  I definitely see that as a defining moment in my life. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Making it through the first month of Owen's life.  I was woefully unprepared for what being the mother of a newborn was really going to entail.  Also, the hormones.  Not cool. 

9. What was your biggest failure?

Hmm... I don't really see our breastfeeding journey as a failure but it was a struggle.  My biggest failure is probably failing to just put my damn phone down and quit scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I was hospitalized for dehydration in January.  Blech.  

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Probably the Rock N Play that I ordered when Owen was a couple days old.  It was so much easier than trying to hold him and sleep on the couch with the coffee table and pillows preventing me from dropping him.  

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Adam, definitely.  He was my rock throughout what turned out to be a difficult pregnancy and he has been the most patient and amazing father.  I also think we got pretty lucky with a very happy baby who likes to sleep.  Carry on with the good behavior, Owen! 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Appalled and depressed are strong words but probably Higgins dog.  We had a rough year at times, he had a tough time adjusting to Milo and the baby.  Overall though, he's wonderful with the baby and has really rehabilitated himself.  If only he'd quit being so curious and escaping our back yard!  

14. Where did most your money go?

A huge chunk went to the condo foreclosure settlements.  That sucked but we're so thankful that it's over now and we can move on with our lives.  Car payment, rent and having a baby sucked quite a bit of cash away too.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Having the baby!  Getting said baby out of my body! Being a mom!

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?

Clarity by Zedd.  It was getting pretty popular right before Owen was born and even made it as one of the only super upbeat songs on my labor playlist.  It was one of those rare songs that had staying power and they were still playing it fairly regularly on XM though the end of the year. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

a) happier, all of the life changes have been hard at times but mostly awesome and rewarding

b) I think I might weigh a little bit more than I did last year at this time, despite being 22 weeks pregnant.  BOOOOO.

c) richer, in life without a doubt.  Probably break even in the money department, despite me quitting my full-time job.  Adam had an unexpectedly awesome year at work. 

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

traveled but that might always be my answer 

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

cry

20. How did you spend Christmas?

This was the year of starting new traditions: we went to church on Christmas Eve and then hosted an Open House afterward.  Christmas morning, we had my mom, father-in-law, dad and stepmom with us to open presents with Owen.  Dad and Eileen left after presents and we ate a fantastic Christmas lunch of brisket. Adam and I spent the entire day in our pajamas, which I hope can be a lasting tradition. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2013?

Duh!  How could I not fall in love with this little nugget?

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Same answer as last year, "House People", aka just about anything on HGTV.  Also, Dateline with Lester Holt (I love Lester a lot).

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No.

24. What was the best book you read?

I thoroughly enjoyed Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Spotify.  It's the best.  

26. What did you want and get?
A healthy baby.  Too many other possession-y things to count.  As usual, I am spoiled by my sweet husband.

27. What did you want and not get?
Probably nothing! 

28. What was your favorite film of 2013?
Argo was awesome

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
The big 3-2!  I taught my normal 6:00 a.m. class, hosted Owen's playgroup, spent Owen's afternoon nap on the couch just snuggling with him, we had a babysitter watch Owen and we went to a rockstar dinner at Stampede 66.  It was the start of the great Ice Storm in Dallas that night but we had a great time. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Again, probably nothing.  It was a banner year.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2013?
yoga pants and/or whatever else stretches and can fit.  Womp womp womp. 

32. What kept you sane?
teaching yoga, friends that have been there done that with babies that told me things would get better

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
exactly the same as last year

I have a list but most of it can be attributed to so-called "Christians" who use their "religion" to judge other people for their actions.
-Men who talk about abortion.  My thoughts are as such:  You have no uterus, you have no say.  I also don't understand why America constantly needs to argue an issue that is between a woman, her doctor, her beliefs and potentially her sexual partner.
-Anyone who is against gay marriage.  What harm does it cause to you?  Live and let live.
-Assault weapons.  I have yet to hear a good argument about why anyone needs one of these other than maybe our military.  Deer don't need to be shot with a semi-automatic rifle. 

for all three things, I continue to wait for someone to make a valid and/or sane argument as to why I should change my mind.

34. Who did you miss?
my Grandmother, she would have loved to meet Owen.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
do you really have to ask?

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

Absolutely it was "this too shall pass" just when I thought I couldn't take one more night of broken sleep, Owen figured out how to sleep all night long.  Just when I hit a breaking point with basically everything parenting related, we magically figured it out.