Sweet little baby is 9 months old!! We celebrated Christmas early before heading down to South Carolina to spend time with Buck’s family. We’re so thankful to be able to take time to rest and enjoy this season!

London update:

• She is 20 lb and 28 in long!
• She started waving “hello” and “goodbye” on Friday!
• She is still almost walking (taking one or two steps at a time on her own, before she realizes that crawling is faster and easier). I’m half hoping that she takes off while we’re hanging with grandparents, and half hoping that she waits another few months before changing my life complete.
• Girlfriend never sits still. If she’s awake, she wants to be moving, and is curious and into everything.
• Those top two teeth are about to burst through any day now!
• She eats more than I do for breakfast. I have no idea where she puts it.
• She’s discovered stuffed animals and baby dolls, and it is the sweetest thing to watch her interact with them.
• She learned how to crawl up the stairs! The first time it happened I had run upstairs to grab a sweater, and came down to find her halfway up the staircase. Scared me to DEATH. We’re on the hunt for a good temporary baby gate…
• My parents got her this book for Christmas, and it has quickly become her favorite. I ADORE it— the celebration of babies of all different colors, from all different backgrounds, from all around the world… I get all teary every time I read it to her.

Motherhood update:

December was hard, but easier than November (thank God). Buck was gone for half of the month, and I didn’t handle his trip as well as I have past trips. The last-minute aspect of his travel drives both of us crazy, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to deal with. We had a sweet night away without London once he got back, which was just loads of fun and really good for both of our hearts. We work so hard to build into our marriage and not let the stress of life, parenthood, and work come between us. We certainly don’t do it perfectly, but we love each other too much to have a subpar marriage, and we’re willing to make hard decisions to put the other person first.

We’re spending a day later this week at a coffeeshop, working on 2017+ plans. I’m a business owner, but I’m also a wife, a mother, a friend, and an individual, and I am committed to fitting my business goals into the other, greater & more important life goals that we have as a family. I’m excited to put some of those goals on paper.

As challenging as this season is, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.