Welcome to my random brain dump of things I want to remember about this past year. It truly is random, and in no particular order, because that’s currently how my mom brain is functioning in the post-holiday haze. Disclaimer – 2024 was the year my 6 month old baby turned into a toddler, so fair warning that these will probably be disproportionately about her fleeting babyhood. 

Giggles 

The sound of my kids screeching, giggling, and laughing together is unmatched. Those sweet moments where they play together without prompting feel like a “peak” in motherhood. It seems crazy now that I was so terrified of the jump from one kid to two. The challenges were so worth the reward. 

Emery’s quick to dance nature. 

This girl loves music, and she loves to shake her shoulders. Some of her favorite bops this year were jams from Ms. Rachel, “Wheels on the Bus”, and “Five Little Ducks”. But all of those were topped by her love for Elmo that she developed at the end of this year. “Happy Dance”, “Letter of the Day”, and “1, 2, 3 Go” are her jams! She even yells at Alexa when she wants Elmo to play (and when Alexa doesn’t comply, she starts banging her hands on the coffee table and yells louder) 

Tiny feet 

There’s something so sweet about the sound of tiny bare feet hitting the floor. I’ll never get tired of hearing little feet running around our home (as long as they aren’t followed by loud crashes and tears). 

I guess I should add clumsy walking to this bucket too. 2024 is the year Emery went from crawling, walking, to running. Except, in fashion with her personality, her confidence far exceeded her skill level in many of those transitions. The early walking stages were quickly overtaken by prematurely running (and therefore falling… a lot). I forgot how much your heart lives in your throat during those clumsy days, but oh my goodness the toddle waddle is just too cute. It was one of my favorite stages with Xavier and so I knew to soak it up more intentionally this time around. 

Last but not least… the tip toe stage of tiny feet. Emery randomly started tip toeing around a few months ago and it is now one of her favorite hobbies. It’s a crowd pleaser in our house for sure.

Having a tiny little buddy accompany me on all of my errands

Sure, errands are more efficient and easier in the rare times where you can do them solo. But I do really love having my tiny bestie accompany me in all the day-to-day parts of life. When we shop she’s a snack eating machine, often grabs things off the shelves, and leaves a trail of shoes and socks throughout the store. I somehow end all of our errands sticky with my pockets full of random trash. Those are little inconveniences that I weirdly enjoy because they are such a unique part of this fleeting season of motherhood. She also bops to whatever grocery store tune is playing and sporadically declares “hug” throughout our shopping trips. She slows me down in the best ways possible. She truly adds joy to everything we do, and I’m so lucky to have spent so many of my days with her this year.

Pig tails

When I found out I was having a girl, I was so excited for the cute clothes and hair styles (hopefully I won’t regret that statement 12 years from now). There is just something SO cute about pigtails, and I am thoroughly enjoying our pigtail era.

First words

It is so much fun to hear babies start talking. Their tiny voices and mispronunciations. A glimpse into what’s going on in their heads. Emery’s current favorite words are “Melmo”, “nack” aka snack, “treat”, “help please”, “all done”, “no”, “pizza”, “berries”, and “okay”. It’s hard to believe that by this time next year she’ll be speaking in full sentences.

Spending time with my husband is fun

We make a good team, and it’s easy to slip into that roommate/teammate mode during this phase where life is “lifing” and parenthood is busy. But I’m so thankful that the times we slow down to spend intentional time together are still so enjoyable (even when he repeatedly beats me at all the games that we play, especially Dutch Blitz)

My 7 year old’s love for being silly

I hear potty humor multiple times a day, and honestly it drives. me. nuts. BUT there is something sweet and innocent about how easy and simple it is to make him laugh right now. I know it won’t always be that way. 

I’ve worked with kids since I was 15 years old, and I’ve always found 6-10 the hardest age band for me (yes, I was one of those crazy people who enjoyed middle schoolers). So being in that phase of parenthood can be hard sometimes. Nevertheless, it’s been such a joy to watch his personality continue to grow and develop. There are so many things he says lately that make us laugh. I really should’ve started a book years ago so that I can remember all these little things for years to come – but here we are and I still haven’t been that mom. But my husband and I do recap some of things that made us laugh at the end of the day, thoroughly reveling in the joy his personality brings us.

Xavier’s music phases 

Ever since summer of 2023, when his camp counselor was a proclaimed Swiftie, he claimed to be a big Swiftie himself. However, this year he declared he is no longer a Swiftie and he now only likes “rock n roll” music. He has his own playlist on my Spotify and he LOVES to add songs to it and always requests to play it anytime we’re in the car. Santa brought him the “rock and roll guitar” that he requested, so I look forward to seeing how his love for music grows in 2025.

Our third baby

I’ve been working on compiling my thoughts into one, cohesive blog post on this topic, so more to come. In short, there were a few weeks that I thought my dream of having a third baby close in age to Emery was coming true. This was an early high in 2024, and when we lost the baby it became a low that will forever be etched on my heart. I’m still grieving, but am at peace knowing that for reasons bigger than I can see right now, this short life and loss was purposely written into our family’s story for 2024. 

Romantasy books 

This was a relatively new genre for me this year. When my love for reading reignited in 2020, I was devouring psychological thrillers and the occasional romance. My “books read” list this year looks much different (ACOTAR is definitely a gateway series). I think the immersive worlds of the Romantasy series that I read, were a reprieve during times I needed to escape grief. They got me through some of the most gruesome parts of my miscarriage, as well as mourning in the months afterwards. 

I didn’t take good care of myself 

While I couldn’t see it in the thick of things, I was doing some self-sabotaging in the months post miscarriage. I unconsciously and intentionally (yes I know this is an oxymoron) was not taking care of myself in many ways. Every month I was hopeful I’d have a positive test, announcing our rainbow baby, and then I’d be more motivated to take care of myself. This was an unhealthy rut I was stuck in but am gradually climbing out of. I’ve enjoyed intentionally planning new, healthy rhythms for 2025 and anticipate a year more focused on self-care.

The shocking amount of growth 

2024 was the first full year of Click Joy Photography. I knew I had a lot to learn… but WOW! From running a business, marketing, editing, and technical skills… I really did learn A LOT in what felt like a short time. I’m so thankful for all the quality resources from talented photographers and entrepreneur moms that are passionate about teaching others. Having tangible goals outside of home life, a source of creativity, and ways to push my brain were things that truly helped me through both postpartum life and a miscarriage. 

The healing power of newborn sessions while grieving a miscarriage 

This was an unexpected joy! Sure, there were parts of doing newborn sessions post miscarriage that required a good, healthy cry afterwards. However I was blown away by how much joy these sessions truly brought during a time of grieving. I’m so thankful for the influx of newborn sessions that came my way when I most needed them. 

Emery’s “mama’s girl” stage 

This stage still hasn’t ended, and confession… I’m fully ok with it. She thoroughly loves and enjoys all her people. She will happily spend time at school or with grandparents when I’m not home. AND at the same time,  she is very much still a mommy’s girl. Sometimes it can be frustrating when I am touched out or can’t be productive. But overall I have been soaking up the good parts. Over the last 9 months post-miscarriage, the extra snuggles and hugs and kisses have soothed my soul. I think I needed her at times just as much as she needed me. 

It’s so, so sad when your baby loses the newborn scrunch, or the one tooth grin, and other sweet milestones of babyhood… but there may be nothing better than the full armed hugs of toddlerhood. I completely melt when she says “hug” and wraps her little arms around my neck to squeeze me tight (usually complete with a sloppy kiss somewhere on my face). I know I will be longing for those hugs during the teen years. 

Gap toothed grins 

My 7 year old proudly boasted that this was the summer of missing teeth. The tooth fairy had the pleasure of making 4 visits to our house. The delight that comes from losing a tooth and the innocence of believing in the tooth fairy (albeit a loose belief at this point) is a core memory for a lot of us even as adults. I know that this summer I watched him live out pieces of his childhood that he’ll always remember. & Gosh I just think he looked so adorable with his smile that showcased two missing front teeth. He will never look like this again (at least I hope not because that would mean we need to find a great dentist). 

Xavier’s effort at school. 

We’ve been blessed with great teachers during Xavier’s transition from Montessori to public school in 1st and 2nd grade. I’m thankful we continue to get reports of him being sweet, kind, and engaged at school. He is learning and growing! After years in education, I don’t take this for granted. I’m thankful that he’s motivated to try his best, has made friends, and feels safe at school.

Crazy hair 

Is there anything cuter than walking into your toddler’s room to a crazy-haired little person standing at the side of their crib, grinning, clutching their favorite stuffy (Elmo), and reaching their other little arm out for hugs? I don’t think there is. 

Matching Pajamas

I’m not sure how long I’ve got left with my oldest willingly participating in coordinated pajamas with his little sister. But you better believe I’ll be over here milking it for as long as he lets me. I just find it SO adorable when they have matching pajamas. It’s the little things! 

Family adventures 

During 2024 we were lucky enough to spend a lot of time in Ocean City Maryland. This has become a home away from home, and I’m so thankful for the years of memories we have there. Spending time in OCMD has become a part of my son’s childhood, and I think he’ll have core memories from our times there (such as learning to ride his bike there, learning to swim there, countless games of minigolf, and gloomy days spent at the arcade). We also were lucky enough to once again get to do an annual trip to the Catskills. I look forward to our fall get-away there so, so much. This year it was extra fun to have another little one to delight in all of fall’s glories (exploring outside, leaf peeping, apple picking, pumpkin gazing, and farm fun).

Mommy-Son Date Day

Another tradition I’ve come to look forward to each year is doing at least one day trip with my oldest. Going to NYC at Christmas time was our day date trip for 2023 and 2024. It’s so much fun to do bigger adventures with him as he gets older. He is such an easy-going and easy-to-please adventure buddy. Our holiday fun in NYC took place the day after our due-date for what would’ve been baby #3. It was the perfect timing. I hope he was left with core memories he’ll cherish as he grows older, but I am certain I’ll never forget the amount of joy he brought me during our special day together.

The holidays 

A lot of our holiday break was disrupted by sickness. However, throughout the entirety of the holiday season there was still so much joy and togetherness. 2023 was technically Emery’s first Christmas, but the second Christmas is really like a first Christmas all over again. They view everything with wonder and awe. The lights, activities, and traditions are all still so new and exciting. It was such a FUN season this year to have the excitement of a one year old, mixed with the excitement of a seasoned 7 year old. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but am also left grieving that it’s over. I will never again have a Christmas with one-year-old Emery and seven-year-old Xavier, which is devastatingly sad. I know there will continue to be joys in all the future seasons and stages we have ahead, but I can’t help but feel like the “good old days” are going way too fast. 

I am so thankful to be heading into a new year with the people that I love most happy, healthy, and by my side. May 2025 bring peace, joy, and healthy growth!