Erin

The break was so nice, and even though it meant no daycare for 10 days, I'd rather deal with 2 toddlers full time than think about my current job.

I'm in the middle of interviewing for a job I really want. I've heard that I'm one of three finalists. I'm almost confident that I'll get it, but I'm never fully confident in myself, so don't want to get my hopes up, especially knowing that I have some competition. I haven't heard yet when the final round will be, which is sort of adding to my anxiety, but I'm trying to channel that energy into preparing.

If the job doesn't work out, I am setting a goal for myself of securing 2 contract clients/projects by March - and then I'd quit my current job. I know I can do it, I just need to figure out what people would actually want me to help them with and how to position myself - I've got a lot of good contacts and good experience, but very generalist experience. And I think it would be irresponsible to lose my entire income with 2 kids, so won't leave until I have at least something coming in.

Hands down the best thing about this year was watching these two develop their own little relationship. They’ve loved each other pretty much since we brought Lucy home from the hospital, but since she started walking and now talking a bit, they’re actually playing with each other more (which gives us like a 5 minute break every now and then!). Sebastian loves making her laugh, and Lucy’s an easy audience because she thinks he’s hilarious. They already have their own inside jokes. Sebastian calls her “my baby” and she calls him “Shesha” (or something like that) and gets so excited when she sees him coming down the hall at daycare pickup. He shares food with her when she’s still hungry, and she loves giving him hugs.

They sometimes fight over who gets a toy or a book, but (for now) it’s pretty rare.

Alejandro was more articulate and told him, "it's okay, nobody hates you" and that it's a big word we shouldn't use about people. He just responded "oh okay!" and went on talking about something else.

He's never said the word "hate" before and I don't know if he even realizes what it means yet, and the friends he was talking about definitely do not hate him, they're his best friends at school. I know it was just toddlers being toddlers, if it even happened at all. But I started tearing up at the thought of anybody being mean to my sweet perfect innocent boy.

Think it was a combo of her getting past a month of teething where she got like 8 teeth in a row and me giving her a water bottle in her crib instead of getting up and giving her a bottle of milk to get her back to sleep.

For a while it was all kinds of sporting goods:

- 3-4 different soccer balls, 2-3 tennis rackets, basketball, football, baseball glove, plastic baseball bat - sometimes all at the same time

- his luchador masks (he has 3)

- Seven (he started asking for her a few months ago and now she just does goes to his bed at bedtime

- various t-shirts & hats

- a spider man piñata my MIL brought up from Mexico

- different books, but lately it’s my copy of The Magic Blanket, a book my mom read to me as a kid and mailed to me a few months ago