2022 FAVORITES

It has been brought to my attention that I missed doing my 2022 favorites! I did include my top products in this post a couple of weeks ago, but this is one of my favorite posts to reflect on year after year. (I know I’m very late and I know we’re well past year end recaps, but I’m really doing this for myself so I don’t forget the best parts of 2022 years from now.)

Here are my favorites from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021!

 ONE // A FULL YEAR OF JACK

By far the best part of 2022 was watching Jack grow up. Comparing pictures from Jack on January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 is insane. He went from a chubby four month old with wispy hair to a loud and hilarious toddler on the move. I absolutely loved watching him grow up. He got his first teeth, learned to roll, starting crawling, started eating real food, went on trips, celebrated his first birthday, figured out how to walk, got his first haircut, started chatting with us! And more! It was like every month, every week, every day, we were discovering more and more about this amazing kid.

I could gush on and on, but I’ll save it for the baby book 😉

TWO // BREASTFEEDING

While breastfeeding was one of the biggest challenges of the year (well honestly life), it was one of the most rewarding things too. As you know, Jack never took a bottle so I didn’t have a choice but to breastfeed him exclusively and it was hard. But we did it! (I shared more about the whole breastfeeding journey in this blog post if you’re interested.)

With a little bit more “space” between when we fully weaned and now, I can say that a lot of the challenges have been blurred over from the passing of time and I have a lot of beautiful memories of our special time together. I don’t miss it, really at all, but I do look back and think of it as an overall very positive experience.

THREE // FINDING MYSELF AGAIN

One of the best parts of 2022 was feeling like MYSELF by the end of the year. While I was super burnt out and tired and ready for a vacation in December, I felt like myself again. It had been a rough couple of years where I felt so in flux with change (the pandemic, getting married, getting pregnant, being pregnant, having a baby. recovering from having a baby) that I had started to question who I even was anymore. My body changed, my priorities changed, my free time changed, my flexibility changed, and, as the kids are saying, my brain chemistry was altered.

There were some moments of clarity throughout the years, but the fog really (truly) lifted and it was a relief! I could see myself so clearly and, most importantly, I liked what I saw!

FOUR // CHAPPYWRAP

My collection with ChappyWrap was a huge highlight of the year. I started working on the project towards the end of 2021, but it really took shape throughout 2022. As much COOL as it was seeing the final products and as much as I loved how everything turned out, it was working with the ChappyWrap team that really topped my list of favorites for 2022. I love the ChappyWrap team and everything about working with them was amazing. It was such a great project and came to me at the perfect time. I was really starting to question what I wanted to do, if I even wanted to work, or if I should take some kind of sabbatical to be a full-time SAHM. But honestly, working on this collection ChappyWrap constantly reminded me how much I love what I do.

I got to tag along on a product shoot in Maine and it gave me life. I am still not over it. So grateful for them. (And grateful for you because the collection was a HUGE hit!)

FIVE // KINDLE

I’ll keep this short because I’ve talked extensively about how obsessed I am with my Kindle and it made the cut for one of my favorite products for the year, too. I really can’t say enough great things about the Kindle and I was really trying to avoid it for years. I wish I had gotten it sooner, but it has been a gift now that I’m a mom. My time is limited and I really love reading and my Kindle just makes reading more convenient and easier. The best part is being able to flip between my Kindle when I’m home and the app on my phone when I’m elsewhere. It’s just the best. Trust me.

SIX // FAMILY TRIPS

We took amazing family trips in 2022. You know I don’t really love to travel, but we got to do a bunch of trips that were all so special for the three of us; so many family memories created. We took Jack to the Bahamas; I loved everything about it and would love to return!! Mike, Jack, the dogs, and I went to Nantucket for a couple of weeks in the summer, which is always one of my favorite trips. We did a bunch of weeks and weekends with Mike’s family at their lake house and down the shore. We did Thanksgiving with my family down in Tampa and returned again after Christmas to see them again.

Traveling with a baby and then a toddler isn’t exactly easy, but I swear it’s worth it. I’m glad we did everything we did!

SEVEN // MINI BOOK TOUR

EIGHT // BASEMENT PLAYROOM

I love, love, love our house. We got engaged here. We got married here. We brought Jack home here. It’s a fairly small home though. We bought it in 2019 and had a different “timeline” in mind so to speak and then the pandemic happened. Our timeline changed dramatically (we got engaged, married, and pregnant within six months 🤪) and then the housing market, well, you know what happened. We actually put in offers on I think three houses over the past couple of years because we know we’ll eventually outgrow this house. I was always kind of okay when we didn’t win bids because I can’t imagine not being in our house… it’s so very much our home! As Jack got more mobile, figuring out a playroom situation was key. One week while Mike was on a work trip, my mom and I transformed our basement into a playroom. It. Is. Amazing. It’s a major, major win and I swear it bought us quite a bit more time in our home! We spend so much time down there and it’s a safe space Jack can play and be messy and do whatever he wants (within reason… he’s only 17 months old 😆).

NINE // NEW FRIENDS

2022 felt pretty transformative in terms of friendships for me. In some ways, it was a struggle. Finding true friends is hard and seeing friendships evolve over time as lives change is also hard. I am so grateful for the new friends I made in our town. I am not from here and so I’ve really had to start from scratch. I have great friends around the country from various chapters of my life, but it was really important that I find local friends. We have become friends with a couple of neighbors and our kids and husbands all get along (truly feels like winning the lottery) and I’ve met other great moms through our various classes, too. I am grateful, grateful, grateful.

TEN // DAYCARE

I couldn’t finish this post without singing my praises for daycare. I LOVE daycare. Jack loves daycare. Daycare has been the best thing for our family. And I can’t believe I’m saying this! When I was pregnant, I really thought I was going to go with a nanny, but it just didn’t really feel right whenever I sat down to hire someone. Long story short, we ended up doing daycare instead! (I talked more about the decision here.) Jack has learned so much through daycare– he’s about to move up to the toddler room! I’m so thankful for all his teachers– they are incredible. I drop Jack off in the morning and he (literally) doesn’t even turn around to say goodbye. He marches in to eat breakfast and is so happy to say good morning to all his friends and teachers. I miss him so much during the day, but I’m a better mom with daycare. It allows me to get my work done and then when I’m with Jack the rest of the week (right now he goes in three days), I don’t think about work at all. It’s such a blessing in our life.