This was (rather surprisingly) a big week in the Benroeck household. Clara has started changing at an alarmingly rapid pace (well, I think it’s alarming) and is now officially on the move! She is army crawling everywhere, and by ‘everywhere’ I mean that she crawls over to any cord as soon as I look away for a second. Clearly our house needs to be baby-proofed. 

While Clara has been developing skills like a little mini-boss, I’ve been volunteering and going to church groups and play dates and out with friends and Tim has been working and taking me out to dinner and really, this week has been exactly what my soul has been needing for a while.

I feel complete and satisfied and fulfilled and like I”m living the life I’m supposed to be living, which is a huge answered prayer.

Post-dinner cuddles on the couch with our first ‘child’.

In summary:

(This Week) I Kept Myself Busy By

… attending church group (x2!)

… enjoying a new moms’ night out with moms I met at a new moms group who all have babies around Clara’s age. The seven of us had a great time together, enjoying good drinks, good food, and talking about everything baby-related (of course)!

… celebrating Valentine’s Day a few days early with my favorite guy at Untitled. If you are in Chicago and haven’t been to Untitled – GO. Immediately. 

… volunteering at the VITA tax site to prepare taxes for low income individuals and families. I truly love this volunteering opportunity and feel so blessed that I am able to do it a couple of times every week.

… grabbing a quick bite with a girlfriend I don’t get to see as often as I would like.

… watching The Bachelor. I’m so glad the 2 on 1 date ended with no one getting the rose! Phew.

… sipping tea with a mom-friend while our babies bonded with one another. Everyone says that Clara is the most social baby ever (I really have no one to compare her to, but I guess she is!) and she absolutely loves meeting people and other babies. It’s such a joy to watch her interact with everyone, because she smiles as soon as anyone smiles at her and it warms my heart knowing she feels such joy being around people (just like her parents)!

(This Week) I’ve Learned:

• I cannot even believe we live in a world where this is happening. (here)
• This is the winner of ‘World Press Photo of 2014’. (here)
• Adults shouldn’t be drinking milk, which is okay with me, since I’m not a big milk fan! Although, I do occasionally drink chocolate almond or soy milk… (here)
• “We’ve spent the last hundred years or so running around like public health mercenaries, isolating, defeating, and chaining up the monsters of old, but it seems that perhaps we’ve done the job too well. Would you wear a seat belt if car accidents stopped happening in the 1950s?” (here)
• We should all look up from our phones once in a while, or we may miss the beauty of God’s creations around us, like this guy. (here)

(This Week) Clara

… has decided she loves sweet potatoes after all (just like her mommy).

… is crawling. I repeat – my baby is CRAWLING.

… got another tooth (for a total of three)! 

… hung out in her wrap while I did things around the house. It was my first time wearing her in a really long time, and I’m not sure why I haven’t tried this sooner – she loved it and I was able to put away the laundry!

… turns 7 months old (today, actually). I’ll be over here crying if you need me. I really never thought I’d  be one of those sentimental moms watching her baby grow up, but I honestly could not even tell you how seven months have gone by already and that makes me a bit weepy.

(This Week) I Wrote: