Civilization awaits

This is a picture of Margot on the hardest day of her life so far. Being over tired, over stimulated, teething or something else caused a seven hour nursing strike that at its worst point caused me to be just as hysterical as she was. Jon was out getting baby ibuprofen, and while usually being the main and only Margot-soother, I only intensified her freak out. Jon came back to two crying ladies and took care of them both. Then, emotionally exhausted, we ate a whole pint of chocolate-vanilla-cookie dough-peanut butter ice cream and went to bed. Oh, and we were supposed to be having a nice night away from the toddler in a condo in Scottsdale. Something about that condo always causes chaos and disaster, like the first time we stayed there and filled the place with smoke after a "romantic" fire in the fireplace.

This happened in 2012, a year filled with extreme highs and lows that I don't even want to list. Just know, the highs were high and the lows were low. Most of the year was highs. Except when there was lows. I have really really really really really high expectations for 2013. Like really high. So high I don't even want to list them for fear of the lows that inevitably lurk near the highest of goals. I'm staying optimistic--this year it will just be a long hike to the top of a large (western, precipitation-filled (fingers crossed!! Or something else equally great)) hope mountain.

But beyond all my big hopes that I have less control over than I would wish, I have just a few goals for this year.

Be a good friend. Be a good mom. Be a good wife.

And if I fail at achieving these things, at least I can do is try to use less parenthetical emphases in my blog posts.