A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

I’ve been trying to decide what sort of project to take on and share in this space next year, and I think I’ve decided on something. It will be quite a bit different than this project but I’m hoping you (and I) will enjoy it. I’ve loved doing this work, and while at times it has been just that, work, most of the time it’s come easy. Tomorrow I am going to attempt to assemble a few of my favorites from the past year and share them again. It’s crazy to think this will be our third New Year’s Eve with this girl.

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

I used the word correct in regards to which piece went where in a puzzle at some point tonight. Later on, while working on the puzzle, every time she got a piece in she would quietly and excitedly say “correct”.

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

She discovered the interactive floor projector at the mall today. If the place wasn’t so awful, disgusting and obnoxious (can you tell I used to work retail?) I would consider taking her there just to play other then once a year.

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

Every so often I let my brain worry about what is going on inside of that body of hers. Today is one of those days. Weight gain and eating habits are one of the first things they look for in the world of cardiac kids. Today she ate: 2 bites of a muffin, 3 bites of a cinnamon roll, 1 chocolate candy, half of a yogurt smoothie, 3 deep fried cheese curds and 2 clementines. Some days it’s a struggle to get food in to her. We went to her favorite restaurant for dinner and she didn’t touch her food. I get that toddlers are at times extremely picky. I know that it’s totally normal. But that’s the thing, her hearts not totally normal. And eating, and weight gain are a big deal. Up until recently she’s rocked both. At her two year check up she dropped off of her growth chart. Significantly. I’m always one who lives by “watch the baby not the scale” and growth charts aren’t the be all end all of everything baby. But she’s lost her baby rolls, and I can’t help but worry. Surgery isn’t a maybe for her, it’s a someday. And most days I do ok with that. But sometimes it scares the absolutely crap out of me. It’s this delicate balance, making sure the surgery is soon enough that she doesn’t suffer any complications from waiting, but waiting long enough that she doesn’t end up with multiple surgeries over and over again. It’s enough to make my head spin.

It was a balmy 46 degrees here in Wisconsin today so we went to the park, and she was ecstatic.

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

This kid got soooooo much stuff. I could take a photo of our family room but it wouldn’t be very pretty. Christmas is amazing, and slightly overwhelming when you’re two years old.

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

Is it weird that I think my two year old is responsible?

A portrait of my daughter every day in 2014

Runny nose. AGAIN. I’m loading her up with honey, garlic and anything else I can possibly get in her to get it gone in 48 hours.