Because what is life if not full of kid gear, right? 
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Toddlers
About a Beck! Two and a Half.
Two and a half plus a month because time is escaping me, so rounding the bases toward three faster than I'd like to admit. Also messing with my mind, Beck will be a big sister at her next birthday in five seconds. 
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About a Beck! Two and a Half
Time slow down time slow down time slow down. 
Today, in honor of Maternal Mental Health week, I decided to share how things are going with this moody threenager we are raising. Beck these days, that sort of thing. Beck these days is trying and wonderful and confusing and maddening and adorable and HITTING, so that's cute. ...
Beck's Favorite Cheese Toast
aka slightly-fancy-yet-somehow-redneck cheese toast, and by that I mean YOU'RE WELCOME. 
This definitely isn't an innovative recipe by any stretch of the imagination, and it takes all of 5 minutes to create. BUT, it's one that Beck has recently started loving, more day-in-the-boring-life type of stuff. What is it, though, about emotionally needing lots of carbs on weeks where you're feeling particularly bad about your shape/size? This could be just me, and I'm choosing to ignore it with cheese and bread.
This toast! Cheese toast was totally a thing in our house growing up. It's super quick and can vaguely present itself as part of a balanced meal with the addition of some fruit and veg, and kids like it which is kind of the main thing. I make this fully adult-friendly with good ingredients - bread that I love, fancy/sharp cheese, and some simple spices to boost the flavor. The key is to use a teensy bit more cheese than you think you need and broil juuuuuust until the cheese is about to burn for maximum browned cheese happiness.
That's why this is emotionally necessary. Browned cheese.
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2-Year Toddler Favorites
Two years and two months, but the doctor is two months behind and so are we, and that's fine, right? 
So! Beck had her two year appointment FINALLY yesterday, which resulted in good scores all over except in the "sitting still for shots" category, where she grabbed the needle (yes, I was holding her, tightly) and scratched it against herself. Baby's first accidental needle stick, I couldn't be more proud. She looked all kinds of baffled and then the nurse put the bubble machine on, and through just the most pitiful tears Beck was all "BUBBLES! Thank you for the bubbles!" So she survived, is my point. And yes, we still believe very strongly in vaccinating, which I assume is why Beck tried to do it herself. Because it's worth it.
Vaccine opinions aside, Beck has gained good weight, knows a gazillion words, and loves going to the doctor even though she doesn't actually like the doctor to touch her. She DOES like telling him how to spell her name and repeating his name back to him over.and.over.and.over, so all was well. It's so different once kids hit two, there are new growth charts and new things to look for and new foods to consider, it's so much fun and nostalgic all at the same time.
We've evolved in our gear a little bit too, mainly to the tune of every spare floor space being taken up by some kind of toddler item. We have very few rooms where kid stuff isn't present, which is just fine with me. I'm not trying to pretend like Beck only lives in one room any more than Jay and I do, and it means she's entertained in lots of spaces.
Here are some of our favorite things!
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