Some changes in the new year

We began this new year with some contemplation and change. We decided to pull Eleanor from her old daycare for a number of reasons that are important to no one but us, and therefore also started her at a new daycare. We put a lot of thought into the decision over the past three or four months and decided to make the change in the new year. She's been there two weeks now and so far so good. She has a friend that already goes there and apparently they play so hard in the mornings that Eleanor's teacher has been having to wake her up after three hours of nap so that she doesn't sleep the entire afternoon. 

Among other reasons for the switch was that we were looking for a bit of increased flexibility. This proved helpful already as I switched a shift last week and it wasn't a problem. We were continuously paying for days we didn't end up using - even weeks at times (vacation, when Chris has off work for holidays), which was, of course, frustrating. Altogether the change has been positive for both Eleanor and us. 

Another change for Eleanor has been that she dropped her pacifier. About a week before Christmas she apparently chewed through it which broke the suction. I didn't notice it had happened until I offered her the pacifier once and she waved it away and said, "no, no no." After that she basically just didn't want it. We have a couple others, but I didn't give them to her because I figured if she was breaking the habit all on our own we would save ourselves the trouble down the road. I left the pacifier clipped to her shirt for another two weeks after she chewed through it and she would occasionally put it in her mouth and then later spit it back out. Then I stopped clipping it to her shirt, and she never asked for it again (even though she has a sign for it and used to ask for it all the time). She loved her pacifier so much that I thought for sure she would be at least three by the time we got rid of it (mostly because that is not one of the battles I care enough about to fight). Anyway, I'm happy it happened naturally and she's found pacifiers around the house since them (or picked up other babies' pacifiers) and just puts them back. 

Because it's a new year, I also plan to set some goals for myself for 2015, but I obviously need to get a bit proactive about them because half of the first month is already gone. Looking back at my goals for 2014, I did absolutely miserably. I was raising a baby/toddler and working full-time both at work and at home, so I know I accomplished things, just not the things I planned to accomplish. I plan to continue some of them until I finish (for example, one goal was to read the Bible, which I also did in 2012 successfully, but I am stuuuuck in Revelation and I will finish). Another year, another chance to improve myself, my relationships, my health, my home, and many other things!