Baby steps: The year in review

Well, 2012 is almost over. Thanksgiving is done and gone, Christmas is just around the corner and 2013 is only a few weeks away. Where has the time gone?

This year has been full of new experiences for all of us, but especially for Cooper. In January, he learned what it was like to go somewhere besides Grandma's house for the day as he went to day care for the first time. In February Cooper had his first hospital visit and surgery for tubes in his ears. In July, he experienced his first cross-state road trip with just Mommy. In September he learned how to count to 14 and took it upon himself to try out the monkey bars at the park.

My mom retired this year, so we get to see a lot more of Nana. Cooper is Mr. Popular, so we have a play date almost every Saturday, and we started attending a new church where all of us have made new friends. The list of great things could go on and on! Overall, it has been a great year for the Pind family.

The year also found Max and I both enjoying our jobs, Cooper growing mentally, emotionally and physically (he finally gained 2.5 pounds in October, after not gaining anything in a year!), and we are all healthy and happy.

I already know that 2013 will bring some great memories like 2012 did. Max will get his wisdom teeth out, so payback for me! Cooper will turn 3 and continue to grow and make friends and learn. He will have his first dentist appointment and we hope to have our first family vacation this summer.

I feel very blessed that 2012 was so good to us and can't wait to see how it ends. If the last few months have been any indicator, in 2013 you will be reading a lot more about my mischievous 2-year-old instead of my sweet little baby. He is well on his way to that saved seat in the principal's office that I am so worried about!

Happy holidays to all, and check back in with me in 2013 to see how the new year is treating us!

Kristen Pind, a native of small-town Gower, Mo., came to Southeast Missouri State University with big dreams of being the next Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer. She never thought that by age 25, she'd be married with a baby and living in Cape Girardeau. Keep up with Kristen's adventures as a first-time mom -- one who's still a girl trying to figure out how her own life fits together. Turns out, she's living a dream she never knew she had, and loving every minute of it. Kristen invites moms of all types to find her "Baby Steps" page on Facebook.