With our budget in the red this year, our department had to forgo the lavish holiday party for more modest celebration. We began the month with a hot chocolate hike with one of our big donors, although Westley preferred sipping the beverage from his stroller. Our lunch afterwards was cut short when our home alarm system was triggered. Our camera showed that the wind had pushed the front door open, but we still had to wait for the police to make their rounds before our house was cleared. The following week, my clinic staff and I planned our own holiday festivities with drinks at the Bank, followed by hot chocolate from a pop-up bar at the Punch Bowl Social. We spent the rest of the weekend at Kit’s holiday lunch and Melody’s department holiday party, where we saved ourselves a drive by squeezing into Jocylen’s minivan with Westley and Brianna. This past Sunday, we invited my friend Brenda and her family up to try our new waffle maker over brunch. Westley warmed up to their daughter Audrey quickly, and the two crafted their way through his Christmas gift. At work, my clinic has been running more smoothly with my new scribe who is quieter but much more efficient. I also took my lab out for a holiday lunch, although most of the students were already out of town. Back home, we learned not to let Westley put his own clothes into the laundry, when we found our last load covered with diaper gel beads that required lots of flicking in the backyard. Westley has been excited to join his classmates in transitioning from pull-ups to undies, although the occasional accidents still showed that he’s not fully potty-trained. Despite how fast he’s growing, we are reminded again that’s he’s just a 2-year-old.