Last night I was so exhausted that the thought of writing a post was out of the question. We are all allowed those nights, right?? 
I really have no idea why I was so tired, (well ok maybe it was the 13 miles I did…I’m insane- I know!) but it just hit me like a ton of bricks.
Anyways, back to regular posting today!
So I wanted to talk about HOW MUCH friends mean to me. I know it may sound silly, but I really can’t tell you enough how much my friends have been there for me. It’s been an interesting month- lots of both ups and downs. But what helped get through the not so good moments was the support from friends.
I know when I first had Gabriella my Mother in Law very much encouraged me to try to find some other Moms in the area. Not just so that we could have play dates & talk about our crazy kids but also for the support they offer. Also for the advice and relatable stories that they have- makes you feel like your child really isn’t all that crazy. 
I have been loving that Gabriella is getting more socialized. Honestly the past two months she has changed SO MUCH! We have play dates every week, and she is friends with one of the neighbor’s kids as well- who she sees every day. (His Mom & I go walking in the afternoon with the kids) She used to really only let Craig or I hold her, and at one point (sometimes even now) she only lets me hold or play with her.
But since being around other children & babies, she is little miss social butterfly! Even my Mom made a comment while we were in Jacksonville as to how much she has changed. That she was completely fine with playing and I didn’t have to be right next to her all the time. My Mom & Dad were able to play with her and they enjoyed their time together. It was really sweet!
This past weekend was a new step in our world as parents. Craig and I were invited to a cookout at a friend’s house. It started around 4pm, and we were planning to leave around 7/ 7:30pm in order to get Gabriella to bed. Well, while I was getting all of her stuff together (isn’t it AMAZING how such a little person requires SO.MUCH.STUFF?!) I threw in her PJ’s, so that we could get her all ready for bed before getting her in the car.
Well we decided to try something new. Our friends also have kids. So they had everything we needed. A pack n’ play, a sound machine, and a quiet room. Can you say perfect?!! Another reason you have to love friends with kids- they understand what you are going through and tell you NOT to apologize.
Craig & I wanted to stay for a bit to hang out with everyone, since we really don’t get to do that often and we were having a GREAT time.
ANYWAYS, to make a long story short, Gabriella did WONDERFUL!!! She was able to sleep in the pack n play until we were ready to leave. We actually stayed longer than expected (after midnight…OMG…who are we!?! ), and I ended up just nursing her back to sleep when we got home.
It was SO nice to know that we can actually DO THINGS! We can go to other people’s houses, and enjoy ourselves. I know that sounds SO silly, but it really was a HUGE step. I was nervous to take her out of her element, but she did better than expected. That’s why half of the time I feel like I’m the one that has issues instead of Gabriella I just need to trust in her, girlfriend knows how to impress her Momma!
And one way to win over all of your friends’ hearts, just in case your child is a crazy person is to make them Better than Crack Brownies! You gotta be prepared, people! 
I have made these before for my family in Maryland, and they were a hit there. With the ingredients, you CANNOT go wrong!
Better-Than-Crack Brownies
(Copied DIRECTLY from How Sweet Eats)
1 batch brownies (boxed mix or oooey gooey brownies)
1/2 cup salted peanuts (if don’t have salted, add sea salt)
1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups
1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Cereal
Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups, and bake for 4-6 minutes more.
While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
DELICIOUS!!
I know it sounds sad but I feel like it was a big step in our ‘parenting life.’ The fact that we know she can sleep OTHER places, not just her crib, is HUGE.
Happy Hump Day
Have you tried these brownies??? PLEASE DO!!
Parents: Did you have this same issue? Was it a big deal when you realized you could actually ENJOY yourselves rather than adjusting to your child’s routine?
Everyday's a 'Hollyday' 
Awe I’m so happy for you Holly this is great and literally brought a big smile to my face this morning.
I saw when she first posted these and you reminded me that I still really want to try them!
Those brownies look so good! Definitely going to try those soon.
I think you mentioned it in the last post — I do the same thing and send all the sweets to my neighbor and my office (or force my boyfriend to take them home to Denver with him). If they’re in my house I find too many excuses to go have a bite.
The salted peanut nutella puppy chow was awesome! Huge hit! My neighbor even asked me for the recipe.
I think it is so great you tried this out with her, because now that you’ve done it, you know you can do it again! I truly think the best thing we did for our now 5 year old was taking him anywhere and everywhere – and sleeping other places a bunch of times. He homestly has always been as good at going to bed at other places as he is at home and I think it’s b/c of all the things we did with him, it was just normal to him – We slept over at our family’s houses, friends houses, did beach weekends, etc. I think it’s great you did it and you should be excited!
Any step is a big step for a new parent! I know it was weird to sleep in a different bed for a sleepover down the street when I was older so for G to be able to sleep in an unfamiliar environment is a really, REALLY good thing!
And I made those Better than Crack Brownies a few years ago and almost died by how amazing they taste! Definitely a good recipe!
Good lord, the brownies look amazing!! I have seen so many versions of that recipe. I should try it!
Sounds like a very big parenting step! I can imagine you guys must have been (and still are) so excited about that.
I think it’s so important to teach kids to be adjustable and “go with the flow.” I think you are doing a great job with that- as evidenced in the fact that girlfriend went right to sleep! Routine and schedule are SO important, but sometimes it can be a little too rigid.
OMG – those brownies!! I better make them when I have somewhere to go so I can pawn them off, otherwise we might polish off the whole batch between 2 of us!
These brownies look so good! I definitely want to try making them 🙂