February is probably my least favorite month of the year.

Where I live, it’s cold and dreary most days. When it’s not raining, the sky is usually hospital-room white and the threat of rain still hangs heavy in the air (often triggering a migraine for me, yay). Sure, there are random warm spells, the sun makes an appearance every once in awhile, and there’s Valentine’s Day to look forward to, but these feel like few and far between moments of joy in an otherwise bummer of a month.

Being home fulltime on top of that can feel lonely. Some days - when it’s been cold and sad outside, and I’ve not talked to anyone but the baby all day - by the time 2pm rolls around, Amelia and I just sit and wait for Tucker to come home so we can bombard him with questions about his day and a boring recount of ours. That wait feels longer and longer as the month trudges on.

As a result, I spend far too much time on social media, doom-scrolling and ironically liking posts that encourage doing anything else on days like these. There was one I found recently that provided a checklist that seems obvious - have you had much water? have you talked to anyone today? have you gone outside? have you exercised? have you eaten something nourishing? have you done literally anything else, besides sitting on your butt and looking at this post?

Nope, and I want to blame February. And it’s easy for me to lump all of my February into this sad-white, doom-scrolling, lazy-feeling bubble of a month, as if all my days have been this way. They haven’t - not by a long shot. Why do the crummy days seem to eat up the good ones in our brains?

Today is one such dull day, but I’m choosing to remember it’s almost over. We’re nearing the end of dreadful February, so in celebration, I’m going to list out all the wonderful things that happened this month (in no particular order, except number one). I won’t let February steal my non-February moments. ;)

1. Amelia Ruth. I have a literal child who grows and changes every day, loves to smile at me and cuddle, and is always down to hang out. The most non-February thing ever. <3

2. In-Town Family. I have siblings-in-law that want to come visit! They sweetly ask for “aunt & uncle time” and if they could do the dishes for me or watch the baby while I shower.

3. Out-of-Town Family. Apple and Android have finally figured out how to allow facetime between the phones - so now I can video call my family back in Kansas and they can watch Amelia grow. We’ve averaged one facetime a week for most of her life.

4. Visiting Family. Lollie, Amelia’s Grandma, just visited for a few days and it was lovely. Later this month, my mom, grandparents, and sister are also coming to visit (a non-February bonus!).

5. Far-Away-Friends. My college best friends and I still use snapchat and update each other on our lives multiple times a week. I love opening that app to find a 20-minute long video message from some of my favorite people. Also catching up with my best friend, who is living it up in New York City right now. <3

6. Old Friends. I got to visit my old coworkers at the last two jobs I had while pregnant - Covenant College and Mother’s Day Out (at LMPC). It was a blessing to see so many friends after such a long time away - and to show off Amelia. She was sleepy for most of the visits, but it was fun to get out of the house for a bit.

7. Walks! On warmer days, I’ve gone for hour-long walks with the baby - she does so great outdoors! I started with stroller walks, but quickly moved on to baby-wearing. I get around faster and easier with the latter, and Amelia gets a longer nap. (We just bought the Wildbird baby carrier, and I LOVE IT.)

8. Aldi Baguettes. I know, I was surprised too. They are delicious.

9. Mom-friends. Whether recently pregnant, in final days of pregnancy, currently with littles, those with grown children, or even my own mom & mom-in-law, it’s so fun to live this stage of life with other mothers.

10. LOTR. I’m still reading through the series, often aloud to the baby while she drifts to sleep. The friendship and love of those four little hobbits is a wonderful cure for lonelier February-days.

And of course, there are many other things to be thankful for this month, but I’ll be honest, I’m mostly thankful it’s almost over. ;) I hope February is treating you as well as it can.

In the meantime, how do you get through dull, dreary months? Give me more ideas for staying joyful through the cold!