1st birthday recap

aunt sara and uncle grant captured these memories during hannah-bear's birthday bash weekend,
10/28 and 10/29

emmy, catey and maddie blew out the candle for hannah, as she and mommy watched

granwendy planted this mum plant last fall, shortly after hannah came home from the hospital

in flight

hannah, juliana & catey

hannah smashed the corner of her cake

1 year 2 1/2 week check-up

we took hannah to see dr. wolfe today. she had 4 shots, 2 in each leg, and was not happy about being pinned down. she weighed in at 21 lbs. and measures 30". i think the weight is off a little. she's right in between... too big for the baby scale, and not quite steady on her feet for the adult scale. our family practice doesn't have the in-between scale.

we were advised to get rid of the paci by the time she has 2 teeth, for dental purposes. we've been working toward that, anyway. i did give it to her after the shot. she has approval to eat anything that's not too spicy or greasy, and we're well on our way to weaning off the bottle. many days she doesn't take one at all. she likes her whole milk and is even drinking plain h20 from the sippy now.

our little cruiser is content to do just that... cruise with one hand. dr. said that since she had a little failure to thrive in the beginning, she might take her time walking, but there's nothing to be concerned about, some babies just take their time regardless. all the major milestones are met, she's healthy and beautiful. she even said not to worry about the flu shot since she's not in day care surrounded by sick-o children. i like that. the last thing i feel my child needs is unnecessary immunizations. we're doing all the required shots, but no more. God designed our bodies with immune systems for a reason, and so far hannah's seems to be a good one. once she started eating enough, i think we had 1 fever over 100 degrees, and nothing over 101.4. Not bad for a baby's first year.

Now it's time for toddlerhood. Hannah got her first owie on her forehead today, and it was my fault. Both of us reached for her alphabet bus at the same time, and I hit her with it on accident. Thankfully, the egg is not very big and doesn't appear to be very dark. and her long bangs should cover it if it does get darker.

she chatters away in her little language, occasionally she tries to pair words with objects... cat, duck, clock, dog, and cow are the things I think I've heard her try to see besides mama and dada. she loves calling for the other parent when one of us is changing her diaper or wiping her face. dr. wolfe thought she doesn't like her up close to her face, but we explained that she doesn't like anyone invading her personal space, not just her doctor.

mommy's gong to try to take a nap before baby bear wakes up for the day.

all is not lost...

no, i'm not talking about the elections. i'm referring to hannah bear's teddy-bear quality of cuddling, the one that rarely manifests itself to the point of sleep. we think she's getting another tooth, and that may be causing her fussiness and increased clinginess.

anyway, i sometimes lament her growing independence and lack of falling asleep in my arms or sleeping next to me in my bed. yesterday afternoon, i was able to comfort her from one of her fits of discomfort (after giving medicine). i "rocked" her to sleep and we sat on the couch for a while. then i got a phone call from my mom, which disturbed her. so i gingerly moved to my room, where she eventually fell asleep next to me on my bed. we napped peacefully for an hour. don't get me wrong, i'm glad my little girl is independent enough to sleep by herself. but there is something sweet about cuddling with a baby. knowing that she feels safe and secure in my arms just brings so much peace. i'm glad i have not completely lost my hannah-bear, the one who snuggled up underneath her grandpa's vest when she was just a few days old.

comprehension & vocabulary

hannah and i crashed granwendy's luncheon today. some of granwendy's friends who came to our baby shower get together on a regular basis, so i thought it would be nice for hannah to meet them. when i found out they were getting together at my mom's, i sort of invited hannah and myself. (i did bring a dish to pass.)

anyway, we arrived a little early, and the pendulum on dad's clock caught her eye, so i asked her "do you like the clock?" a little while later, grandwendy was holding her and she pointed to the clock and tried to say the word.... it came out more like "clah..."
she was also delighted to find percy, granwendy and grandaddy's indoor "kitty". it's actually a wooden carving, painted to look like a real family pet, but hannah crawled across the living room and began petting it as though it were real. it didn't run away, and hannah giggled with glee.

tonight, grandma debbie and grandpa wayne are staying over to break up a long road trip to indy. grandma debbie pointed to herself and said "grandma". she pointed to hannah and said her name. hannah copied the gestures, indicating that she understood exactly what grandma was saying.

first steps

i forgot to mention that daddy witnessed hannah's first steps last night. yep, she took about 3 steps between the couch and the desk chair without holding on to anything. she's been cruising the furniture with one hand quite a bit, but she's not into holding our hands and walking. it's almost like she wants to do it all by herself or not at all. it won't be long...

the almost 15 -month old son of my hostess had fun "helping" me pick up my things and giving me a preview of what life will be like when hannah can speed around on 2 feet instead of all 4's.

she has also discovered that her activity mat makes a great surf board of sorts. she rolled around on it for 20 minutes tonight while i was at "work". she loves showing off for daddy!

for more photos from the party...

CLICK HERE

hopefully I'll have more to share in the near future.

a few birthday-weekend photos

the balloons were a hit!

i missed seeing aunt amy, but i'm glad uncle adam made it!

i was overwhelemd at the party,
but mommy let me taste my cake on sunday.

silly daddy was so intent to clean up my mess,
he forgot to remove something very important before bath time.

 

happy halloween

last year i was just a week old, so i slept through my 1st halloween. my neighbor gina brought this bib to me last year, and it still fits, so mommy put it on me for dinner yesterday. the pumpkin outfit was a hand-me-down from another friend... it is a 6 months size, and snug on my toes, but snapped closed just fine. i tolerated the stem cap long enough to let mommy take some cute pictures.
i also helped mommy pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters...

why do i get the feeling this would taste better without the wrapper?
(i also shoved a wrapped peanut butter cup into my mouth,
but mommy thought i might choke, so she did not try to take that photo...)

 

my weekend-long party

everyone came to see me this weekend. it was so much fun! mommy got caught up in preparations and things that she didn't take many pictures at all, so hopefully everyone who did take pictures will send her some to post.

gramma debbie and grandpa wayne were the first to arrive, on friday afternoon. next, were uncle nate, aunt cheryl and cousins emmy and maddie, a bit later. finally that evening, aunt sara and uncle grant showed up. i gave emmy and maddie my room and mommy and daddy stuck my pack and play in their walk-in closet... i did not care for that. but since their room is so close to the action, they knew i would hear everything if they didn't put me to sleep tucked away. i didn't sleep well friday night. partly because i came down with my worst cold yet, and partly because i was excited about all the company. i woke up a couple of times during the night, and early in the morning, so mommy and daddy took me into their bed. i played there and fell asleep for a little bit before all of us got up for the day. (they have discovered that massaging my neck and back relaxes me, and it helped me settle down to rest with them.)

saturday was the big day. granwendy and grandaddy tom, uncle adam, aunt becca, uncle brett, cousin juliana, and her "aunt" anna, kelly, jamey, catey and matt all came to my party (along with the others, of course). they gave me lots of clothes and lots of fun toys. when it came time for the cake, i was so tired that i just wanted to get the sticky stuff off my hands after i grabbed the corner of it. i didn't eat much of it at all.. until sunday night, when mommy gave me a little more... i LOVED it. i had frosting and crumbs all over me. daddy was so intent on cleaning me up, that he forgot to take something very important off before he put me into the tub.

mommy and daddy appreciate everyone's help and generous presents this weekend. i had so much fun playing with everyone!

Happy Birthday Hannah-Bear!

This past year has been one of the best because of you!

hannah and mommy a year ago

i think this was my 39-week belly shot. my date settings weren't set on my camera, but based on the proximity to hospital pictures and the size of my belly, this should be the last belly shot taken before her birth....

here is an excerpt from my journal, written on the 24th of October of 2005:
I'm sitting in the nursery, looking at what will soon be hannah's home. I can't believe how quickly the 9 months have passed! The next time I prop my boppy pillow on my lap, it will be to help hold our precious little girl.

I'm experiencing a mix of emotions right now. Excitement at the thought of seeing and touching this precious child who is fearfully and wonderfully made by her Creator. Fear of the unknown- labor is unlike any other experience. It is a pain that ultimately brings forth new life. I don't know what to expect, but I know that every birth experience is unique. I am trying not to feel guilty fpr scheduling what should come naturally into our life. Why should I, when it will allow her to meet and spend time with her Daddy? I pray that she is ready, that she is perfectly healthy.

I wonder if she will have her Daddy's waves and curls, if she will have dark brown eyes like her parents, and if other traits from previous generations will be apparent?

This entry was followed by a letter to Hannah, which I will keep private. I do remember crying tears of anticipation as this was written. At 6:30 a.m. the next day, we were at the hospital, and Hannah's birthday had begun.
*****

3/7/07
if you are here for the photo tag, i've posted more belly shots on my other blog... awanderingheart.blogspot.com

a year in review...

tomorrow will be our baby bear's first birthday, so i thought
i would share some pictures from our collection....

I hope you get to read this, Great-Gramma!

This is how Gramma Debbie gets to see so many pictures of me (and my cousins). Mommy is not good at getting her pictures printed very often. But she decided to ask the nice people at the rehab center help you on the computer. I wish I could see you in person more often!

Have someone show you how to scroll down, and you will see lots of pictures of me getting into trouble!

If you click HERE with the mouse, you will also get to see pictures of my cousins Emmy and Maddie!

scrapback.....

i had originally planned on beginning my scrapbook endeavors with our wedding... but i changed my mind and decided to start with hannah's birth. i've managed not to start crying, but then i've been more worried about putting the pages together than thinking about how quickly our baby is growing...

the cover:
5 days old, 6 months old, blank space for 1 year old

page 1: the announcement

page 2: the hospital

these 2 pages only took 3 hours, plus the time it took to select papers and do a little photo cropping, with Pam's assistance at the new Scrap 'n Memories shop just a mile and a half up the road. It will be worth it when I am able to give my daughter a book that highlights her life as an infant. I just need to go back to her old website and previous blog entries for journaling and page ideas.

brave bear

mommy and daddy have to keep an extra-close eye on me these days:

yesterday, i used a box as a step-stool.

tonight, daddy wouldn't let me drink soapy water out of a cup during bathtime...

so i drank it straight from the tub instead!

acrobat

this morning, as hannah "helped" me unload the dishwasher like she normally does, she decided to try a new trick. she grabbed the top rack, then STEPPED onto the lower door . she stood there for a couple of seconds while i had my back turned toward the cabinet, and then when is saw her, i swiftly set her back on solid ground.

making connections

at the end of hannah's bathtime, we unplug the drain but let her stay in the water while the water level drops. hannah has figured out how to turn the drain plug until it closes back up.

yesterday, hannah picked up the tube of teething gel and her paci and started banging the tip of the tube against the nipple of the paci. she knows that we put the teething gel on her paci, and was trying to do it herself. then she was mad because nothing was coming out.

yes, mommy. i have a.....

TOOTH!!!!! these pics are just me being, cute though. the tooth isn't sticking up high enough to be seen in photos. but mommy says it's sharp.



mommy and me... caslon, will you teach daddy to use the camera?
we need some pictures of me and mommy... mommy had to take this one.

mommy says the pictures fuzzy, but the smile is still priceless!

giddyup!

stylish outfit straight from the runways of downtown platteville...

hannah o' lantern
(the cap will wait til halloween, it's a little too small for my big head!)

daddy's little pumpkin!

ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby

hannah tasted her first pork chop tonight. i ground it up in our kidco food mill and added a little water to it. she loved it- ate between 1 and 2 ounces. she won't eat the canned meats unless they are mixed with veggies , and even then she's moody about it ( i can't blame her- they smell like cat food). between the formula in her sippy, her mixed veggies with leftover egg noodles, and ground pork chop, she had a well balanced meal! i saved some of our sweet potatoes for her to eat tomorrow. one of her teeth is finally starting to break through, but it's coming slowly. maybe she'll have a tooth by her birthday! she's such a big girl!

expanding vocabulary

10/12/06
after i locked the gate at the top of the stairs
(which hannah insisted on slamming until i did lock it,
as i was between her and the top step, anyway),
hannah immediately saw her stuffed kitty, exclaimed "cat!",
crawled to her beloved toy and picked it up.