Picture Time

Hi everyone,

So I apologize for the lack of posting. The holiday have been a bit crazy. For those of you who don't know already (probably not many), Hannah was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago with a repiratory lung virus. Do not fret- we are okay now. After about a week and a half of breathing treatments, the little one is now breathing easy.

We went to Monroe for Christmas, and this is Hannah and all of her cousins (Larking, Claire, Caroline and Ella). We were trying to having a photo opp, but you can imagine with 5 little ones. But I have to say it went quite well. The video below is a bit of the excitement. Just imagine, all of my siblings and the grandparents behind/beside me trying to take this picture. HAHA.

Enjoy!

Sea Shells for ME

As many of you know, we went to the beach for Thanksgiving this year. Hannah has never been real keen on the sand touching her, but this time we finally broke through. We had to keep her shoes on her, but hey, atleast she wasn't glued to my hip.

The video is of her and Nona looking for sea shells. This will be Nona's debut on the blog, so everyone give her a big applause!!!!!!

I will try to post more pictures of the weekend later on in the week.

What exactly are "Age Appropriate" chores?

I am not real sure what is going on with my blog this morning, but it is underlining and making everything blue like a link- wierd! So I am just going to go on with my story.


So what are "Age Appropriate " chores? Hannah is very interested in the cleaning aspect of the house. I have a mini dust pan that she takes out and tries to pick things up, and as you can see below she also has a passion for swiffering! Is it so wrong of me to stick a swiffer pad on the bottom and let her have at it!

I mean she seems to want to help, so why not let her? And I must admit she is very talented with the swiffer. But personally, I like swiffering ALOT more than I do other chores around the house- and now that I can make the decision on who gets what chores, Hannah better get a knack for folding clothes! Since that was my chore as a child, I am so over it. So I will just make Hannah dislike it as much as I do, then she can make her kids and/or husband fold the clothes. It is just a mass conspiracy against clothes folding! Well I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! We are going to the beach, so we should have a lot of good pictures when we return next week.

My Buddies

This is Hannah and her two buddies, Braewyn and Ciel. I believe I have talked about them before, but they came over last night to eat dinner and we decided to capture the sweet little angels all together.

Braewyn and Hannah like to dance together, tear apart nicely organized living rooms, crowd around the same toy at the same time and expect not to bump heads or lose the parts to the toy and teach each other their different animal sounds!

Now, as you can see, Ciel is a baby, which is now Hannah's favorite thing in the world. So she loves to hug on Ciel, help feed her bottle, pat her head and last night she just walked up to her like she was a big girl and tried to pick her up. She just loves Ciel so much, so it will be fun to watch how they interact as Ciel keeps getting bigger.

Well, these our Hannah's buddies. Sommer (Braewyn's and Ciel's mom) and I were talking about if they stayed friends until High School how bad they would be together. I would suspect Sommer and I would stay up many nights wondering where they were, but not much different than now- we stay up all night wondering why they won't sleep! Is this called irony?

Zoo- Look at the sheep and billy goats

Saturday, Hannah, my mom, Claire and I went to the Zoo for my mom's birthday. It was a blast. Below is a video of Hannah with the Sheeps and Billy Goats. It took her a minute to warm up to them, but after a while she loved them.

P.S. Just ignore me. I really hate how I sound on these recordings, but they are too cute to worry too much about that.

Random Pictures

Hannah had her Chistmas pictures at school on Tuesday. Of course she wouldn't let me do anything with her hair. But the good news is that they said they might have gotten a couple of good shots, the others she was a little displeased with be made to sit in fake snow- but who could blame her. So this is what she looked like at th end of the day- bring on the proofs!













This is just a picture of Hannah this morning. She loves Sesame Street. She watches it every morning, and when we are leaving, she waves and says good bye to Elmo and everyone. And the benefit- I learn lots of new stuff too. We both get a Spanish word of the day and some times a sign language word of the day. I think I love it as much as Hannah (I know that is sad)












If can tell by the two pics, Hannah got another trim last night. Her bangs just keep growing right into her face, and I can't seem to train them to go over. I am trying to get rid of the mullet and people refering to her as a him- it really aggravates me. And I have some pics of that, but she was drooling a little and it didn't look pleasant enough to place on the blog- she had a two-tone shirt.

Well, everyone have a good one!

Halloween

I know everyone is very eager to see our little Indian! There are a lot of pictures below and some are from Boo at the Zoo on Saturday and others are from Halloween night. Hannah liked Trick-or-Treating, even though she never actual said Trick-or-Treat when we got to the door. And she has now discovered her love for Candy- better known at Nandy. I had to pull quite a few wrappers out of her mouth Halloween- those silly wrappers weren't going to stand between her and candy.

1) Caroline and Hannah before Boo at the Zoo,









2) Hannah and Caroline at Boo at the Zoo. Hannah liked carrying around her pumpkin with the candy.













3) Hannah dancing to the music at Boo at the Zoo. Everyone kept saying, "Look at the cute Pocahontas." So I just went with it, and Hannah officially turned from plain old Indian to Pocahontas.











4) Hannah and Mommy on the carousel at the zoo. Hannah wasn't quite sure about it. She kept holding onto me and then the zebra would go up and she would have to let go. She had this very confused look on her face the whole time. And if you look real close you will see Brad and Crawfish Elle beside us.









5) Here is Hannah on Halloween night. I think this picture speaks for itself.













5) This is Hannah after I dug the wrapper out of her mouth. Apparently, there was chocolate in there.













6) And this is the puking Pumpkin. I just thought is was funny. Mike carved it himself. I kept walking past it all night and thinking- that looks wierd. And then as we were leaving it dawned on me- his pumpkin was puking! HAHAHAHAHAHA I thought it was funny.








So that is rundown of our Halloween. I have to go home today and hide the Pumpkin with the candy because Hannah threw a fit this morning for candy. I hope everyone had a good time at Halloween too.

Halloween Party

Today is Hannah's Halloween Party at school. They can't wear their costumes, so those pics will be coming next week. When I handed her pumpkin to her, she immediately put it on her arm and said, Bye-Bye. I guess she picks up that when Mommy or anyone else puts her purse on her arm that means we are leaving.

We have been practicing Trick-or-Treat all week, however, I am not sure if just anyone could decipher it- but I can tell what it is. I am sure she will get to a door on Halloween and just freeze! She will be with her cousins and her friend, Braewyn, so maybe they will keep her going.

Oh, and Hannah is going to be an Indian for Halloween. She has already tried it on a couple of times, and it is super cute.

Along with Trick-or-Treating on Halloween, we are going to Boo at the Zoo this Saturday in New Orleans. I have never been, but it should be a lot of fun. And as you can see, Hannah is ready to go!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I will post the Halloween pics next week!

Hannah 1-2-3

Check it out!!!! When Bill brought Hannah home on Sunday, he had realized over the weekend an awesome trick. Of course, it took me a few tries to get it on camera, but here it is.

Please disregard all the goldfish in her mouth- she ate all her dinner so she got a treat!

A Lesson for Mommy!

So, I had my first "watch what your saying" lesson last night. I was so shocked that it took me a few minutes to realize what had just happened- then of course, I laughed!

Hannah and I were on our way home from school and it was raining. I almost missed a turn, and I said "Crap." Then I hear her say, "Crap". It wasn't real distinct, but she was definitely mocking me. Then I said, uh oh, and then I hear her in the back seat saying that too!!!! The crazy thing was that she wasn't even paying attention to me. She was playing with her shoes.

I knew this was going to happen, so I don't know why I acted so surprised. I just kept driving home and pondering what had just happened. I am still a little taken back, but I guess I should just be glad it was just "Crap"!!!

Now I am going to start telling strangers on the street to watch their language! HA- that would be awesome. "Um excuse me sir, I know this is a free country with free speech and all, but could you refrain from using those socially unacceptable terms in front of my daughter." But I guess I need to start with myself!!! Who would have thought I would get in such a tizzy about the word "Crap".

Ah, the learning lessons that my 18 month old daughter continues to teach me. She will straighten me out before you know it!

Sweet Baby!

I know I tell people this all the time, but I think it is so sweet. Hannah loves babies! Everytime we are in a store and she sees a baby carrier she points and says baby. There was even a time when a lady had a department store cart and it was filled with clothes were a baby would normally sit, and Hannah kept pointing and saying baby, baby. I think the lady was a little taken back because she was like, "no, baby and thank goodness for that!" I just laughed and went on.

She loves being around her cousin Claire. Although, she did scare her a few times when she got real excited and screamed. I hope Claire isn't too scared, but she sure has leary eyes when Hannah gets close.

Last Friday, we went to a friends house who has a daughter Hannah's age and another 2 month old baby- yes, pray for her! Hannah was so sweet to the baby. We put all three of the girls in the back seat, and Hannah just sat there quietly and watched the baby. When we got home, she rocked the baby and was just so interested in everything it was doing (which wasn't much).

And her friend, Braewyn, who is her age has a baby doll with a stroller and pacifer and all the good baby stuff, and Hannah goes straight for it every time we are there. She loves to hold the baby and put the pacifer in its mouth, and stroll her around the house.

I guess I like it so much because it amazes me how she is so young but still picks up on this baby stuff. She just seems so sweet and gentle (I mean as gentle as an 18 month can be, we do have to tell her stop rocking so aggresively sometimes). I just think it is sweet, and it makes me feel good about the person she is becoming and will become in the future.

There's more than one way to say No!

Hannah has really gotten good at understanding what I am saying to her. I am finding many advantages to this. For example, she will put her toys in the basket, put her milk on the table, and whole bunches of new things. But she is also learning how to say No- in more ways than one!

On Sunday, Hannah took an early nap, so she went down again later in the afternoon. I didn't want her to sleep too long, so I went and got her up about an hour later. I let her lay on my bed to wake up slowly, but then it was time to get up. We were going to a friends house to eat dinner, and it was time to go.

Hannah was laying on my bed with her thumb in her mouth, balled up with her butt straight in the air. I started asking her questions like, "Are you ready to get up? " "Are you ready to go and eat?". At first, she was shaking her head no, but since she was face down on my bed, that was obviously too difficult. I noticed a second later that she hiked up her butt a little higher. I continued to ask her questions simply to annoy her. Do you know what she did? She answered me with her BUTT! She started shaking her butt in the no direction!

So I kept asking questions and she kept shaking her butt! By that time I was laughing so hard that she got up and jumped on me and it was over. But (no pun intended), how smart of her to use other body parts to communicate when other things weren't convenient. Although I would rather her not communicate with her butt, whatever works!

Smarty Pants

I know I always say hannah is getting super smart, but I was just shocked (and a little sad) last night. My mom was with us last night, and after her bath my mom said, "Look what Hannah can do." Of course I naturally say, "What?" Then my mom starts singing the itsy bitsy spider and Hannah starts doing all the motions and trying to sing it!!!!!! I thought I was going to cry!

It was so cute, and incredible to see her little mind just expanding all the time. She tries to say everything you do, and sometimes she gets really close.

These instances are happening a lot now. She goes to school in the morning not saying and word and comes back saying it. For instance, I have been working on Hannah saying "Milk" when she wants her cup (since I always put milk in it), and she hasn't ever really tried to say it back. Well that was Monday morning, when I got home Monday night she was saying milk!

I know this is going to happen a lot now, and it is exciting to watch her learn. And a little scary how much she learns so fast!

My first colors

The other day my mother asked me if I had been teaching Hannah her colors. Oops! Is that what is next?

Needless to say, it hasn't been a top priority in our house. Animals and the sounds they make have kind of taken the lead. Not to mention, one of my friends pointed out the other day, "Why do we spend so much time teaching them what animals say?" Colors, letters, numbers, what the animal actually is, is really the important stuff. I told her, "You haven't seen a toddler try and make a monkey sound or an elephant impersonation."

Anyway, that is digressing. So Hannah was in the bath last night and she has these colored floating balls that she plays with. Well, last night I start picking them up and saying, "Yellow ball, Red ball, etc." Then I put them down and asked her, "Where is the red ball?" And by golly, she went right to it. Oh the exceptional child that she is!!!!!! I proceeded to go onto to the other colors, and she goes right to them.

I will try it again tonight and we will see how she does, but I am sure she will nail it again. I mean, since she is sooooo smart for her age! HAHA

Who is Momma?

For a very long time- probably before Hannah even new what was going on in this world- I would point to me and say "Momma" and point to her and say "Hannah." Well Hannah is exceptional for her age and all (hehe), but I think she is really confused on this one! Instead of pointing to herself and saying Hannah (or something along those lines), she points to herself and says "Momma."

I repeatedly tell her, "No, I am momma. You are Hannah." But then I realized that she called everyone Momma. She understands peoples names because this weekend I would tell her to go and find Renee, and she would go right to her. But then again, she would look at her and say Momma. I am just a little curious to what she thinks Momma is.

I mean how does she define "Momma." Any person who gives me food. Someone who plays with me on the floor at night. Someone who constantly asks for hugs and kisses. Any person with long, brown hair. Any persons who says "No mam, Hannah." Or does she know a persons name (which is obvious that she does), and the only thing that comes out of her mouth is "Momma."

It is all cute and funny until she points at the stranger in the grocery store and says "Momma." Then she will take my all-powerful Momma status away and just hand it to a stranger. I don't mind sharing with people she knows, but geez I don't want to share with a complete stranger. I am sure she has her own all-powerful "Momma" status.

I assume as she begins to talk more, this situation will take care of itself. And for the record, it is really cute when she points to herself and says Momma. I would just like to get into her brain and see what she means.

Little Trim

Hannah got her first trim this weekend. For those of you who don't know, my best friend, Renee, is a hair stylist. She came to visit this weekend, and gave Hannah her first trim.

Hannah had the longest bangs EVER! They hung down to the middle of her nose, and I tried to train them to go to one side, but they had a mind of their own. So now, Hannah has some bangs that she can see with.

We distracted her with baby einstein, so I am not sure if she even knew what was going on. But I did save it and put it in an envelope!

The rest of the weekend was wonderful too. Hannah has learned how to turn in circles. We were at the mall yesterday and they have a big open area, and I took her out there while Renee was shopping. She would run out there, twirl around and then collapse. I have to say she is pretty good at the twirling. I don't know if she learned it at school or what, but on Sunday she just started twirling around. And then when we woke up this morning, she just got to twirling. And let me tell you, it is hard to dress a twirling child! I hope her shirt is on the right way.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Hello Everyone (and everything)

I have started walking again after work (I think my bike needs new tires), and I have realized that I don't just need to do this for me, but for hannah too.

It is such an awesome way for Hannah to explore her world. She sits in the stroller and just looks around, points at things, attempts to tell me what she is looking at and just has a great time. I point out things to her and repeat them, while she tries to figure out what I am pointing at. She waves to cars, people, dogs and anything else that passes us by.

And as I was walking last night, I started thinking how great this was for her. She gets to interact with me and discover new things about the world everyday.

Well, we are going tomorrow to hang out with the fam. And Hannah gets to meet her cousin, who is about 3 weeks older than her. They live in Houston, so they have never been able to meet. It will be fun with three babies within 1 month of each other- how many toys will be snatched out of hands tomorrow! It should be fun.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Sorry I have been slacking.....I know I say that everytime. Life is just a big hustle and bustle and sometimes I get lost in it!

Hannah is just growing like a weed. She is learning so much, so fast- sometimes I look at her and think, "Hey, I don't even know you anymore. What did you do with my baby?" She responds to what I say and she just tries so hard to spit out every word she can. Her vocabulary is expanding everyday- but so is her independence, attitude, opinion, etc., etc. You see where I am going with this.

There were a couple of days last week I thought I was losing control!!!! Dinner plates were being tossed across the room, necklaces and shirts were being pulled, bodies were going limp, tears were flowing and screams (from both of us!) were going off. I felt like a demon had taken her over. I even had a girl at work pick me up a brochure on child-rearing classes. THANKS- really! (I should toss it back though since she is about to have her own bundle of joy any day now!)

But she was getting over a virus she had all weekend, so I think that was a lot of it. We are over it now and my sweet little angel has come home. She just toddles around talking and picking up everything in site and on the shelves.

I was talking to a friend last night who asked about Hannah, and it is so hard to really explain how awesome she is, and I am having that same problem now. Just take my word for it- she is a ball full of energy that amazes me everyday.

I am trying to post pictures, but my new camera is really wierd. I have some coming soon.

We're still alive!

Hi everyone,

I have to make this short, but I wanted to let everyone know that we are still alive. I feel like I always say this, but things have been crazy. All of you have been on mind and I have been concerned about my readership failing because of my lack of blogging, so please don't give up on me. I could go into my crazy life, but who really cares- it is a job, not a life. HA- that is funny!

Hannah is doing great. We had our 15 month check up last week and she is doing fine. She had a big melt down in the room, and the doctor was like, "Nevermind, I was about to ask if she was throwing things around." That would be right after she chunked my phone across the room- I can laugh about it now.

She was a huge flirt. She has a male doctor, so you can imagine. He left the room and she was having an "episode." She was sitting in my lap just wailing, and I was trying to confort her like we mothers do- she just kept shoving my hands away and tossing everything in arms length onto the floor. I finally raised my hands in the air and just let her be mad. So............the doctor walks in again. Hannah sticks her thumb in her mouth and curls up on me like a sweet little angel. He just looked at her and said, "don't try that, I heard you all the way down the hall." Now if she could only understand that- it would have been priceless!

So she has definitely hit the toddler stage- at least I hope this it. But she is still sweet and just an angel, but she is definitely asserting herself more now! Oh well, I always liked a person with an opinion.

Well I will talk to you all soon. Have a great weekend!

Thunder- scary! and other fun stuff (kind of)

It seems like it rains every day here in Louisiana, but usually it just has one big downpoor and then we are good until tomorrow. Well the other night was a different story- we actually had a storm. Hannah has been through a lot of storms and they have never seemed to bother her until the other night. Everytime it thundered she came barrelling toward me, and letting out a small cry. She would curl up until she felt like it was safe again. I thought it was so strange.

But then I started thinking about how lately she has been more jumpy. Sometimes when she is really into her toys, I will say something to her and she jumps like it startled her. Do they all of a sudden get super-duper hearing? I don't get it. I guess it is just another guessing game, but for the record- Hannah does not like thunder.

On another note, Hannah has another tooth and probably by the weekend another one will break through. Does she have an abnormal amount of teeth for a 15 month old? She has 13 officially, but like I said it will probably be 14 by the weekend. Everyone always comments on how many teeth she has. They ask me if that is normal, and I say, "I suppose, she is the only child I have to compare." I mean it seems normal to me, but hey what do I know- I am just the mother.

And on another note, Hannah has really perfected her art of walking. I have gotten to were I will let her down to walk around places- malls, Walgreen (not the best idea I ever had), etc.- and it cracks me up. Most people swing there arms in a rythem, but Hannah only swings one arm. She sticks out her belly and gets to pumping that arm. It is hilarious.

We had to go to the hospital earlier in the week to visit a friend who just had a baby, and I let her down. People were just laughing at her the whole way up to the room. Of course, a lot of people in a hospital just need a good laugh. Maybe I should take her up there once a week to just walk and make some people smile! Anyway, it was really funny and the girl I was with couldn't get over how she walked so funny. I wish everyone could see it.

Okay, enough rambling for one day. Oh yeah, I am going to put a disclaimer on this one to preface all of my blogs. Please excuse all of my punctuation, spelling, word usage and/or grammar mistakes. This is the one place where I do not have to worry about this and I enjoy that about my blog. My job entails me everyday to be very detailed about it and I get tired of doing that. And this blog does not contain spell check! So please excuse. If you have a huge problem with it- then read someone else's blog. HAHA.

Have a great weekend!

Circus Time

Last Saturday, I took Hannah to the circus. Actually, my mom, brother, sister-in-law and their two children went to the circus too. It was so much fun!

I have never been to the circus, so it was just as much fun for me! Well, back to Hannah because I know you are not interested in how excited I was!!!!

Overall, Hannah really liked it. At first, she was a little scared by it and she just curled up on my lap, but then her cousins got there and she was good to go. She jumped off my lap and was dancing and clapping and having a good time. She liked the dogs and other animals the best- she really isn't at the point of liking the trapeze like me! My brother bought M&M's, so by the time it was over Hannah and I both had chocolate over the front of our shirts.

It is just one of those other things that makes being a parent so much fun- I get to be a kid again too.

The stairs are so tough!

I read in a book recently (and I may have blogged about it some), that if you have stairs in your house you should take time to teach your child how to go up and down them. Let them practice why you are nearby to maybe prevent any accidents. So everyday when Hannah takes a bath at night she climbs tup he stairs and does very well at it, and every morning she climbs down.

In the morning when she gets ready to go down, so stands by the edge and puts her hand up for me hold. She knows she is not secure enough to walk down by herself, which I think is so cute when she holds up that hand. So to get down she holds my hand and puts one foot at a time onto each step, and since her but is the same height at the stair you can imagine what a drop it is for her little legs.

Well this morning we were walking down the stairs as usual, and she started this grunting every time her foot stepped down. She sounded so pitiful, like it was the toughest thing she had ever done. Every step....huh....huh....huh....huh, all the way to the bottom. I just walked down beside her and laughed! It is so hard being her! But I guess it is the same concept as me stepping up and down a 3 foot wall. Who knows, I'd probably be grunting too!

We'll see if she starts doing it every time. This may be the first sign of a drama queen! (HAHA)

Pictures!!!!

Here are some recent pictures of Hannah. I hope you enjoy!

1) I am being brave and putting a picture of myself in my bathing suit on the web. AAAHHH! But it is a good memory for Hannah. As you can see, she liked the water as long as someone was really close. It is fun going to the beach with children because you find yourself acting like a child again (sitting the sand with the water, building sand castles, running and jumping over the waves)- you get the point.


2) Here is a picture of Hannah and I in our famous khaki and white pics. Not real close, but we are laughing really hard because Hannah kept shaking her head. Seems that she is not a big fan of the family pictures either!








3) Another picture of Hannah at the beach. Kirbo is taking her down to the water. That is after she had him bringing her pail after pail of water to fill her hole. I guess he thought it would be easier to just take her to the ocean instead of the ocean to her.
















4) Hannah's first ponytail. Her hair is finally getting long enough to put up. It is really cute, but she pulls it out so she can't wear it up to school. I am just about ready to go for the first hair cut. Her hair is always in her eyes.
















5) Ah...mischevious. Hannah really likes her new cousin, Claire. She likes to rock her in her toys, but most of all, she likes to poke her eyes out. It is really sweet to see her with Claire, because I thought she would not pay any attention to her since she doesn't do anything, but Hannah pays a lot of attention to her. I think Hannah will definitely take up for her when all the other older cousins want to get her!!!!!



Well I hope everyone enjoys the pics. I broke my camera at the beach, but I now have a new one. Hopefully, I will be able to post more pictures. Have a good weekend! Hannah is going to Alabama this weekend, so I hope all of you have an awesome time with her. She is bunches of fun!!!!!

A few new tricks!

I know I have been slacking on my blog lately, but you would understand if you saw my desk!

Last weekend we went to my brother's house to play. For those of you who don't know, he has a daughter a month older than Hannah and a 3 year old. They put out the kiddie pool and Hannah had a blast. Although she was having a good time, I was a nervous wreck. Being the independent child that Hannah is, she did not want mommy to hold her hand the whole time. So I would let go while she was still and not trying to walk all around this pool, but then splash, hannah would lose her grip and under she would go. I would catch her arm and pull her up. At first I thought she might get scared and want to get out, but no, she kept doing it. I felt like I was constantly trying to save my child from drowning, but she loved it. So if anyone wants to go swimming in a baby pool with Hannah, make sure you don't have any distractions because she is not afraid to go under!

Hannah is also starting to pick up on a lot of words I am saying and I think it is so fun! We are working on getting out of the "point at what I want and whine" phase, so I am repeating what she wants when she points to it. We can officially say cracker! Although she still doesn't use it as well as I would like, we are getting there. She also says a little something that sounds like turtle, and she will point to the turtle when she says it. We still have a lot of learning to do because my niece who is a month older than her can say Speedboat!!!

She also knows milk. When she starts getting fussy for something, I say "where's your milk?" and that usually stops the fussing while she looks for it. We always keep it in reach for that purpose. Last night we were downstairs after dinner and it was time for bath. I asked Hannah if she was ready to go and take a bath and she darts to the stairs. I was not as fast as her getting up because she usually doesn't respond when I ask her, but I guess repetition pays off. She would walk back and look at me like "Okay come on I want to take a bath." I love that she is understanding me now. It kind of blows my mind when she does things like that because I still want her to be a baby and being able to communicate is a huge sign that she is not a little baby anymore, or atleast she won't be for long.

There are also a couple of really sweet things she is doing now that I LOVE! She knows to give hugs when you ask and give kisses. Although she has been slobbing kisses for a while; she is also becoming a wonderful hugger. Also, at night before I put her down, I tell her it is time to go night night and she curls up on me and starts to fall asleep. This is awesome because Hannah hasn't always been the biggest snuggler, but she is now.

Well those are a few things that have been going on with Hannah. I am working on posting some pictures soon, so look for those.

I did good!

Clapping has become one of Hannah's greatest joys in life. She claps at everything, especially when she does something good.

We watch Wheel of Fortune at night, and she claps when they get excited. She sees herself in the mirror and she claps. She simply walks around clapping.

The best thing is when she is carrying something around and gets excited. She stops, leans down to place the object on the floor, leans back up and then claps. It is so funny, because she doesn't just let go of the object and let it drop to the floor. She very nicely places it on the floor. She also gives you a big grin when she does it, so it makes it even more cute.

It is just amazing how she knows when she has done something good. What's even better is she also knows when she has done something bad. But I have to say she is really good about not doing something when she knows its bad. Well, it is not that simple, but atleast she will get really close to doing and give me that look like "I am about to touch it, when you are going to say no." Sometimes she will still do it, but a majority of the time she will stop and onto the next thing.

I know I say this a lot, but she is just so fun. It is amazing how much she is learning every day.

Well, I hope everyone has a good weekend. Talk to you soon.

I'm Back

I know it has been a while since I posted, so don't think I forgot about all of you in Hannahland.

Hannah and I have been really busy lately, and she is getting so big. A few weeks ago, Hannah got a new high chair that allowed her to sit up a little straighter. Since we got that high chair, we have moved from putting food directly on the high chair to using bowls and silver wear. It is so nice because I just sit her in her seat and she goes to town. She is still getting used to her fork and spoon, but she's got the idea. She just picks up the food and then puts it on the spoon. She then tries to get it turned back around to go in her mouth, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I place her milk in the cup holder and she picks it up to drink and places it nicely back into the cup holder. Her fine motor skills are just getting better by the day.

This won't be a big deal for anyone really but me, since I see it everyday. But Hannah just made me so happy Friday morning. When I take her to day care, she usually goes to her teacher and they hold her for a bit while I leave - to make sure the transition goes smoothly, if you know what I mean. Well, when I dropped her off on Friday, her teacher had another baby in her arms and she was putting her down to get Hannah. I went ahead and put Hannah down on the ground. My baby just walked off to the toy box, not even looking back at me or her teacher. I was so proud.

As for the weekend, we started painting our house. We only had one incident with Hannah and the paint. She was really good about not touching the walls and staying away from the paint brushes, but one time we put the paint bucket too low. The good news is that I turned around fast enough to stop her entire hand from getting into the paint. She merely decorated the ends of her fingertips.

And on a not so fun note, Hannah has another ear infection. She hasn't had one since the winter, so that is good news. She is just really fussy right now, and very clingy. But her being clingy is not much of a difference -we are still going through all of that. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon and we will be good again.

Well, that should catch everyone up for a while. Hannah is growing so fast. I don't even have to carry her to the car in the mornings. She just walks out of the house herself, and when she hits an area she doesn't think she can make it around by herself, she very cutely puts up her hand for me to hold. It is really cute.

I hope everyone is having a good summer- school will be in again soon!!!!

Don't leave Mom

Sorry I have not posted in a while. Work has been really busy and I haven't had time to even think about my poor neglected blog. Oh well, busy is a good thing!

Hannah is going through a very clingy phase. I can't get 5 feet from her without her screaming, and you can forget walking to the other room without her. I asked my friend at work, who also has a child Hannah's age, what was going on. She said that babies will go through a separation anxiety phase around 18 months. Oh my goodness! We are not even 15 months yet......what am I going to do.

I sit down with her every night and give her my undivided attention - hoping this will calm her a bit. I always tell her, "Mommy will be back soon." I don't know what else to do. Any suggestions would be awesome!!!

The good thing is that when I take her to day care she seems fine. Some days she will cry when I leave, but that is usually on Mondays after we have been together all weekend. And even if she cries when I leave, it lasts 2 minutes. I know because I watched the other day at school.

She was crying when I gave her to her teacher, and by the time I got to the gate of the playground she had stopped! This makes me wonder - is it really separation anxiety or is she just SPOILED!!!!!

Well, just another adventure in parenting. I am sure as soon as I figure this one out, we will be onto the one. I do have to admit, that sometimes I like it. Especially when she runs to me with that big smile and her arms wide open - it kind of melts me inside.

Also, I know I reported last week that Hannah had a new tooth on the bottom, well the other side came in also. I believe we are up to 12 teeth!!!!

Beach Bum

We just got back from the beach yesterday and it was so much fun. Hannah did so good and it was fun to see her with all of her cousins.

The first day we went straight to the pool and Hannah did a lot like she did the first time, she curled up really close to me and acted like she was falling asleep. I finally peeled her off of me and we played motor boat and I threw her in the air a few times. She laughed at that a lot, but the thumb never came out of her mouth (I think we have discovered Hannah's safety blanket).

The next day we took Hannah to the beach for the first time. She was a little hesitant about the sand at first. I would put her on her bottom and she would lift her legs really high while sitting down so she wouldn't get the sand on her. It was funny. Eventually she got a little closer and a little more brave. She started taking the toys and filling them with sand.

On Monday, we went to the beach first thing. We pulled the chairs right on the water and sat there. Hannah liked it when her Kirbo would bring the bucket full of water and sit it in front of her. She would splash in it and then dump it out, only for someone to walk back to the water and fill it up again. I picked her up and took her into the ocean, which she liked a lot. We jumped the waves and they splashed onto us. She thought that was funny. Then we went and sat on the edge of the water and let the ocean come to us.

All in all, I think Hannah liked the pool the best. We had a floating turtle for the pool and she sat it in for a couple of hours at least on Tuesday. I was able to get some sun and she floated in the pool with Kirbo. He said she kept trying to pick up the water and feed it to him.

But the fun didn't stop at the beach, the condo was a whole other world and were the real excitement began! We had 5 children, a 5 year old, 3 year old, two 1 year olds and a 2 month old. It was fun to see them all interact. Hannah really liked to play with Claire, the 2 month old. At least she liked her toys. Claire has a bouncy seat, one like the green one that Hannah loved when she was a baby. It had an ocean theme to it and the colorful part that attached was intriguing to Hannah. She would see me bouncing Claire and come up and do it herself, except she wasn't quite as gentle. But when Claire was out of it, Hannah was trying to get in it and a few times she suceeded. We would look over and Hannah had crawled in and was just enjoying herself. Aunt Amy and Uncle Mike weren't a big fan of this, and Hannah kept getting the boot.

Hannah is also a lot stronger than I give her credit for. One time the balcony door was pretty much closed, at least Hannah couldn't slip through it. I look over and she is pushing the door open and had made it inside. This is one of those sliding doors that isn't the lightest in the world, but leave it to Hannah to get were she wants too.

So Hannah had a really good time, but I think we were both a little glad to get home. We were exhausted and ready to get back to our quiet little house. You really don't realize how quiet your home is until you have entered into that condo last weekend. Someone was always screaming!

Well that was a summary of our 4th of July. Oh yeah, Hannah loved the fireworks. They were right in front of our condo, and when the first one went off, she screamed real loud and came barrelling toward me. I took her outside and she was fine. She curled up in my lap and just watched. She would sit up every now and then and point at them. I was glad she wasn't scared.

Okay, that is a brief summary of our weekend. I am not sure if I made it sound real exciting, but I am just getting over my exhaustion and it makes me really tired again thinking about it! All that really matters, is that it was a great time and it is so awesome to know how close Hannah will be to all of her cousins. I hope they like each other because they don't really have a choice!

P.S. Hannah got another tooth on the bottom last night. A girl at my work calls her chompers because of all of her teeth!

My glasses

I know everyone saw the picture of Hannah in her sunglasses, and if you didn't then simply scroll down.

My mom kept her last Friday because she was sick and went ahead and took out the other eye, so now Hannah has frames with no lenses. Well, when Hannah first discovered these glasses she wouldn't keep them on. She would take them off, hand them to me and I would put them on either her or me. Now Hannah loves to wear them. She brings them to me; I put them on her and she takes off walking around the house with her hip glasses on. If they fall off, she tries to put them back, but no one can put them on like mommy, so she brings them back to me.

It is really cute, and I did get her on video with the glasses so I can black mail her when she gets older. Not to mention I am cracking up in the background, so she will know I intentionally made fun of her. Oh well, one day she will have a child she can make fun of! AAAHH, thats scary.

Well, we are leaving in the morning for the beach. For those of you who read this and do not participate in our July 4th festivities, my family gets together every July4th at the beach. It will be 15 of us in one condo, with 5 of the 15 being under 6 years old. When you put it like that, it doesn't sound really intriguing, but it is a lot of fun. Hannah will be a lot of fun at the beach this year, and we have our bikini packed!

I hope everyone has a great July 4th weekend. Happy Birthday America!!!! Another reason to have some fun! Okay, I am a dork! BYE....

Higher Mommy Higher

Yesterday, Hannah and I went to the lake after work with some friends. They have a bunch of little play areas by the lake, so we had a picnic and played a while. Hannah has been to parks before and played in swings, but for some reason yesterday she really enjoyed it.

After we ate our dinner, I put her in the swing (probably not the smartest thing in the world, but it ended up okay). I pushed her and she started laughing. She was having the best time. Her hair was blowing in the wind and she kept on laughing. After a while, it started to make me feel sick just watching her so I slowed it down and tried to take her out. She wasn't having any of that. She gripped onto the swing and wasn't letting go. Not to mention letting out a really good scream so everyone around thought I was hurting her!

So what does any really strict mom (that I am) do, I start pushing again! And she is happy again! Eventually I got her out, and we went home. But she was a pill the rest of the night and I think she wanted her swing back! Kind of strange, since she was never a big fan of the swing as a baby. Maybe I should give it another shot!

Hannah's New Day Care

I don't have an extravagant story about Hannah today, but I do wish to get on my own soap box today about Hannah's day care.

I visited a friend a few weeks ago who was 7 months pregnant with her first child. Of course, me being the veteran mom I am, I listen to what she says and think she is going to eat those words! She starts talking about how dirty day cares are and about the kinds of people who go to day cares. I politey look at her and say Hannah is one of those kids! She didn't say much and I figured, "Hey, if she wants to be naive then go ahead and let her."

Well, we go outside and her mother starts to talk to me. My friend is still in college, so she won't be able to work full-time. Her mother says, "If I have to go back to work to pay for a nanny then I will because (she who will not be named) does not want her baby going to day care." I once again think, "Are these people serious?"

Well, let me just tell you how happy and wonderful my child is. She did just recently change day cares (the reason we changed was not because anything was wrong with Hannah at all), but she is so happy and CLEAN! Yeah, she has been sick and this and that, but isn't that what kids do! We just can't protect them from those crazy germs forever. At Hannah's new day care, she colors, finger paints, plays in the sprinkler, goes outside everyday, has friends she follows around and teachers who she leaps out of my arms to go to! These are things that she would have never gotten sitting at home by herself with a nanny. I like to wonder what Hannah really would be like if she wasn't in day care.

Anyway, to get off of my soap box, I don't believe there is anything wrong with a child staying home with a nanny, it was just kind of shocking how they thought day cares were run. And I also know that each day care is not perfect for everybody, but I thank God everynight for letting me find Hannah's day care because I feel it is exactly where she is supposed to be.

Not to say there are not times when I get upset because I feel like someone else is raising my child, but I have to remind myself that that is not the case at all. They are simply enriching her life, which is what all of us in Hannah's life do - we enrich her life.

On an ending note, I hope I did not offend anyone with this post. I just wanted everyone to know how awesome Hannah's day care is!

HAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHA! That is all I have to say about that! Have a great weekend everyone!

I'm sleepy

A few weeks ago I got a carrier put on the back of my bike so Hannah and me could get out a little bit after work. At first I thought, "It will be fun for her. She will get to see dogs in the neighborhood, kids playing in their yards, birds flying in the air." The possibilities were endless for her little eyes.

Well, Hannah had a totally different idea in mind when she gets on the bike. She is so tired when she gets home from day care that she just falls asleep as soon as we get on the bike. For a minute she is awake, but then I start hearing her helmet scratch on the side of the seat and I know she is out.

Yesterday, I started to get really nervous about hitting a bump and hurting her neck. I pull over and it takes all I have to wake her up. She wakes up, takes a deep breath like "Mom leave me alone" and goes right back to sleep.

I amazes me how babies, well she is not really a baby anymore, can sleep anywhere. I just keep riding my bike and her head is just bobbing in the back. I try to go ways that don't have many bumps and I try to turn corners really slow because there is absolutely no way to keep her awake.

In the whole scheme of things, it is really good because she gets in a little nap and then she will stay up a little later and play with me. So I can't complain too much. I guess I just better be glad she likes to ride and doesn't fight her helmet!

Happy Father's Day

I have been saving this picture for a while, but I gave it to my father for Father's Day so it had to wait to be posted.

I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to everyone. I hope all of you had a wonderful day and got to do whatever you wanted!

We had a big weekend, but I will write more later about that.

Work has been really busy so I haven't had much time to write. I just thought everyone would enjoy this picture. It is on my desk as well and it makes me smile every time I look at it. She is getting ready for the beach!

I can do it!

I am about to let out a secret about me that only a few people know, but you have to know to truly understand this story. I have a container at my house that holds unused ketchup and Taco Bell sauce packets. It is plastic and probably about a gallon size. I have a pet peave about not getting enough Taco Bell sauce with my Mexican Pizzas, so I keep some handy. Okay, I keep a lot handy. The container is probably over half full with sauce packets.

The other night, I indulged myself and got a Mexican Pizza. I brought out the container and sat it on the floor. I forgot to put it back in the pantry that night, and the next night Hannah found it. It was hilarious. Since she has started walking, she has also started working out her strength moves.

We were sitting on the floor and she headed toward the container. The next thing I know, she is trying to lift it. She looks like she is on the world's strongest man contest. She is squatting and trying to wrap her arms around it just right to get a good grip. Well, she does it! She grabs on to it and starts carrying it over to me. By the time she made it to me, she had this "Hurry Mom take it" look on her face. So I took it and sat it down. She let and go and went on to find the next thing to haul my way.

She is so cute now that she is walking. She grabs her big books and carries them to me, and anything else she can find. I really like her walking, but I may eat those words in a few months.

And she's off!

Finally my blog is back up and running. I have had some big news and it wouldn't let me share it. I sent out an email yesterday with the pictures because I couldn't get on here. Now I will share a few of the stories that go along with our new found talent.

As most of you know, Hannah really started walking on Tuesday. I noticed it a little bit on Sunday, but on Tuesday she became a walking machine, and she has gotten so much better in just a few days it is crazy.

At first, she would get up holding onto something and take off, but by the time night came on Tuesday she could get up without holding onto anything. She did have some problems getting up from the sitting position, but that was soon figured out as well.

On Wednesday, we came home and I put her sippy cup on the table. The next thing I know she has grabbed the cup and was off. She tucks it really close to her and just goes to walking. She still can't figure out how to drink and stand up at the same time, which is a real inconvenience for her so I am sure it won't be long.

For the first time since I moved into my new place I wondered it if was too small. For those of you who have seen my house you will understand a little better. The den and kitchen are connected and you can go around them in a circle (I hope that makes sense), and Hannah does just that. She goes around and around and around. She doesn't seem to get bored with it, but I think she is really relishing in her new found freedom.

Also on Wednesday when I went to get her out of bed, she usually pops up to the sitting position and I will pick her up. Oh, but not that day! I go into to get her and she pops up to the standing position like it was no big deal that she was now standing on her own. It was funny because it was like she was saying, "I'm good and I know it!"

It hasn't been all good though. She has taken some pretty good front dives, and she doesn't really like those. We got a busted lip last night and I am scared to death we are going to mess up those teeth we have worked so hard for. She still has trouble seeing what she is about to walk on, so she trips a good bit. But it is all in learning. We take for granted how easy it is to walk, but that is hard stuff!

A few stories from the weekend

Today I have a few things to tell about Hannah. Since it was the weekend, there are more things to tell.

1) Hannah had been running a low grade fever all weekend, but she was still happy. I figured she caught a little something at her new day care, and I didn't suspect teeth because we just got in two new teeth about two weeks ago. Yesterday I was taking her temperature and I just thought I would check for new teeth. Well, Hannah officially has two more teeth. They are in the back, so they are the big ones. That is exciting because maybe she can start actually chewing her food instead of inhaling it.

2) Hannah has not really been interested in walking. I mean she would if people really worked with her, but when we would get home she was not interested at all. I knew she would do it when she was ready, so I didn't push it. Well, this weekend she has shown the first signs of really wanting to try on her own. She would let go of things and take a few steps before falling on her bottom. Then she started letting go, but before she lost her balance and fell down she would sway back and forth like she was trying to learn to catch her balance. One time she was standing there and she was starting to lose her balance, so she squatted down, but didn't fall down, and pushed right back up to standing position. Another time she even walked to her drum set and played the drums with her drumstick (sometimes she plays with her hands, which would mean she would be holding onto something) and didn't fall down or hold onto anything. I know it won't be long now.

3) On Sunday, we went swimming at my house for the first time. The pool was really cold, so she wasn't real sure at first. We took it really slow and she eventually was fine. On one end of the pool, there is a ledge you can sit on. We made it there and I sat on the ledge with her. Hannah just curled up on and went to sleep. So on Sunday she took her mid-morning nap asleep on me in the pool. If I didn't have to get out because I was burning, she may have slept in there all day, but she took about an hour nap. This is a good sign for the beach this summer. She can take her nap in the pool, while I get some sun too.

4) Get ready for the Blueberry Muffins. On Sunday morning I took Hannah to PJ's, a coffee shop, and we ordered a blueberry muffin. You would have thought she had never eaten. She attacked it, almost worse than her birthday cake. I couldn't push it far enough across the table because she kept lunging for it. Needless to say, if Hannah ever comes to visit you better have Blueberry Muffins.

Well, that is a few highlights from the weekend. Hannah is so fun and becoming so sweet, but she is starting to show her little personality a little more everyday. Of course, there are some things that are great about her personality and others things we are going to have to work on.

First Melt Down

I alway knew it would come, but I didn't think it would be in the middle of the mall and so quickly. On Monday we went to the mall with my sister and her daughter. Hannah was doing fine just hanging out in her stroller, but on the way out of Dillard's she starts crying. Usually she will find her thumb and quiet down pretty quick, but this time was different.

She didn't calm down, so I picked her up. She was fine long enough to get out of Dillard's. Then she started jumping out of my arms like she wanted to get down and walk. I give in and put her down to walk. She walks about a minute, then we lose it. She goes totally limp and falls on the ground crying. I try to pick her up and she starts jumping out of my arms like she wants to get down. I put her down and she goes limp again just screaming. This happened probably one more time before I just held her and let her get it out.

We went into a store to find my sister, and she got quiet for a minute. Then two nice ladies (two separate times) come to tell her how cute she is, and she looks at them and screams! I mean, what do you say. "Sorry, it's not you, but then again she was fine until you came over here!"

We then go to get lunch and I just put her in her stroller. I'm not wonder woman. I can't possibly carry the tray and her and push a stroller. She is crying of course, and the poor woman in front of us was really pregnant. I bet Hannah made her rethink her decision to have a child!

Eventually, she got quiet and we made it through, but it was the first time I felt that, "why can't she control her child" or "what a horrible mother" look coming from all around. I know all of my fellow mother's around were just rooting me on and hoping I would just stay strong and not give in, but it was still a little embarrassing.

I know this was our first big one and will definitely not be our last, so I guess this is the point were our parents laugh and say payback! Well, there you go. Payback really stinks. Why can't we reverse the way we go through life? I mean, start as adults and go to children. I think we would be better children! Just a thought to ponder on for the weekend.

New School

Hannah started a new school yesterday. I was really nervous because she was doing really well at her last day care and I really liked it. So it was a hard decision to move her, and when I was on my way to take her I thought I was about to cry!

Throughout the day I thought about calling to check on her, but I don't really think they would tell me if she was doing horribly. I mean they probably would, but I know they wouldn't want to worry me any further.

I went to pick her up that afternoon and her smiling little face was waiting at the door. I walked and the lady imediately said to me, "Hannah did not sleep all day, is that normal?" Well, I inquired a little more, because you know how some people can exagerate. Not sleeping all day could have meant she slept for only an hour or 30 minutes, and to me that is sleeping, but to her it may not have been long enough to suffice as a nap. Well, it turns out that she didn't sleep at all! They said there was one point when she almost fell asleep, but then she woke back up and kept on playing. They said that she didn't cry all day or get fussy, but she just didn't sleep. I thought it to be a little strange.

So we leave and as soon as we get in the car she falls asleep. We get home and she falls asleep in my arms on the way in the house and stays that way the entire time I cook dinner. I couldn't let her go to bed without dinner. She woke up to eat dinner and take a bath, but then straight down again. My baby was tired!

This morning when I took her, her teacher mentions what a laid back child Hannah is and that she wished all the kids in her class were like her. She said she would just play and every now and then look up and smile. Now that is the Hannah I know. That made me feel better and I finally relaxed a little and thought for the first time since I dropped her off that things were going to be fine.

They say these things are harder on the parent than the child and they are so true. I am just glad it was a smooth transition.

What a week!

I know I haven't posted much this week or at all, but those of you who I have talked know why. I got a call from Hannah's daycare on Monday to come and pick her up. They thought she probably had pink eye! So I go to pick her up and thankfully was able to get an appointment, which was a miracle in itself.

Hannah was trying to get sick last week, but she got two teeth, so that is what I suspected was messing her up so bad. She had been running a fever and her nose was starting to run, but nothing out of the ordinary for teething.

Well, by the time I got her to the doctor on Monday, I thought she was just had allergies and that what was stirring up her nose and eyes. Well I was in for a rude awakening. When we got to the doctor she wouldn't hardly move. She was laying on me just watching the other kids, and usually she is right down there with them. Everyone who passed said how sick she looked. We finally get called back and the nurse does her thing. The nurse all of a sudden gets really still and just watches Hannah. She then tells me to turn her around and take off her shirt, that is when I knew someting was up. She was watching her breath!

Well, the final conclusion to all of this rambling is that Hannah had pneumonia and pink eye! We did the chest X-rays and the antibiotic shot and went on our way. They most frustrating thing was that the doctor said to watch her breathing through the night and if it got worse to take her to the hospital. Well, what exactly is worse? I really wanted to ask the doctor if he could just come and sleep in Hannah's room for the night so I would be exactly sure what worse was! I was probably a little exhausted which led to me being more frustrated, but gees!

Anyway, we made it through the night and she is doing so much better. She has had to be out of day care all week so that has been a little trying, but we are making it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and Hannah is almost back to herself. Besides her really long naps she is back to getting into everything and playing like she always does.

I will be glad when this week is over, but I have to admit it has been nice being able to hang out with Hannah a lot even if she was sick.

Play the Music Mom!

Anyone who knows me knows that I can not dance. I always give a good effort, but I have white-girl syndrome to the fullest. They told me when Hannah was young that if you bounce babies a lot it teaches them rhythm, well I must have never been bounced, but it looks like I did a good job with Hannah.

Hannah is a dancing machine! She listens to the TV and dances, she turns on her toys and dances and she dances while I sing (which is also one of my strong points). For her birthday, one of my friends bought her a drum set that came with a xylophone, tamborine, bells, a shaker and of course, a drum. Hannah absolutely loves it, and I have to admit I see a little talent. She will take the drum stick and go back and forth between the drum set and the xylophone and make a little tune. She has a long way to go, but she interested.

Sometimes, I will play the drums and she will play the xylophone, or sometimes we will switch it up. Sometimes, I will sing a song and she will play along and dance. We like to get creative with out music. One song she really likes is: Rocky, Rocky, Rocky to and fro.....(you know how it goes). She will even start rocking her chair and humming along in the tune. I am telling you the girl has talent!

For now, I think we will keep up our own music sessions, but later she will definitely have to get real lessons. You know, (I never thought I say this) I wouldn't even care if someone bought her a lousy drum set or keyboard. I mean if she is good at it, who am I to say no!

Pretty In Pink

I totally underestimate my child most of the time. Lately she has been getting into drawers, baskets and bags and pulling out everything inside. She never really tampers with the stuff, she just pulls it out and throws it to the side. She may put it back in the bag or wherever she got it from, but most of the time it just stays on the floor for me to pick up later.

I think God was preparing me for this incident that I am about to tell. On Sunday, I was getting ready to go to my brother's for Mother's Day. Hannah was in my room playing with the usual stuff. By stuff I mean my make-up bag and clothes in the drawers. (I bet you can see where this is going.) I had on my TV, and she was really into this one show. Things were quiet, which should have been my first sign, but I went on getting ready. At that moment I realize how strangely quiet it is, and I look into my room. Hannah had found my lipstick tube and had it everywhere. It covered her, my hair dryer, the rest of my makeup, a few clothes and, yes, my carpet. Did I mention that I just got new carpet about 3 weeks ago.

So, why did God prepare me for this incident. A couple of days before, I was looking in my cabinet under the sink of cleaning supplies, and I saw Woolite carpet cleaner. I thought to myself, "Wow, didn't know I had that, but good to know!"

Well, I pick up Hannah and put her in the bathroom. I strip her down and kill a couple of washclothes trying to get the lipstick off of her. I run downstairs and head straight for the Woolite. It works like a dream. Of course, I was on the floor for a while scrubbing with all of my might, but it got out!

I know it is totally my fault, which makes it harder to accept. But I just need to stop underestimating how inquisitive my daughter is. I guess we live and learn. I would just rather not learn on my new carpet!

Random

Well it is almost the weekend and I am so glad. Hannah is getting so fun that I hate having to work so much, so I really look forward to hanging out with her on the weekends. She isn't quite walking yet, but she will hold your hand and walk everywhere. I know it is only a matter of time, and I can absolutely wait until that moment.

By the time Sunday comes, I am exhausted. After chasing her around all weeekend and doing stuff around the house, I need a little break. I have realized that I go to work on Monday's just to rest from the weekend, and Hannah goes to daycare on Monday so she can rest too.

This weekend is Mother's Day, so we are going to have some fun. I can't write about where we are going because it is a surprise for our Nona and I would hate for her to read my blog and give away the surprise! But it will be a place that Hannah will have plenty of space to roam, so I will get my exercise on Saturday.

On Sunday, we are going to hang out with my mom and my other neices, so atleast she will have someone to entertain her. The problem is that they all walk, except for Claire of course, so they will leave Hannah in the dust. Who knows, maybe she will get brave and just start running. I think that is what she is waiting for. I think she wants to be able to just start running instead of just easing into it with walking. That ought to be fun!

Well, since Hannah hasn't done anything out of the ordinary that I haven't already blogged about, this blog is just about random stuff. Can you tell? I just hate to leave for the weekend and not have anything for my weekend viewers to read.

Everyone have a great weekend. And Happy Mother's Day to all those Mother's out there!

Tooth Fairy

Hannah cut another tooth last night! I got a call from her daycare yesterday and she had a fever of 101.9. They said she was really clingy, and I thought that was wierd because she has been fine all week. I go to pick her up and she was a little fussy, but it wasn't horrible!

About 4 a.m. she wakes up crying. I get her up and feed her and take her temp. It is still 101, so we take some more Tylenol. I put her back in bed and had to go and console her a few times, but then she went back to sleep.

She woke up at 8, and there was a little tooth poking out of her gums, and her fever had broke. Those crazy teeth can really mess things up.

That brings Hannah to 7 teeth total and I assume the other one will be coming soon. It was her bottom left tooth if you are looking at her.

I know this blog is pretty boring, but maybe oneday when she gets older I will still have this blog and she can know exactly what happened on her 7th tooth!

Surprise Mom!

I know what a lot of you are going to say as you read this story, but I already know!

Yesterday, Hannah and I were at home just hanging out. I was laying on the couch as she played on the floor, and when Hannah plays on the floor she goes all over the place. My den and kitchen are like one big circle, so Hannah usually goes around the circle getting into everything. I have pretty much baby proofed everything, so I don't have to follow her around the house in circles - until yesterday.

We also have stairs in our house, but Hannah has never had any interest in them. She never gets near them or even looks at them, so they haven't been a concern. Well, I think yesterday she woke up and said, "Hey, today I think I am going to climb these stairs." And she did! While I was on the couch, Hannah was doing her circles around the house, but then suddenly it got very quiet. I immediately get up to see what she is in to and Hannah has climbed her way to the top of the stairs. Now I have two ledges, so she wasn't to the second story, but she was well on her way. I couldn't believe it!

So for the entire night I couldn't keep her away from the stairs. I was very curious how she did it, so I stood behind her and let her do it and I have to say I was impressed. It was like she had been climbing stairs her entire life! I know I shouldn't have done that, but since we have stairs in our house I figure she better start practicing (with supervision of course).

So I know what you are all saying. "Allison, you need to get a gate." So yes, I finally agree. It is time to get a gate!

My new cousin!

Welcome to the world Claire!

This picture ought to show you how much Hannah has grown in one year. She didn't really know what was going on with the baby, but every now and then she would point and make a sound toward her. We let her touch her head very lightly because we didn't want her pulling her hair or scratching her. Little Claire had already scractched herself plenty! I am still overwhelmed when I think about how much they do and grow in one year.

Anyway, another new toy Hannah got for her birthday was a machine that blows balls into the air. When they come out of the top, they are supposed to go along a spiral track so they can be shot out again. Well, I think ours has extra power because those balls get shot everywhere. They only land back in the toy when Hannah stops them.

Last night we were playing with it and Hannah figured out she like the balls better on the ground and the air in her face. She pushes the button to get it started and watches the balls fly everywhere. If she can catch a ball, she throughs it on the floor with the rest, and then she puts her face over the space that the air shoots the balls out. She gets really close to it, and then backs aways and laughs. She kept doing this while I ran around the den chasing loose balls to go back into the toy. My mother pointed out that this may be a new exercise machine for me!

I guess we can both benefit from some of her new toys!

Rocky Rocky

Here is my first story of last weekend.

Hannah got a mini rocking chair for her birthday from Nona and Kirbo. It was one of her first gifts she got. I would have guessed she wouldn't have been real interested in it, but I was so wrong.

We put her up there and she just started rocking like she had been rocking for years. It was so funny. Then she learned how to get out of it on her own, but she hasn't figured out how to get back in it. Again, she knows more than I give her credit for.

Well, we had to leave after her party to go to see the baby. When we got back on Sunday, I put her in it and she got to rocking again. After a while of rocking and laughing, she got out. She turned around like she was trying to get back in, but instead started pushing the rocking chair. She pushed that little chair all around the house. If Hannah went somewhere that little chair was pushed right along with her.

It is the beauty of a childs mind. I would have never thought to push the chair, but in her mind it was a great idea and it worked! I wish I could post the video on the blog. I will post pictures later when I get them back.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was Hannah's Birthday! My baby is 1! We had an exciting weekend around here. Hannah had her party on Saturday. It was a huge success and she loved diving into her cake. We had to move up her party a couple of hours because my sister went into labor on Saturday as well. It was just a weekend full of memories!

I have so many stories from the weekend that I will spread them out throughout the week. I mainly wanted to post some pictures of Hannah from when she was born, so you can remember back to all of the wonderful memories from the past year. Enjoy and I will post some great stories later!

Put Her There!

I was just bragging on Hannah last night to my sister about her newly developed hand-eye coordination. It is just crazy how all of a sudden she can make her hands go exactly where she wants them to go and she understands where things go! For example, when she takes a bath, she likes to point her finger and stick it up the faucet. Also during her bath, she likes to play with a rag and suck the water out of it. Well, now she dips the rag and shoves it to my mouth like I want to enjoy the lovely bath water that she is soaking in! And a few weeks ago I noticed her putting the cap back on her bottle. She knew exactly where it was supposed to go. So, I get really excited because it is my first glimpse of Hannah being able to put up her own toys. I mean she knows where things go, so why can't she put up her own toys!!!!

Anyway, this morning I was giving Hannah her bottle. Every morning we crawl back in bed for her to eat. She holds her own bottle, which is story in itself, and she knows exactly where it goes (in her mouth). Well, as soon as I do all of this bragging on her excellent motor skills, she proves me wrong! This morning she takes a pause while taking her bottle, and I wait for her to get her breath and start again. But this time she doesn't make it to her mouth, she keeps trying to shove it in her nostrils. I die laughing and telling her that is not where the bottle goes, but she continues to try and get it in. Then she pauses and just leaves it with the end of the nipple sitting in her nostril (I mean it is just on the outside of her nostril because her nose is not that big!) And we stay like that for about a minute. Then she puts it down and starts her usual crawling around the bed.

So, I guess we still have a bit of learning to do, but we sure are laughing a lot along the way.

Where's Hannah

Well, Hannah and I are back home and getting back into our groove, which means that the Hannah stories are starting up again!!!!

As a lot of you know, Hannah loves books. At first, she really liked turning the pages. Then she actually would point to things and let me read to her. But now, it is all about where's Hannah?
She will open the book like she is about to read it, then she pulls it to her face. That is your cue to say, "Where's Hannah?" and poof the book comes down and shows a bright a little Hannah face. At first you actually have enough time to say where's Hannah, but after a few times, she starts going really fast. I try to keep up, but her arms move faster than I can talk!

It is really cute though, and a good sign that she knows what I am saying!

Picture Perfect!

I finally have pictures of Hannah to put on my blog, so this post will be dedicated to Hannah pictures

1) This is Hannah when I caught her with her Cadberry Creme Egg!














2) Hannah got a new bike helmet! I am sure she will like it on the bike if I can ever figure out how to put the carrier on!










3) This is Hannah and I on Easter Sunday outside of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.











4) Here is Hannah at Court of Two Sisters playing (eating) with her bunny she caught at the Easter parade.











5) Here is Hannah and I at the zoo with the Giraffes. This doesn't even depict how close they really were!









I hope you enjoy the pictures today! Hopefully I will be better about putting them up, so I don't have to bombard you all at once. I am leaving for Miami tomorrow, so I will not be posting until next Tuesday! Everyone have a great weekend!

Happy Easter

This past weekend was Hannah's first Easter, and I always hate when I have to blog after a weekend because so many things happen. I will go for the highlights.

On Saturday, we took Hannah to the zoo for the first time. She had a great time! I really wanted her to jump up and down in excitement, but she was really very still. She just stared and looked on in amazement. Every now and then she would stick out her hand and say "UH". (I have figured out the sticking out of the hand means - go this way.)

Not every animal got the hand though. There were a few criteria from the animals: 1) they had to be moving (and usually pretty fast) 2) they had to be colorful (no camoflauge animals) 3) they had to be really big (the turtles were not a big hit).

The big winners of the day were the anteaters and the giraffes. The anteaters were moving around a lot (not to mention they looked funny) and the giraffes were literally two feet from Hannah. You could put a branch in your hand and the giraffes would eat out of your hand they were so close. I will attach a picture as soon as I get them off of my camera!

It was fun and will get even more fun as she gets older, but I have to say Hannah loves animals.

As for the rest of the weekend, we hung around New Orleans. On Sunday we got dressed in our Easter outfits and saw an Easter parade by Jackson Sqare. Hannah came home with a few more stuffed animals (exactly what we needed). And we ate lunch at Court of Two Sisters. We sat by a fountain and Hannah wanted to stand by it the entire time, but it was okay because everyone stopped to look at the cute baby.

It was a great weekend, but Hannah and I are both still tired. I love weekends, but I feel like I have to go back to work to recuperate from them. In other words, we play really hard on the weekends. Hannah goes to school to rest up from the weekend!

Chocolate is a Girls Best Friend!

A while back my mother bought me some mini Cadberry Creme Eggs. I put them in our pantry for safe keeping (Well I thought it was safe). This morning Hannah and I were getting ready and we came downstairs to get breakfast together. I am, of course, running around like crazy because I never wake up early enough. Hannah is playing on the floor doing her own thing.

I obviously left the pantry door cracked, because after all of my crazy running around I look to find Hannah sitting contently at the pantry door. She had VERY quietly pulled the Cadberry creme eggs out of the pantry, unwrapped one and was diving in. She had gotten through the chocolate and was sucking the creme out of the middle by the time I discovered this!

So naturally, what do I do? I grab the camera! It would have been sad to let that moment pass. I am sure you can not get the full effect from the picture, but atleast I will have the real memory in my head when I look at the picture!

After our picture session, I start picking them up. I take the egg out of her hand and she dives for the others rolling around on the ground. I guess you can say she is a true female!

Tell Me What's Wrong!!

We had to go to Monroe yesterday, and in the middle of the day Hannah got a fever. At first I think it has to be teething, so I give her Tylenol and kind of go on. She usually only takes one nap a day, but she had already taken 2 long naps by 1:00. I started to get a little worried, but I knew I had to get back to Mandeville. After her second nap, she woke up and played and she felt cooler so I felt better.

So around 2:30 we get in the car to go home. She sleeps most of the way only waking up briefly to let out a cry. She usually doesn't sleep that much in the car. So, we make it home and I get her out of the car and she is burning up. She has been on Tylenol every four hours, so I don't think she should have been that hot. I run in and take her temp. It was 102, which is not too bad for a baby, but still not normal. She keeps laying on me and not being herself. Then I wonder, what is wrong with my baby. Her nose is running, but it is clear, she is not screaming like she is in pain teething and she is not grabbing her ears. WHAT IS WRONG!?!?!?

I give her Tylenol and she perks up a little after it takes effect, so I feel a little better again. After about an hour, I take her temp again to see if it has broken any. It reads 101.9, so I think GREAT, it has broked 2 tenths of a degree. So I do as any confused mother does, I call in the artillery. I call my mom for advise and I call my sister, each of them is just as baffled. I then look towards the books, which I have really given up because they always make me feel like I am doing something wrong! And sure enough it gives me more great news, since I take her temp under her arm I have to add a degree, which gives Hannah a temp of 103!

Finally she goes to bed and she finally starts to sweat. I feel better once again because I think it is finally breaking. She wakes up at 3 a.m. and I take her temp again, it reads 100 (adding a degree). I feel a little relieved because it has broken a bit. I feed her and put her back to bed.

In the morning we wake up and I again take her temp. It now reads 96, and I am like geese kid you take it to extremes! She is acting normal and playing around, so I feel better and relieved.

I promise all of this boring rambling has a point!

On the way to work I am telling my sister this story and I realize - how nice will it be when she can say, "Mom my stomach hurts and Mom my ears hurt." Then I can stop this guessing game of, what is wrong with the baby today?

But as I am saying this, I also realize as soon as she can say these things, she will also be able to say No Mom and I don't like you and all the other wonderful things she will learn to say her wonderful Mother!

I guess you take the good with the bad, and it will be nice to stop guessing what it wrong because I am still baffled! We will see how today goes. So far so good! No calls from the Daycare.

Here Puppy Puppy!

My sister, Amy, is about 3 weeks away from delivering her first child, so Hannah and I paid her a visit this weekend to do some last minute things.

Well, my sister has a dog who is very spoiled. She was kind of like my sister's first child, so you can imagine. She definitely has only child syndrome. Let's just say it is a good thing Hannah likes dogs!

Daisy, the dog, did not know what to do with Hannah. She didn't know whether to play with her or stay away from her. She would just walk around Hannah and let out a whimper of frustration. Hannah would sit on the ground and just watch her!

It is sad that Daisy was so confused because all Hannah wanted to do was play! When Daisy would get close to her and sniff her, Hannah would open her mouth and go in for a big ole kiss. One time Daisy actually licked her and she sat there and just laughed.

It was a very good learning experience for Daisy, but I think she may be spending a lot more time outside. Who knows, may be we should adopt Daisy for awhile! It sure kept Hannah occupied!

Almost There!

Hello everyone! I have to say, Hannah and I are both really glad it is Friday! We are exhausted. This time change really messed us up. Hannah has been getting up in the middle of the night again to eat, which makes us both really exhausted. So, TGIF!!!

Well, hannah is so close to walking. Last night we were sitting on the ground playing and she started to stand up on my legs. All of a sudden, she let go of my legs and kind of stood there with her legs half bent. She had that look of, "Okay, what do I do know? My legs won't straighten!" Then she plopped on the ground again.

She has a hippo thing that she pushes around, and she goes to town with that. She pushes it into everything. She hasn't learned reverse yet, so she sits there and just keeps ramming it into the wall (or furniture) until I come and and turn her around.

Maybe next week she will really take off. I have to say most times I can't wait until she walks, because when she starts walking we can play in the yard and in the park and I won't have to worry about her hands and knees getting totally dirty, and maybe I will get in really good shape by chasing her around!

Everyone have a really good weekend. I will talk to you soon!

I didn't get to blog and talk about Hannah's American Idol vote yesterday, so I will tell you who now.

Well, it is sad, but she voted for Mandisa, who got voted off yesterday! It wasn't a very strong vote from Hannah, but I have learned that we can no longer eat dinner while watching American Idol.

My mother came over so we fixed a nice dinner to watch American Idol. I usually sit at the coffee table to eat dinner and it is always a task to keep Hannah out of my plate. What can I say, the girl likes to eat! So I did as I always do and I sat at the coffee table and my mother sat on the couch. Then I realized that my sweet,darling Hannah is much like a dog when it comes to food!

I obviously wasn't giving her enough off of my plate because suddenly I feel her trying to squeeze between me and the couch to get to my mom. She eventually makes it, and she is now grabbing at my mother's plate! She stood there screaming until my mom put something in her mouth, much like a dog will bark until is gets what it wants!

I know it is horrible to compare my daughter to a dog, but I just kept thinking about how a dog will sit by your chair at the dinner table and make whimpers or barks until it gets some food. Not to mention, a dog will usually learn not to go to his owner because a guest will probably give in easier than the owner. Much like a grandma, they will probably give in easier than a mother would.

Anyway, I have decided that eating of my plate at dinner is just not acceptable. Hannah will now receive her own plate at dinner, so may be she won't harrass every guest who comes over. I am the only one who can compare my daughter to a dog. I don't want everyone leaving my house to do the same!

Just another learning lesson in this first year of being a mother. I am on information overload! Everytime I think I have things figured out, things change and we are onto something different! Oh Well! I have loved every minute of it.

Kissy Kissy

I promise I am not slacking on my blog. Things were just crazy at work yesterday!

Recently Hannah has started to give kisses. She hasn't done it on cue, but every now and then she will look at you with a wide open mouth and I will give her a kiss. Sounds sweet, huh?

Last night she was climbing on the couch and I looked at her and said, "Give mommy kiss." To my shock and total unawareness, she literally dives open mouthed into my face. Her mouth is open so wide it covers mine! And as soon as I think the slobber fest Hannah calls a kiss is over, she continues to pull back and plant another one over and over again. It is like she would was reloading the slobber in her mouth every time she pulled back and then would go in full force to share it with mommy. By this point, I am laughing so hard I can't keep my mouth closed long enough to breath before she has reloaded again. Finally it stopped, and Hannah just looked at me and let out a little giggle and went on her way.

Although it was funny and a little gross at the same time, it is nice when you start to see a little affection back from the human being that has taken so much but has not been capable of returning that same affection to you.

So I cleaned off my face, but I will still let her give me a kiss whenever she wants no matter how wet they are!