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!

Peeping Hannah!

This probably won't be as funny as it really was, but I am going to tell you anyway.

In our den we have two big windows that face the road. Our neighbor has a black Great Dane that is sometimes outside, and when she is Hannah will go and stand by the window and watch him. I usually pull the blinds up when she is outside, so Hannah won't pull them down!

Last night I am sitting on the couch watching TV and I look over at Hannah. She is standing by the window peeping through the blinds. The funny part was that she was holding up the blind to look through like we would if the blinds were closed. I am not sure if you can get that picture in your head, but it was hilarious. To top it off, it was completely dark outside so she couldn't see anything anyway, but she just kept on looking! I guess she was looking for Ava (the Great Dane).

Anyway, I was going to take a picture, but a picture would not have caught the real effect in a million years! I will try to catch it on video next time!

I guess this will be all for the weekend! I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will talk to you soon.

P.S. Hannah took one step yesterday!!!!!!

Who Got The Vote?

Last night was American Idol, and of course we had to vote!

The show started off really slow and Hannah was totally ignoring the TV. I was starting to become worried that Hannah may not vote this week, and that would have been horrible.

Then Chris Daughtry came on stage! He did a major rock version of this song, so I am kind of worried about Hannah's taste in music. At the end of the perfomance, Hannah decided to vote and be a big girl all at the same time!

She was standing up holding onto the coffee table when she let go and stood by herself with NO help! Then she started throwing her hands in the air and screaming! She fell down shortly after, but still it was a huge deal!

So that was Hannah's vote for the night. After he left the stage Hannah went back to playing and ignoring everything else!

I voted for Taylor! Of Course!

Water Baby

Since Hannah was born, my father has always asked how she like her bath. He really wanted her to like water, so she would like the pool at the beach. Well, I have good news for him.

Hannah has always liked her bath. There are a lot of times I wish I could keep her there all day because she is so happy. She splashes the water and plays with her toys. She never really minds when you poor water over her head. She kind of just blinks really fast and rubs it out of her eyes!

Well, last night Hannah was taking her bath and I was sitting there watching her play. All of a sudden she starts bending over toward the water. I look in the tub and she is dipping her face into the water! At times she would blow out and make bubbles, but she kept on doing this. This went on for quite a while.

I kept worrying that one time she would breath in and get choked up, but that never happened! It is like she is a natural swimmer.

So my dad can rest easy, because by the time summer gets here Hannah may be swimming around the tub instead of sitting in it!

I think we are narrowing down where Hannah will go to college.

For those of you who don't know, Hannah has a wide range of SEC schools to choose from, that will be acceptable to different parts of her family! Well, I went to Auburn, so naturally that should be the choice, but her grandparents have different ideas! My entire family consists of LSU fans, Bill's mother's side consists of Alabama fans, and Bill's father's side consists of Auburn fans like me! (Can you see her dilemma?)

Hannah is really into animals right now. She can sit and stare through the window all day if there is a dog outside. We have been working hard on our animal sounds! Well, one day last weekend we were going through her animal book and I said, "Hannah, what does a tiger say?" and to my surprise she said, " rraawwgghh" (not sure how you spell it, but you get the idea)! I could not believe it, we have been working so hard and usually when I ask her what an animal says she just looks at me and waits for me to answer.

How does this relate to her college decision, you ask? Well, she obviously is a fan of tigers, so that leaves the LSU Tigers and the Auburn Tigers to choose from. Sorry Alabama!

And in time, we will see whether she likes orange and blue or purple and gold better. That will be the tie breaker!

So, from Hannah to all of you. GO TIGERS!!!!!!

So today is my second post. I will eventually stop counting how may post I have!

I have been thinking on and off all day about what to write about. And I have ultimately decided to talk about pictures.

Hannah had her first school pictures a couple of weeks ago, and I went to pick them up the other day. Needless to say, Hannah was not her usual happy self. Her eyes are red with tears and her lips are all tucked in like she was really letting them have it. The sad thing is, I wanted to order tons of them! I couldn't stop laughing, and thinking off all the horrible ways I could torcher her with this picture when she gets older. Will I show it to her first boyfriend? Will I put it on her high school slide show? Will I put it in her wedding video?

It reminded me of a picture my father has of me that always ends up somewhere. I was about 5 or 6 (I assume) and we were at the beach. I have on my splatter paint bathing suit (oh yeah, I was the coolest!) standing outside of the swimming pool with my goggles on full of water. I laugh and those who know the picture may laugh too thinking about it. But the sad part is that my big sister (Amy) and big brother (Brad) are in the background just laughing at me - not with me, at me!

Anyway, this picture sat undisturbed in my father's office at work for years. My senior year of high school it came back to life. My sweet father, just trying to support our yearbook that I was the editor of, took out a full page ad, but what did he put in the ad. Yes, that picture took up an entire page in my yearbook! Oh the horror! And the summer passes, and when I leave for college, my father gives me a picture frame with the picture in it to place in my dorm room. Right now it is in a box waiting to be unpacked so that I can relive that moment, that I don't remember, all over again.

It just makes me wonder, will this be the picture that always come back to haunt Hannah?

Hey everyone,
During my last spring semester in college I learned all about blogs, and when I graduated I lost mine :( So my good Aunt Ginny told me how to start a new one!!!! I thought it would be a good way for everyone to stay updated on what is going on with Hannah and me. She is growing so fast and will soon be a year!

So for my first post, I will talk about American Idol (I am obsessed)!!!!!!!

Yes, I vote every week! The crazy thing is how I determine who I am going to vote for. I cast two votes: one for me and one for Hannah. I love Taylor Hicks, so my vote is pretty much decided before the show even starts, but Hannah's is always up for grabs.

It all started last week.... my mother came over to visit and we were watching American Idol while Hannah played (by playing I mean dragging out every single toy she owns onto the floor!) The show was a little dull until Taylor Hicks took the stage. As soon as he started singing, Hannah stops playing and begins dancing, as well as a baby dances! Then she starts doing a little scream like Taylor does! Except Taylors scream is more of woo woo (if you like Taylor you know what I mean!) So that is when Hannah started voting!

So last night Hannah changed her mind a little. She got into Mandisa last night. She didn't get as excited as she did the week before, but she started doing a little sit-down jig. So Mandisa won Hannah's vote last night.

Anway, that is the story about how we vote on American Idol every week. I will let you know Hannah's pick next week.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my first blog. I hope there will be many to come.