Preschool Graduation

On Thursday Ana graduated from her 3’s Preschool class. All the parents and siblings were invited to the school to watch the children graduate and celebrate after with a little picnic.


During the program the kiddos sang a few songs they had been practicing.


Finally it was Ana’s turn to “walk across the bridge” which symbolized them progressing from one year to the next.


Ana’s teachers said a few nice things about each child and explained the word they selected to describe them. Ana’s word was “confident” and anyone that knows her would not be surprised by their choice.


All the children in the 3’s class, along with Teacher Valerie and Teacher Patty posed for a celebratory group photo.

Ana was so excited about the entire day and we could not be more proud of her accomplishments. Now our big decision is whether we should have her go into the 4’s class or skip her ahead to the Pre-K class. Decisions, decisions. Either way, my little girl is growing up way too fast!

You can see all the pictures here.

Hadley’s First Food

Yesterday we got the all clear from Hadley’s pediatrician to start her on solid food. Being a traditionalist, I went with rice cereal. But the times being what they are, I bought organic brown rice cereal. I pumped a little fresh milk so it was the perfect temperature (I.e. the temp that I know Hadley likes) and mixed it into her cereal.

First we gave her the spoon to get familiar with the taste and texture.


Then Ana gave her the first spoonful of cereal. (I had to run the camera and Sim was shooting video. Good thing we had an eager assistant, huh?)


Hadley ate the cereal like a champ! She was so eager to eat, she even grabbed on to the spoon!


She kept opening her mouth and going back for more.


She was loving it!


Excluding what dripped on her bib, Hadley ate the entire bowl of cereal I made.


Here is a little bit of video as well:

We ate our dinner after Hadley finished (normally her meals won’t require so much fanfare and we can all eat together, but the first meal required more dedication.) and she kept watching each bite we took, just waiting for us to feed her some more. Clearly, this girl was ready for solid food!

You can see all the pictures of Hadley’s first solid food here. Enjoy!

6 Month Doctors Appointment

Hadley had her six-month doctors appointment today. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 26 3/4″ (85th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs 11.5 oz (95th percentile)
Head: 42.8 cm (60th percentile)

Hadley had the same shots as her last appointment but this time she took them like a champ. She didn’t even notice the first one, glared at me for the second one, and fussed for all of three seconds for the third and final shot. Overall, she was a super trooper.

The big news from Hadley’s appointment today is she can now start solid food. I have mixed feelings about this milestone. Sure it’s a great photo opp, and Ana has been looking forward to this since Hadley was in the womb but I’m just not a fan of the baby food stage. It’s messy. Every meal requires an outfit change (sometime for both of us). It’s less convenient for eating out. I have get my butt in gear and start stocking my freezer with homemade organic baby food. But don’t worry. I plan to suck it up, put my OCD issues aside, and make this a fun experience for the entire family. So tonight, Hadley will have her very first solid food. (Check back later for photos and possibly even video.)

All in all, we have one happy, healthy little girl. Yeah!

A Letter: Six Months

Dear Hadley,
Today you turn six months old. Happy half birthday! It’s hard to believe it has already been half a year. Time just goes by so fast. You are such an amazing child and you make each day more enjoyable simply with your presence. It’s like you radiate happiness. Just yesterday we were driving in the car and Ana was making faces at you and you were giggling hysterically. Your dad and I exchanged a smile and I said I was pretty sure that was the most amazing sound I have ever heard.


You are truly aware of the world around you now. This has its advantages… and its disadvantages. You are very easily distracted, so it’s harder to nurse you. We often have to be alone in a quiet room before you give up and realize there isn’t anything more important going on and finally settle down to eat. At the same time, you are easily distractible. If you happen to get upset, we can calm you down pretty quickly by handing you a toy or an object you haven’t seen before.


When noticing things around you, you are particularly keen on things of mine. Anything in my hands you instantly try to grab: my phone, my keys, my water bottle. You name it. I assume you want to know what is so interesting about it that I have hand selected it and you immediately try to steal it to figure it out. You are also very fond of my jewelry especially the black rings. You grab, twist, and pull on my necklaces and on several occasions I have caught you turning yourself into a pretzel trying to chew on my watch.


But putting everything in your mouth is an important developmental milestone. You are figuring out the way things taste and feel, and at the same time you are probably getting some relief from the discomfort of teething. You don’t have any visible teeth yet, but you chomp down on just about anything you can get your chubby little hands on, so I am sure it’s only a matter of time!


Speaking of putting everything in your mouth, in the last few days you finally accomplished a task that you have been aspiring to achieve for weeks: you got your foot in your mouth. As any mothers of a well-rounded baby knows, this is no small feat (Ha! I almost just wrote “feet!”)! You noticed your tootsies a couple weeks ago and ever since then you have been reaching for them, grabbing and watching them just slip away. But once you got a good grip and were finally able to make contact with your mouth you looked at me like, “Did you know I could do this?!” Yes, yes I did. Chew on, baby girl.

Mmm. Toes.
Your interests do go beyond what you can put in your mouth. You have a very obvious appreciation for music. It soothes you when nothing else can. When I am in the middle of my Stroller Strides class and you are D-O-N-E being in the stroller, I can often calm you down by singing you a lullaby. Ana is aware of this as well and I have found her making up songs for you when you are fussy or upset. In fact, the other day she decided to share the music on her iPhone with you and let you wear her headphones for awhile. You weren’t quite sure what was going on, but you liked it!


Spring is desperately trying to arrive in Portland and with it comes glimpses of the sun. But for you, my fair-skinned, blue-eyed baby, this isn’t always the best thing. I hate seeing you flinch away when the sun blinds you, so the other day I picked up a pair of adorable baby sunglasses from this site web. You thought they were hilarious! You even kept them on for quite awhile before you managed to pull them off your face… and promptly decided to chew on them instead.


A couple weeks ago you were sitting on the Boppy on my lap after a feeding and you pushed yourself back in such a way that you ended up hanging upside down. Thinking you just lost control of your balance, I quickly righted you only to have you flip yourself right back into that position. Everything was instantly different and you were delighted in your accomplishment. But who am I to blame you for occasionally wanting a fresh perspective in life?!



I have a handful of friends who all had babies (daughters even!) around the same time you were born and we have finally gotten around to having a few baby play dates recently. Mostly it’s us mamas comparing stories and commiserating about 3am feedings, while you kiddos lay near each other on the floor but you are slowly starting to become more aware of each other. Now you are only staring, smiling, or even squawking at your tiny friends, but before long you are going to be whispering about boys and trying on each others clothes.


Last weekend we drove up to Mt. Hood Skibowl to get in a final day of tubing in the snow. You have been doing so much better entertaining yourself in the car, that we didn’t even hesitate about bringing you along. And I was so happy we did. We bundled you up (though it was such a nice day, we were peeling off the layers before too long!) and let you take in the amazing scenery, the fresh air, and the endless parade of people flying down the mountain on inner tubes. You were laughing at your sister’s giggles and squeals as she rode down the steep hill over and over again. I even set you down in the snow and watched you feel it with your fingertips and saw the delight in your eyes as you explored this new icy sensation.




Oh, Hadley. I love you so much. You are beautiful, intelligent, inquisitive, and loving. I could go on and on listing endless adjectives describing what a wonderful child you are, but the most important thing is that you are mine and I get to cherish every single one of the traits you are and look forward to discovering the ones you will become.

All my love,
Mama

Easter Activities Recap

Here is a pictorial recap of our Easter festivities this year.

First, we had our MOMS Club Easter Egg Hunt.




Then we dyed Easter Eggs with my mom.




Easter morning, Ana had to follow the hidden egg clues to find her (and Hadley’s) Easter baskets.




Then we had a little fun with the Easter baskets.



And of course, we have to end with a picture of my beautiful family on Easter.

You can see all the pictures here and here.