In like a lion

This was Friday, March 7, in Dallas, Texas - the second time that week! Of course by the afternoon is was gorgeous and sunny, but it was still sight to wake up to.

My dad was here for a visit and managed to fly out before the weather got crummy. Hannah had a really good time hanging out with her Grandpop, and Andy and I enjoyed an afternoon of much-needed shopping without the baby. Now that she's walking, she won't stay in the stroller for very long and is quick to explore all of the trouble options at the stores! The three of us went to the opera on Saturday night, thanks to our friends Cynthia and Dean who were willing to be talked into babysitting Hannah for the night. She did us proud and behaved very well (read, went to sleep easily) and got a chance to practice her social skills by trying to steal Lukas' snacks! We saw Porgy and Bess, which I've never seen before. It's certainly a different experience than the more traditional operas I'm used to. I don't think it's my new favorite, but I'm glad that I've seen it.

Singing with Grandpop.

Holding hands for a stroll, what a treat!

Hannah is really enjoying being a toddler and sometimes seems to walk around the house just for the sake of taking the trip. Unexpected parent lesson - soft-soled footsteps are much quieter than crawling hand slaps. I used to be able to tell exactly where she was from the familiar slap, slap sound of her crawling, occasionally accompanied by loud whining. Now she's underfoot or in another room before I know it!

If she insists on carrying a purse, at least it's a drum!

We haven't heard any definitive words yet, but she's been mimicking me a lot lately and can sign "more" and "all done". Of course she signs "more" all day long. She seems to do it when she wants anything, food or otherwise, but I think she's also hungry from all the walking. She's also developed a pretty serious addiction to cheerios (rather the organic replacement from our local grocery). Not only do I have to try to keep her from seeing her snack cup, she'll get mad if she hears them rattle and she can't have any! But having a child who can communicate her needs and feed herself is pretty amazing to me. I'm reluctantly working on teaching her to use a spoon. This is one of those skills that I'd really like her to magically learn overnight. I don't have a lot of patience for the sloppy attempts. I'd rather just feed her and get it over with or give her finger food! Any hints or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Snack and a beverage to go.

The camera apparently needs some yogurt.

Strangers like to comment on her thumb sucking,

but no one tell's me she needs to eat more!

It's been a while, so I know I rambled on a bit. Andy's mom, Karen, is coming this week, which I'm really looking forward to. She and I have been putting in long hours trying to plan the LeCuyer summer trip to Maine, and it will be nice to talk in person. And maybe even about something other than numbers of bathrooms and limited water views!

I'm not ready to say "toddler"

But here it is - she's walking. Not just a few steps from Mama to Daddy. She'll go most of the way down the hall, or pull up to walk instead of crawling, or walk on her own when she could be cruising. She even walked some on the grass yesterday! (And got her first-ever grass stains, her first-ever time wearing tights.) The best part is the proud look she gets when she sees you watching her.

Here are some photos from the last few days' adventures with nature, a new toy (and it's packaging) from Aunt Claire, and the drum that's been mostly off limits until now. (Partly because it's a decent drum and I don't want her chewing on it, and partly because I already poked a hole in the head!)

Unedited Hannah time

I really wanted to catch her doing her new tongue-playing thing, so here's some fun Hannah rambling after breakfast.

Movie star

Hannah's been taking more steps on her own, so we decided to try again to get some decent footage. These are some clips we got a couple of evenings ago playing in the kitchen before her bed time. I kind of wish I had video of her right now, having an absolute ball disassembling the paper recyling behind my chair. Happy as a clam! Of course now I've broken the spell and she's off exploring the study with all of it's various cords and other hazards. And I'm off!

I just had to add...

Some more of my Hannah favorites...

Her extremely expressive eyebrows. Sometimes she'll see me and raise them just before she smiles. Magic.

Her love of pairs. Two things in one hand is her joy. Two of the same thing is bliss.

The fact that her hair is filling out in a nice mullet.

Happy feet. I'm sure it's something that many babies do, but she still kicks her feet sometimes when she's happy. Just in case she can't stand to take her thumb out of her mouth and smile, she can still let us know how she's doing.

When I pointed at a pretty sunset the other night, she pointed and sighed.

The fact that she fell asleep this afternoon even though a really intense hail storm started within minutes of me putting her down. (Somehow it always comes back to sleep.)

The sweetest Hannah things

Kisses - she'll lean in with her lips out for a kiss. The last couple of days, she's leaned over to give me a kiss before I put her in the high chair. I'm not sure why she does it, but I like to think it's her way of saying thank you for the coming food!


Standing - if we put her down standing, she'll just stay there for a while, looking around, grabbing her belly, contemplating life. Sometimes she'll even take a couple of shuffle steps before dropping down to crawl.


Laughing on the changing table - she loves to play with me with her feet after I change her. If I rest my head on her foot, she'll move it and drop my head on her belly. Big giggles for both of us.

The fact that she snorts when she laughs hard.


The silly grin - I have seen the face that she'll make when we tell her to smile for pictures when she's 4. It's this impish, squinty-eyed, toothy grin. Sometimes it's followed by a kiss.


"All done" - she's figured out how to sign it and does it when her tray is empty, or when I take the tray, or when she's playing, or in the bath, or... We're working on the meaning, but it's really cute when she signs!


Sleeping - which she's doing right now.

Here's a funny sequence involving the end of a banana...

Too much fun!

Let's call this the "maybe not so witty, but full of photos and video" update - 'cause it's been way too long! We had a really nice Christmas at home with my parents here. We also hosted the Doggett (Lindsey) family party, which was a lot of fun. We really appreciate so many people making the drive from all points Texas to share some holiday time with us in our home. Some of our friends and neighbors were even brave enough to join us!

Our wonderful neighbors, Scott and Lauren - recently engaged!

My mom/running buddy, Cynthia. We ran half of the White Rock Marathon together in December - with no strollers!

Hannah spent Christmas as most babies do, enjoying the wrapping paper and bows and falling asleep in her high chair. She received so many wonderful gifts from family and friends. It's been fun to watch her explore new things - and dress her in new cute clothes! (And she got to repeat it all a month later at her birthday! See below...)

She only got away with this because Grammy was watching her!

Yeah, whatever mom - this looks like something I can tear/eat!

After the presents.

A couple of days after Christmas, we left my mom and dad to close up the house (including taking down the tree - THANK YOU!) and drove to Copper Mountain, CO for the annual LeCuyer ski vacation. We had a fabulous time skiing, and thanks to my wonderful in-laws, I spent more time away from Hannah than ever before! Of course the close-in condo also meant that we got come back for lunch and a bit of play with the munchkin - and Elliot and Juliet, our niece and nephew, who were tons of fun. One of the highlights of the week for me was baking Andy's birthday cake with Elliot, who's almost four. What a good helper! (Not to put the pressure on, but once again the good photos are on Andy's mom's camera, so you'll have to wait to see them...)

Of course we couldn't get too settled at home, because Hannah turns one tomorrow!! We had her birthday party this Sunday to avoid any Superbowl conflicts. It was really fun to have a house full of friends and babies. Props to the single friends who braved the crowd! Hannah once again enjoyed the wrapping paper and of course had fun eating her cake and a taste of chocolate mousse. Her dork mom made a virtually sugar-free, half whole wheat carrot cake. Then I covered it in cream cheese frosting that had nothing low-sugar or low-fat about it, just in case it was too bland for the adults! Andy made superb chocolate cookies, which got way more compliments than the cake, but at least it was edible!

Hannah and her friend Caroline have fun at the after party.

Don't think this one needs a caption...

In addition to all of the holiday festivies, we've been having a great time playing with Hannah. She's sooo close to walking right now. She's gotten to the point where she'll take several steps to get to a toy (or food), but she's also just as likely to drop and crawl. It's exciting, but I'm really in no hurry to be chasing a toddler! The rate at which she learns new things right now is astounding. It's such a joy to watch her find new ways to play and communicate. Our favorite is probably her kissing sprees in the mornings. And they're getting much less sloppy!

Exploring her world.

In the mama report, I think I'm starting to hit the point where I'm needing some more intellectual stimulation. So I'm starting a book group and am currently registering people for another session of baby music classes. I'm shooting for 3 classes this time, so it will almost be like having a real part-time job! I'm excited, but also apprehensive about adjusting to having a real schedule that's not dictated solely by Hannah. I think I've got it figured out, but I also realize that her schedule will change in the 8 weeks of classes. But for now, it's not enough income to justify child-care, so Hannah is automatically enrolled in every section!

On the more professional front, Andy's with an in-town client right now, so Hannah and I will both really enjoy having him around more. Even if it means earlier mornings to say goodbye on his way to the gym!

The first video was my best attempt at getting Hannah walking. I now understand why these videos are taken with 2 adults around! The second is her after her nap today. Sleep sacks rock!