Wicked smart baby

I don't really know the exact details of when a kid/baby's supposed to be able to do this, but lately, we've been coming out into the living room to see things like this:



So now I've posted the picture, and it just looks like 3 plates. It's actually 3 plates, each with a matching saucer on top. She does it with the cups, too. I'm quite sure it's because she's brilliant!

Halloween

Here's the latest product from my sewing machine. I'm pretty impressed with the outcome, though frustrated with some of the measurements of the pattern. Either that or my daughter has a really tall head and a very broad back. I know her tummy's large and her cheeks are round, but that's not where the costume needed adjusting!

(The larger format is in honor of my mom's visit to Grandma this week. I think they've been able to pick up someone else's wireless signal there in the past, so hopefully Grandma will get to check out the blog!)

And these are the photos that we I when we tried to recreate the great shot of Hannah on the porch in her costume last year...

Nap time trends

A couple of recent photos... Hannah now naps on a mat twice a week at mothers' day out, so apparently she's okay with thinking "outside the crib" on occasion. (Though the first one was kind of staged because she got up after about a minute, so I asked her to lie down again for the photo.)

We walked in the door and she wasted no time.

By the time I took it, she was on to me! (Larger photo - just remembered Mom is taking her laptop to visit Grandma soon. Apparently you can't go back and make photos bigger, so at least she'll be able to see this one!)

Climber

The soundtrack was completely accidental, as Hannah had requested some music to dance to while dinner was being prepared, but it absolutely makes the video!

Trip number 3 - Flagstaff

Katchina Trail in the San Fransisco Peaks

We did Maine for a week with the LeCuyer family, took our first trip away from Hannah for a McKinsey retreat to West Virginia, then we turned around and took off 2 days later for a week at my parents' in Flagstaff.

Getting there was a bit of an adventure, since Mom agreed to fly with Hannah rather than us taking her for the 2-day drive. Of course Mom was supposed to fly through Houston, but Houston was still rather a mess from hurricane Ike, so Dad saved the day and bought her a Southwest ticket through El Paso. (That should really help their frequent flier account!) Hannah snacked her way across the western US, but was generally cooperative for Mom, and good thing since she (Mom, not Hannah) had a whopping cold by the time she got home. Getting home of course included the 2 1/2 hour drive from Phoenix to Flag, with a borrowed carseat carefully installed ahead of time by Dad. Thank you so much, Mom!!!

Andy and I packed up the car with all sorts of gear (including camping stuff - though we used various brushes with illness to wimp out on our first camping trip with Hannah) and drove to Flagstaff. Unfortunately, there's not a great stopping place - hotels on Andy's points networks - in the middle, so we usually make Amarillo our "half-way" point. This time we pushed all the way to Albuquerque the first day, which left a short 4 1/2 hour drive the second day. So much easier without an empty carseat!

While in Flagstaff, we pretty well met our goal of doing something active outdoors every day. If you've been reading the other vacation posts, you'll notice a theme... We hiked, did some trail running, played tennis, went to yoga, and even took out my parents' canoe that hasn't seen water in years. We attempted a night out to dinner with Hannah in tow, and learned that there are many things easier to eat with a cranky kid in your lap than sushi!

One of the fun things about being in Flag is that my parents know nearly everybody, so they all know who we are. Okay so they all know who Hannah is. One couple even used to go to our church in Virginia! These folks were nice enough to babysit Hannah for the rest of us to go to the symphony one evening. A couple of days later, on our hike, we came across this line of chatty college students. It was the principal horn player, leading her studio on a hike. Hiking horn players and trail runs at the edge of the neighborhood - Dallas leaves to much to be desired.

We also got in some really good house time. One of Hannah's favorite pursuits was playing with the awesome sun beam that streams down the stairs in the morning. We captured some fun short video clips. The drive home isn't really worth chronicling. Some Arizona, followed by New Mexico, then an awful lot of Texas for being such a small portion of the state!

First day of "school"

Hannah's been going to a mothers' day out two days a week this school year. I'm also their new music teacher - though I've only taught one morning because we were out of town so much and then Hannah got sick! The program is at a local Episcopal church, close enough that I can run - if I can leave on time, ever.

Hannah was really into it the first few times, and then seemed to figure out that maybe she was getting the short end of the stick on Mama time. She was not thrilled to go this week, and I'm wondering how it's going to work to teach music to her class and then leave her there. She got to go with me and teach the other classes (2 year olds through big grown up 4 year olds!) the first day, which she found to be exciting and exhausting. Too bad she only likes to nap an hour a day!

I was also pretty worn out, but I really enjoyed working with kids who are old enough to follow directions, respond appropriately to "the look" (though Hannah does pretty well with this one), and really sing songs. It was also amazing to watch Hannah participate in these classes. She picked up on all of the movement instructions, whether spoken or modeled. I'm constantly amazed by how much she understands!

Trip number two - baby free!

With the Wilsons - friends from the beginning of

Andy and Geoff's McKinsey days

(it was supposed to be a "White Night" event -

we're not usually quite this dorky!)

After 19 months, we finally found an excuse and a way to get away for a short trip without Hannah. My mom graciously agreed to come stay with her while we went to The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia on a McKinsey retreat. (Things you'll never do through your public school job...) Mom was thoroughly worn out by the end, but considering the hurricane that didn't hit us, the AC that died after we came back, and the cold she got on the way home, things could have been a lot worse!

We did pretty well about not missing Hannah except when we were around the cute toddlers other people brought with them. Of course some of those were Houston folks who had planned baby-free trips only to have to make last-minute changes and bring the family along. If you have to evacuate, a nice resort in the mountains with child care isn't the worst place to have to go!

Having enjoyed the mountains in Maine the week before didn't stop us from getting out as much as we could in the mountains of West Virginia. We were just a few ridges away from Virginia Tech and in very familiar territory, so I greatly enjoyed the visit "home". We were able to again hike and kayak - though this was our first kayak on a river and it was just lovely. The river felt a lot like the North Fork of the Shenandoah that I spent a lot of time on growing up, so I was loving it! I also managed to fit in my first ever facial, and it left me wishing I had oodles of money to blow on things like that on a regular basis!

There aren't any more photos because who remembers to take them when Hannah's not around?