She's Two!

Well, Hannah's birthday was a success today; it really is hard to believe that we now have a 2-year-old. (Now she is REALLY a toddler!) I really feel like she changed, grew, and developed more language skills overnight. Seriously. Her night ended at 6pm last night when she fell asleep at the dinner table (no kidding--here is the picture to prove it...)

and then she slept until 7:30 this morning (when I had to wake her up for church!) I said "Happy Birthday," and then asked her how old she was. With a smile, she sleepily said: "Two!" (We've been prepping her for the day, but I still think that is pretty good that she realized she had "changed over." I decided not to get into the logistics of the fact that she actually wouldn't turn two until 2:44pm...maybe at 3...)
Since we will be having a couple different family parties in the next 2 weeks, we decided today would be laid back and geared towards Hannah (well, and to be fair, we did also celebrate Father's Day, and Hannah did a great job sharing the day. :) After having breakfast (Hannah got sprinkles on her pancake & Daddy got a See's Truffle), we headed to church and told lots of people about Hannah's special day. (That's okay, right?!) After that, we came home, Hannah had lunch, and then she proceeded to take a 3-hour Birthday Nap. (Everything today could be classified as a "Birthday whatever.") After checking in to be sure she still knew she was two, we gave her a present, which was a huge box of sidewalk chalk. Fortunately, the weather was just turning sunny at that point, so we were able to go outside to do some artsy designs on the porch. Truth be told, I think Keith was more enthralled with the chalk than Hannah, but she still had lots of fun! :) Later we went for a walk and then Hannah got to swing to her heart's content at the park. (Shhh, don't tell her, but Keith is building a swing for her that will be unveiled at her birthday party in a couple weeks...) Then we headed to Mom & Dad's for a BBQ to celebrate Dads & Hannah. Hannah's Great-Grandparents got to be there, as well as a special visit from Cousin Nancy. I think it's safe to say that Hannah felt loved, special, and very excited about turning two--especially since that got her a little slice of chocolate cake and even a spoonful of ice cream!! During the visit, she also got to talk with Aunt Senia, and at one point during that riveting conversation, Hannah left the room as if to say "I need some privacy to talk to Auntie right now." On the way home, Hannah got a call from her Grandma Theresa, who she will be seeing in just a few short days. Hannah talked with both Grandma & Grandpa--at the same time!--(after which Keith said "Oh yeah, I forgot about that feature of landlines.")
Overall, I think Hannah's birthday was wonderful, and it was the first time she really seemed to understand the significance. We've talked a lot about birthdays in the last few weeks, especially since Hannah has a few different friends who have turned 2 already! There were many points during the day where I felt little twinges of tears, mostly out of joy for the happiness & blessing I feel when I realize that I get to have Hannah as my daughter. She does so many things that just crack me up and even when she is throwing a temper tantrum (because you know, she has now entered the "Terrific Twos," as we call them in our house), I can't help but smile at her dramatic flair.
She really is such a dear daughter, and I really want to try and cherish each day & moment with her. I hear that the time goes faster and faster as they grow, and if the last 3 years are any indication (meaning from the time I was pregnant with her), I definitely agree!
I've also attached a picture of the happy girl with her cake, just so you can see (the obvious) difference from yesterday to today. ;) (Sorry the picture is kind of grainy; I don't know why that happened...)

I know, I know...it's been forever!

Well, I'm finally back on my blog after what seems like ages. I'm sorry to those of you who have bee anxiously checking my blog day after day waiting for a new post (you know who you are, Senia.) Anyway, I don't know what to tell you except that things get busy, and even more than that, I often don't feel like I have anything noteworthy to write on here. I mean, let's be honest--I love talking about Hannah and all the funny things she does & says, but how many stories can you tell about bodily functions, toddler language and the trials of being a SAHM? (Okay, so I could just tell as many as I want because this is basically for me and a few people who want to keep up on our life tales...so I have no excuses.)

Anywhoo...life is going on with Hannah. She keeps me busy & entertained most of the time, and she is only starting to throw temper tantrums every once in awhile. The last few days have been particularly riddled with that moody behavior because she developed a stomach flu on Sunday and then shortly after (Wednesday) decided to wake up with a runny nose, sneezes, and a cough. Lovely. Let's just say that I am really looking forward to hanging out with a couple girlfriends tonight! Between vomit, diarrhea, snot, and a lot of wet diapers (thankfully!), it has been a messy week. (I told you--a lot of my stories are about bodily fluids! If you have any doubts, check out my "poop posts.") Keith is as helpful as he can be, getting up in shifts at night with Hannah, and giving me spontaneous back rubs. The fact of the matter is, mom is usually the one who gets the joy of this kind of caretaking. I'm not saying it is all bad--I admit to feeling a sense of enjoyment in being able to hold & rock Hannah all day, since that is basically all she wants, and there is a slight feeling of glee when she says "No, I want Mommy!" when someone else tries to hold her. :) However, I miss the busy, high-energy, excitable Hannah who says cute things all day and can't wait to have "more swing" or "go ow-side." Instead, she has been saying "more moofie" (movie) and "rock a minute." Still cute, but kind of heart-breaking.

Anyway, that is a peek into my life right now. Stay tuned next week, when I will hopefully post again with a much more uplifted summary of our days. :)

My little baker!

The other day I was having a playdate at our house, so Hannah & I decided to make muffins. (Well, I decided--she pretty much went along with it.) I got Hannah dolled up in her apron, put her chair up to the counter, and washed her hands--REALLY WELL. ;) I let her stir the batter & pour ingredients in, both of which she did well! I even helped her crack the egg. Now, for a person as anal as I am, having flour all over the counter, floor, the chair, etc., was not the easiest thing, but I realized halfway through the experience that I was actually enjoying myself! Cooking with Hannah CAN be fun! :) We put the muffin paper liners in the tins, which she did most of by herself, and then I ran around the counter to grab the camera. I asked her to put some batter in each cup, and wouldn't you know it...



I continue to really be amazed at all that this little person can do. She is just about 20 months old, and she really has a voice, a mind of her own, an opinion, and the ability to help me with things. It is very exciting!

This is what the muffins looked like when we were done:



She'll make Auntie Senia, Grandma Barb, and Great Aunt Afton very proud! :)

Why is it so quiet??

Yesterday I was doing something in the kitchen, and I discovered that it was suddenly very quiet in the next room. Hannah had been playing with her baby ("Anne"), and she was doing so well feeding, burping & rocking her. The next thing I know, Hannah comes into the kitchen with a kleenex and is blowing her nose (very cute, I must say.) The thought that occurred to me was: "Where did she get that??" Hoping it wasn't from the garbage, I went in the living room to find out...

What I miss...

...is a steaming cup of coffee that I can sit & enjoy while watching something on TV, chatting with a friend, reading, etc. (Remember a WAAAAAAYYYYY earlier post when I said I was just doing that, shortly after quitting my job??) Well, now that Hannah is Little Miss Busy-Pants, I am not able to drink more than a couple sips without the coffee turning warmish--lukewarm--cool--and finally cold. Since I am a mom, I am not above reheating it in the microwave (although before becoming a mom, I would have scoffed at that very idea as disgusting), but I do wonder what happen to the days of having to sip gingerly on my coffee because it was TOO hot. It doesn't take much to cool my coffee (a crashing sound in the next room; a realization that the laundry must be switched over--and when you are dealing with diapers that MUST be transferred to the dryer because Hannah is wearing the last one in the house, it is an emergency situation--; or just that it is too plain quiet & I need to check to see what Hannah has found to play with (see my post "Why is it so quiet?" for more on that.) When I finally get to sitting (or standing) to drink my coffee, I usually have to sort of gulp it down, which is not the most enjoyable way of consuming it.

Needless to say, tonight I am going out with my good friend Kara, and we are going to Starbucks. I am going to be one of "those people" that asks for her mocha EXTRA hot (as in, scald-my-mouth-if-I-drink-it-too-fast-hot) in a "for here" cup & savors every last drop.

The Incident

So Hannah has a habit of throwing her blanket(s), dog, socks, etc out of her crib when she wakes up in the morning or from a nap. (Sometimes she also does this to get us to come upstairs & check on her if she doesn't want to go to sleep--because if that stuff is out of her crib, she'll start crying.) Anyway, whenever we go into her room after this, she says "Uh oh" in a very concerned, panicky voice. So the other morning when she had slept late (or so we thought) and Keith went into her room to get her up, I wasn't surprised to hear an "Uh oh" come from the room. (I was in our room.) A second later, Keith came in shaking his head with a weird grin on his face and told me I had to come see what she had done...

I thought maybe she had pulled the sheet up somehow, or that she had taken her pajamas & diaper off (the other morning she had started to unzip her pajamas when I got into her room).

Well, she had taken her PJ's & diaper off, that's for sure, but I must mention that most mornings when I go in to get Hannah, she has pooped....

...get the picture yet??


Yup, she was naked as a jaybird, looking anxiously at the floor where her diaper lay open, strewing "things" everywhere. She stood behind the poop-smeared bars, on a mattress caked with poop, and her poopy hands were dangerously close to her suspiciously darkened mouth.

Are you barfing yet?? I could tell you about the clean-up process or the laundry mess, but perhaps I should leave that to the imagination, since you are probably already reeling from the facts thus far.

Ah, just another day in the life of a toddler.

A Christmas to Remember!

I thought it was time to update after the nutty NW weather, the "Christmas of Changed Plans", and Hannah's big present. After a week of amazing snow amounts, crazy traffic situations, and Keith being off for a week (he was supposed to be off for 5 days, but it was stretched due to his office being closed!), I am now looking at a more typical outdoor scene for this area--drizzly rain & patchy, slushy snow. It was a different Christmas, for sure, but it was still wonderful. Keith's whole family--minus Mary, as she is actually in Bethlehem!--was supposed to be here, but due to the weather, no one made it except Noah. Noah got here last Sunday night, just as the record-making snow was falling. We have spent the last 5 days watching movies, eating snacks, chatting about all the Christmas memories, and the guys have been playing computer games galore. On Christmas Eve, my parents & Senia came over to deliver Hannah's main present--a beautiful kitchen set from both grandparents, great-grandparents, and Mom & Dad. Hannah was appropriately excited & happy about it; she started fixing up meals right away! We got some cute video that was able to suffice for those who could not be here in person. :) We had a nice quiet Christmas eve dinner with homemade pizza and a small version of my family's Jello Ribbon Salad (thanks, Senia!) We tried to watch the Claymation Christmas special (a tradition in both our families, actually), but Hannah only made it through "We Three Kings," which, if you have seen that show, is at the very beginning. Christmas morning I woke up at 7am and got everyone else up--well, Hannah was actually already awake, so that worked out. We gave her a rocking horse that we've had since she was born, and it is the perfect size for her now--she's a little shy about it, and I think she is afraid it is going to start neigh-ing at her like her friend Emily's horse. :) We then headed to Starbucks, as is our new tradition as of the last 3 years on Christmas Day--thank you to those VOLUNTEER baristas (Anne!) For dinner, we headed over to my grandparents' house, and Noah was such a good sport about it, since he really doesn't know any of those people. However, I figured a full meal at a stranger's house on Christmas would probably be better than peanut butter sandwiches at our house. ;) (When we planned on meals for Christmas week, we had the groceries split up between the families that were coming into town...when that changed, we had to make other plans.) The rest of our evening was spent snacking, watching movies, and...gaming. The day after Christmas, Hannah & I hitched a ride with Mom, Dad & Senia to head out shopping, looking for bargains, and braving the crowds. Target wasn't too bad, but by the time we got to the mall, it was crazy! After some good deals, more Starbucks, some bagels, a trip to Fred Meyer & the DMV, and a potty chair for Hannah (more on that later), we finished up around 4:00. We started at 9:00, so I'd say that was a full day! Dad was good enough to drive us everywhere, as the roads were still pretty slick & slushy, creating a bit of a roller coaster experience for any driver. When I got home, I discovered that someone had decided to reinstall our entire computer with its programs, and consequently we had lost all saved e-mails, bookmarks, and e-mail addresses. I was not a very happy camper. I pointed out to Noah that he better take note of what makes a wife angry, and he politely agreed, stifling his smile. After grumbling for a while, we had dinner & then put Hannah to bed. We watched more movies & ate more snacks, while the guys did more gaming--do you notice a theme here?? Today Hannah & I are going to a wedding (I love weddings, especially at Christmastime), and then tomorrow after church (which we haven't been to in two weeks because of weather cancellations!), we are getting together with my family for our Christmas celebration. After that we are having the Nelson Christmas Party at my parents' house, which was postponed last week due to...weather issues. (There are a few themes here, can you tell??)
Needless to say, this Christmas has been different, but still memorable & fun. I have enjoyed having Noah here, even though his presence makes me outnumbered in the male-to-female ratio. :) He is very polite, he helps clean up the dishes, and he knows when to keep his mouth shut. I think he is going to make some woman very happy! :)
All that said, as much as I always LOVE Christmas every year, I am going to be ready for some state of normalcy starting on Monday. I am really happy that Senia is still here for 2 more weeks, and I am looking forward to being a little less constricted with the weather in terms of hanging out with her. I am still listening to Christmas music, though, because the theme of Christmas is one I am not ready to let go. Christ is still present in our lives now & always, and I like the reminders that the songs bring.

Well, that is my Christmas wrap-up for this year. Stay tuned for more on Hannah's potty training (we'll see) and the fun of the kitchen set. :)
I hope everyone's Christmas was as memorable as ours, no matter what the weather.