This is a funny age...

Funny to watch hannah turn into a little person. Walking and talking (still baby talk, but talking) about her world! She likes to do everything herself, or help me with whaever I'm doing. Snacks are big time now, as she likes to feed herself, and the food of choice is almost always cheerios. Here's a look into our day:

I gave Hannah a little bowl of cheerios. She shows them to Gus.




Gus doesn't like cheerios. Hannah heads back to the kitchen... leaving a trail behind her. Sits down and looks totally innocent about it! (too precious!) Her personality cracks me up!



We pick up the cheerios. She's on the move again! Over to snack in her kitchen...



Oopsy! Drops more cheerios. "It's ok, I'll pick them up!"




And she dropped some in the process of picking the others up!



And this went on... and on... life is busy now, my friends!

it fits my life!

3 x 5 cards.
of all things i use in life... these keep me organized and my mind flowing in the same direction more than any calendar, device, computer program, book, etc. I like the way I can move them around.
as a spanish teacher, i probably have a much greater appreciation for these things than the average person. (how many vocab terms have i picked up in my lifetime? millions, i am sure, as i learn a few everyday... checking the history on my phone's dictionary, yesterday's words were: hedgehog and plum (erizo y ciruela). Random thoughts abound,and the list goes on...)
I have planned my wedding (and many important parties) with stacks of 3x5 cards, written research papers, memorized Bible verses, given speeches, copied recipes, planned workouts, made grocery lists, planned lessons, and made countless Spanish games... all on 3x5 cards.
My newest use for these?
Best journal ever. Small enough to carry around, plenty of space, and then i can tuck them behind my pictures in my Project Life. (one photo for every day of the year... I'm behind in journaling back to February. Ouch. Plus, now I don't have to be looking for that "perfect journal"...I would be too afraid to write in it any way.

How do you use 3x5 cards?
Do you love anything like I love 3x5 cards?

in the wee hours of the morning...

Update on the sick baby: turns out she's really sick. she's got ear infections in both ears (first time!) and that cold turned out to be a virus called RSV. Sounds scary. Especially when the doctor administers breathing treatments with a $500 dollar nebulizer. And the medication that goes in that thing? Another $100. Peace of mind, priceless. I am so thankful for our insurance. And mother's intuition. And GRANDmother's intuition. Who knows how long I would have been nursing that "cold"... I am also thankful for phone nurses. And,I am especially thankful for support from our family - because it takes a "family" to raise a child...(not a village, as the old saying goes)
Poor Hannah. Such a little trooper. Waving at all the kids and nurses in the doctor's office. She is sleeping like a rock. I am not. I have 11 more minutes until I administer her next breathing treatment and antibiotics.
I have dreaded having a sick baby... even before I had kids. I was so afraid of everything that moms had to do. Moms do laundry. Lots of it. AND then, they put it away! Moms do the dishes, even when we are all tired after a big meal. Like Thanksgiving (I'm notorious for my turkey coma...) I don't know if I could ever do it. Moms change diapers and clean up throw up, and all kinds of other gross stuff.
What's scary now: not how much moms do, but how much moms care. That's why they do all that crazy stuff. Hannah is pretty much an 18 pound container for my heart and everything I hope for her, and I just watch it run around... every day. When I go to work... it pretty much stays with her. When she is sick, there is nothing else I can think of but to try and make her better!
Which is why I am up, blogging a few minutes away, and drinking Immune Fizz...
All is set and ready to get us through the night. Humidifiers filled and running. Nebulizer: assembled (correctly, I hope) and plugged in ready to go. teaspoon laying out by the amoxicillin. coffee pot: set for 5 am.
Already looking forward to a nap tomorrow. Or a run. One or the other, depending on how stressed I am.

On an unrelated note, some other goals:
Want to use that box of hair dye.
I am in desperate need of a haircut, as well.
Grades are due on Tuesday. My new motivation for powering through piles of papers? The foot spa. Tomorrow I'll do a pedicure while I grade!
Need to run tomorrow. Perhaps I already mentioned that. I think I'm the one that needs the reminder!
Watch movie. (i rented Angela's Ashes... couldn't stop watching it on Sunday night, but sadly, had begun watching it halfway through...)
Will listen to the rhythm of the falling rain.

Time for the medicine. This will either go really well, or be really difficult. Don't really want to try it. I miss Micah (He's in the desert for the weekend.)


Long night. Listening intently to her breathing on the monitor. Thankful for each and every breath! Thank you, Lord, for my little girl...

sick baby...

We went to mammoth last weekend. More on that later... It was awesome! But, we brought home a sick baby. Sad face. She woke up with a fever of 101 at 1am monday morning. That was a long night. We've had a few of those since!
She was a real little trooper on the way home... She watched a couple of videos, read lots of books, and we sang lots of songs!
Hannah hasn't been sick too often (this is the first real cold-not allergies) but here is what I have learned:
1.Saline nose drops,the booger sucker, and the humidifier are invaluable at this time.
2. Lay the baby on the floor with their head between your knees to suck the boogers out.
3. Askdrsears.com has dosing info for medicenes for infants

a new year's resolution i can keep!

i'm taking one picture a day this year. sometimes more! once i got started, it was easy to take more, as i became more aware of my surroundings, and everything going on, day in and day out.
it's really easy to take pictures of hannah, for sure. but sometimes, i just take a picture that sums up my day or my feelings at the moment. this has been a really fun way to reflect for me, as journaling/writing does not come as easily as it used to... hence the sporadic blog! How does one put into words the life of a new working mom... sometimes there are not words, and sometimes, there is not time! but, it's worth sharing somehow. and pictures are my favorite way to capture my latest adventures!
inspiration for this project comes from here: Project Life. Pretty much any scrapbooker's dream project! I have not yet decided if I'll be doing a kit, or digital book (most likely, i love those things!) or perhaps just keep a running Flickr account, (it's free!) BUT, at any rate, I am so enjoying the journey, and so happy to be sharing it with you.

i love this day.

and this is why:
it's friday.
and my day off.
wore my favorite outfit.
didn't have to grade papers.
got to spend the whole day with hannah.
we played and played and played with her toys.
watched some sesame street (i love listening to her laugh)
we tickled elmo.
she napped.
and i made soup in the crock pot, so the house smelt delicious all day long.
hannah painted and stamped a little bit (first art day!)
and then practiced her walking (she still likes to hold my hand, so we pretty much cruised all over the house holding hands. i will miss this someday).
we napped together on the couch.
hannah and gus we thrilled to watch the raindrops together, as the rain started to come down harder!
i caught up on my dvr shows while she played more on the floor!
dinner dishes were done because i used a liner in the slow cooker.
micah and i took hannah to the mall to be out and about for a bit.
we discovered the microsoft store (fun like the mac store for pc users)
bought an amazing blend of tea at teavana.
and now we are catching up on our monday night shows. i love dvr. i love monday night tv.
what a great start to the weekend!

BIG NEWS!! Hannah's first steps!

Just a quick note: our girl is walking!!!
I have been hoping that I would catch this milestone, and I'm still AMAZED she actually did it!
We were totally coaxing her along, as we have been for quite some time now, because we are first time parents and totally excited about each milestone as we don't know what to expect yet! Yes, we know it will be busier now, for sure... she's already such a busy bee! But anyhow, she was playing between Micah and I on the floor and totally enjoying standing up straight and raising her hands up above her head, because we would get SO EXCITED everytime she did it... and she finally let go of Micah's hand and took one step towards me before getting so excited that she fell right back on her bum! She definitely excited about what she can do, though, as she got right back up and tried two steps to Micah! What a Daddy's girl...
Then, she was ready for bed.
Crazy exciting day.