This House, Part 1

At the end of 2011 I was looking for a new home to be my fresh start after the end of a relationship. I wanted something affordable, safe and homey and with a yard for my dog to serve as my first house that didn't include a roommate. A good friend of mine's mother owned a nice piece of land with a trailer that she sometimes rented out, so I called him and jokingly mentioned that I would love it if his mom would let me rent the trailer. I figured it was a long shot but worth asking. He checked with her and the stars had aligned, her previous tenants had recently left and she was having some work done on the place but it could be mine if I wanted. It was available for me and I moved in on approximately January 4, 2012.

I brought my pets, the furniture I had, used some old stuff that had been left behind and bought 1 piece of art. It was a shadow box from Target that says "Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself." This was fitting given the season of life I was in. Andrew and friends helped me move in and it became home. Over time I never bought any more art, I only hung photos of us or things that I've painted myself. It truly is my house. It isn't the most picturesque or matching decor, but I put a lot of effort and love into every piece of refinished furniture or painting on the wall.

 A few months later Andrew and I had started dating and he was spending more and more time at the little pink trailer in the woods. He officially moved in in mid 2012 and we made it our home. Over the years a kitten adopted us, our dog Sidney ran after tennis balls in the yard, we painted furniture on the back deck, read books in the sun room, changed a guest room into a nursery. We've watched the leaves fall and the grass regrow many times now, and this house has been good to us.

Our relationship grew from friendship to a deep love while we lived here.
We celebrated our engagement, newly married life and pregnancy here.
We welcomed home our first child during our years here.
We watched our daughter crawl and laugh and talk while we grew here.

This house became our home. 

But there were also hard times.
We said goodbye to our beloved dog while we lived here.
We grieved the loss of multiple family members during our years here.
We experienced a difficult pregnancy and hard recovery here.
We work too much and often miss spending enough time together, but we still grow here.

This house is still our home. 

Our landlord, who was once 'Zach's Mom', became Paula, our friend. She watched our family grow and helped us along the way. We will forever be grateful to her for her generosity and kindness.

Our family outgrew this house, and now it's time to make a new home. We are excited for the new adventure and extra space, but it's hard to beat the quiet that comes with the beautiful plot of land. I'll miss watching the hawk that lives on the left side of the yard and the momma deer and her twin doe that crunch the grass along the back treeline. I won't hear the squirrels that rule the entire property and like to run along the top of the sun room when the weather is nice. 

This house will always be where our family grew and our love flourished.

Hannah: 12 Months

21 pounds 4 ounces

29 inches

Hannah, my big sweet 1 year old!!! Girl, you are one year old and your daddy and I simply can't believe it. The past year flew by at record speed. You grew faster than we could keep up. Your development exploded in the last few months, both verbally, physically, socially. You are keeping us on our toes (and you stay on your toes as well!). 

Aside from turning 1 (!!!!) this past month was fairly tame. Sadly we started the first day of this month with your first real throw up. You'd been running a slight fever which we attributed to teething, woke up in the middle of the night fussing so I went in to give you some tylenol, which you immediately barfed all over me. It was really gross and pretty pitiful. Daddy cleaned you up while I cleaned myself up, then we laid you down and you passed right back out. You were a little worse for the wear the next day, but thankfully that was the end of the upset tummy.

We started back at Mother's Day Out for the school year and you and I were both so excited! We kept your teachers from the summer term, which we were super excited about. When we walked in to school that first day you immediately smiled when you realized where you were going. The mental, social and developmental stimulation you get at school is priceless. We love our teachers at Mother's Day Out!!

We helped our good friend Grayson celebrate his 2nd birthday and you were all too eager to help eat my piece of cake and ice cream! It's fun to help party with our friends now that you're mobile and interactive.

This month was full of hard knocks including a busted lip, a black eye and miscellaneous bumps and bruises. You looked pretty banged up most days, but you're tough and we survived.

You became a professional at smashing cake. We did a mini cupcake at home the night before your birthday, sent mini cupcakes to school, went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner and you smashed cake there, then by your actual party, girl, you went to town!! It was so cute and funny. I'm glad we did the practice runs so you didn't get to the party and look all confused. 

Your verbal skills have gone through the roof. As of now you say: Baby, bye bye, bites, bottle, Mommy, Daddy, Maggie (daycare teacher), cat. Now some of these words don't sound exact, like cat is more of -dat, or -kiddy. Bite is 'biiit, with a soft T.  You wave, clap, give high fives. We're working on blowing kisses.

You pull up on everything, cruise the furniture and have started letting go of things while standing. You end up on your tush pretty quickly and usually with a startled look on your face. Your doctor thinks you'll be walking very soon, but for now you fall into the "quick to talk slow to walk" category. (Even though 12 months isn't technically slow). 

Big girl, Daddy and I have such wonderful hopes and dreams for you. We know you will conquer the world with your smarts and your smile. Your laugh is deep and contagious. You wake up happy and usually go to bed happy. When you meet new people you watch them closely, usually bury your face in my shoulder for a minute, and then after about 5 minutes you warm up and talk their ear off, smile at them and wave excitedly.  You are not shy, by any means, you just need a few minutes to decide whether you feel like telling someone about your day. 

We love you so much, and it has been the biggest joy of our lives to watch you grow and help shape you into the beautiful, smart, funny human being you are becoming. We can't wait to see what the next year has in store for our family and for you!! We love you Baby!!

love,

Mommy & Daddy

Hannah: 11 Months

~21.8 pounds

~28.5 inches

Sweet Hannah,

Somehow, and I'm not sure how, but somehow we have made our way to month 11. One month shy of being 1 year old. I'm in denial. I can't believe that my little baby is almost 1. I'm planning your party, invitations are ordered, the venue is booked (which is actually Nana and Papa Chip's house!), the date is set. It's all coming fast and furious. But for now, you're 11 months old. If I could freeze you at this age I would. You are so fun and happy and full of life. Every day and every outing is a new adventure. I ask you if you're Mama's big girl or Daddy's big girl. You usually respond with jabbery noises or dadadada (which does not mean you're agreeing to being Daddy's big girl!).

We started off the month in Orlando, Florida, visiting Grandpa and Grandma Tammy. We had such a good time with all of our family there. You were a hit, to say the least! In addition to visiting family we also did a day trip to Sea World and an overnight trip to St. Augustine. While we were on vacation you decided to practice and perfect all these cool tricks that you had seen at daycare. You mastered the army crawl, started clapping (especially for yourself), giving sloppy kisses, going from tummy to sitting up, and waving. It was insane how much you exploded.

We saw the end of MDO, which was very sad. You've spent the last 3 interim weeks with me at home, but after your taste of socialization and activity I am just not enough anymore. We have to get out of the house at least once a day, even if it's just to go walk around Target. We've done more zoo trips in the last 3 weeks than we have all year! Fun thing about the zoo these days, you finally have started noticing the animals!! We've also been to the Botanical Gardens twice. MDO picks back up next week and we are both very excited!

We welcomed a new family member this month, Cousin Kirra!! She came early like you and we are still (un)patiently waiting for her to be released from the NICU. We went to her baby shower and you were such a good girl. Just amazed at all the people, most of whom were different than who you are used to seeing, and hearing. This was a Filipino party and at first you were a little unsure. They were excited and loud and speaking another language. Before long though you were ready to party and hung in there really well despite being hot and tired. It was your first baby shower!

You've become a professional jabberbox. You changed from making the same sounds (ma-ma-ma, da-da-da) to conversational talk. You make different sounds, use inflection, act like you're responding to questions and comments. It's really too cute. You are a talkative girl!! In addition to these talking sessions, you said your first purposeful word, BABY! We look at the pictures and art you made for Daddy on Father's Day and point to it and ask who it is, then we say baby. Now every time you see another baby, a mirror, a picture of a baby, a box of diapers with a baby on it -- you said baby. It's the cutest word I've ever heard.

You mastered a new cool trick at the end of the month -- standing up in your crib! You started pulling up on anything you can get your hands on, playing on your knees and standing up (while holding onto things). You are SO proud of yourself, and so are we. After you wake from naps you stand in your crib and just jabber away. Unless we take too long in getting you up, then you cry.

On the last day of your month we went to Marion to meet family from my dad's side. I've decided to call him Paw Paw. We went to the cemetery and stood at his grave site and talked for a bit. I told him about you, and told you about him and how much he would love you. It was nice to be close to him again and let you get to know him. We tried to visit with some other family members but they had other plans so it wasn't much time with them.

I've started planning your 1st birthday party and part of it includes a ball pit. We broke it out one night and let you test it out and it was just too cute. You thought it was so much fun. We don't leave it out all the time (because hello, it's messy!) but when we get it out you love to take the balls out of the pit, bang them together and then drop them, pick up 2 more and start over again. 

This month was so much fun, so full of new milestones and fun times. Every month feels like my favorite, and this month was so different. I'm so in love with you and the fun, happy little girl you are growing into. We love you Baby!!!

Hannah: 10 Months

We didn't measure you this month. Awful parents!! ;)

My dear Hannah,

I have neglected the blog and missed your 10 month post, so I'm going to do a quick post on 10 months and our usual longer one for 11 months.

As a 9 month old big girl you did lots of fun things! You went to Mother's Day Out (MDO from here on out) and made lots of friends. While you were there you watched the other babies and just took it all in. You got used to having a snack every morning at school (usually puffs or yogurt bites). This acted as the introduction to eating like a big girl! You did lots of finger foods and worked on perfecting your pincer skills. We tried a sippy cup but you just chewed on the straw. It's a start though.

When you started MDO you were not sitting unassisted completely. You were darn close, but not quite there. Well 2 weeks of school and seeing the other kids and you perfected it. Along with sitting, you also learned how to crawl (army style!). I fully believe that seeing other kids on a daily basis gave you the push you needed to increase your gross motor movements. The army crawl wasn't pretty, but it got you places.

We enjoyed cousin Liam's first birthday and this counted as your first birthday party! You were a little taken aback by all the people at Aunt Shannon's house but you found a toy and made yourself right at home. We also did a fun outing with out Cheesecake family at Oak Mountain. You're so cute and friendly you were a hit! (Daddy shows your pictures and video off at work all the time, and I share you a lot on facebook so everyone already feels like they know you, so hanging out with you in person just solidifies those relationships. It's amazing how many people care about you!)

The summer kickball season started and we kicked it off with breaking in the back pack Grandma got us for Christmas. You loved it! You thought you were such a big girl!! We hit up a couple of kickball games and you loved the fresh air, people milling about and the attention.

Month 10 went by really quickly, as with all the months so far. Your mastery of crawling introduced a whole new stage, and a new part of your personality. You became so much happier (than you already were!) since you were able to sit up and see the world on your own terms and do a little moving. 

We love you so much silly girl!!

Hannah: 9 Months

20 pounds 3 ounces

27.5 inches

Sweet Big Baby,

 

9 months old girl friend!! At your doctors visit I had to schedule your 1 year visit and I'm in complete denial. So for now we will focus on month 9. You didn't get any taller from last month, but it seems like you did. You didn't even gain a full pound either, but you seem bigger. Maybe it's because you're growing into your features and looking older. You don't even look like the same baby I gave birth to 9 months ago! Your cheeks are still voluminous and beautiful, but not as over powering as they once were. These days your eyes are your most commented upon feature. Those big baby blues you inherited from your daddy are to die for. The melt my heart every time you look up at me. 

My first Mother's Day fell on your 9 month birthday. Sadly you were cutting a tooth and absolutely miserable. It was a really rough day. Dad was working a double so he wasn't able to help us out, so we made our way over to Grandma's to celebrate with her (and help distract you). You spruced up while we were over there and while you weren't your usual happy-go-lucky self, you were better. You got fussy again when we got back home. womp womp. Dad was off Monday so we celebrated Mother's Day the day after. Daddy got up with you and took care of you while I slept in and got some work done. He cooked breakfast and we just spent some quality time together. 

You officially cut both of your bottom teeth and you look so different! They still haven't fully come in but they're slowly making their way out. 

You helped backstage with your first dance recital and you were pretty good! I wore you in the Tula and we did have to take a break and drive around for a while so you could nap, but we returned and you stuck it out. You stayed home with Daddy for the actual recital but you really enjoyed your time there. We were backstage most of the time but we sat in the audience for a bit while you took a bottle and you were enraptured with the show! You then felt the need to talk and yell along while watching, so we had to go back stage again. You enjoyed the show so much you wanted every one to know you loved it!

We did a lunch trip to Buffalo Wild Wings with Aunt Beth and got some good cuddles and conversation in. Your new thing is you are great in restaurants -- until the food comes. Then you absolutely will not sit in a high chair and only want to be held and walked around while the other person eats. Not the best way to enjoy dinner! But after we ate (or tried to) we went to Target and did a little shopping and just had a good time. We always love our time with Aunt Beth!!

We kept Nana & Papa Chip's dog Sophie for a long weekend, and you thought she was pretty awesome. You love watching the cats so a dog was a fun experience for you. It spurred Daddy and I to have the conversation about welcoming a dog back into our family. We've decided we are emotionally ready, so I'm guessing you'll have a puppy of your own by the end of the year (or sooner). We are probably crazy for that, but everyone needs the perfect love of a dog.

We had a super cool play date with Elliot and Lindsay where we went to see Frozen on Ice! It was such a neat thing, even if you did sleep through the whole second act. And even if we did walk around the convention center for the last half of the first act. So really we didn't see a whole lot of it, but what can you expect from an 8 month old? Elliot on the other hand watched pretty much the whole thing I think. He is a few months older, and Frozen is his favorite movie I believe. But it was so much fun hanging out with a baby friend and our October Mom group friend (even though neither of our babes were born in October).

You started pushing up on your arms in an attempt to crawl. You've still got some work to do but you are attempting it! A couple of weeks later you starting rocking on all fours. You aren't crawling yet but you've got the general idea! You also are a master at rotating. When you're on your belly you will push yourself in a circle to check out the things around you. It's so funny to watch. So you move yourself by rolling and rotating. But the crawling will be here soon!!

We have been seeing lots of cousins Mabry and Liam when we do Mabry's dance lessons. You think Liam is just the bees knees. He's your sized so you relate to him I guess. You two just look at each other and laugh and smile and are too cute. Mabry loves making you laugh, and she usually succeeds! 

We spent some time with Nana and Papa Chip and went swimming for the first time! You loved it!! You started out in a float that was ok for about 20 minutes, then it started hurting your tushy I think so I pulled you out and held you. You did frog kicks and splashes and jumped up and down and laughed and smiled and you just had the time of your little life. If that first swim was any indication of it, you're going to be a little water bug! We can't wait for more swim trips with Nana, and Aunt Teresa when her pool is completed as well. 

We did a fun lunch and hang out with Sofia and Aunt Michele. We hit up Panera and you sat in the high chair like a big girl and Sofia helped feed you! You both thought that was too cool. After you finished your puree meal you started getting a little fussy and we weren't finished eating, so I gave you the outside crust of a loaf of bread and you gummed it for a while. You loved it. Until you started to bite a piece off and I had to take it from you. Then you lost it. You were inconsolable. I tried giving you another piece of the same bread, but it didn't cut it. Stubborn little thing! After lunch we went back to their house and we were getting pretty close to nap time so you got a little fussy. It hurt Sofia's feelings unfortunately, so hopefully we can make it up to her soon!

One of your favorite pastimes is watching videos of other babies, and yourself. You personally think your own videos are the best. Also sitting in front of a mirror is really entertaining. We often put the front facing camera on my phone and just let you smile and laugh at yourself. You'll be a selfie queen. Yikes!

You love when you do something good and we say "yaaayyyy" and you usually try to say it along with us. You smile and sit up straighter and cheer yourself on. 

Sweet Hannah, you're so happy, and kind and curious and friendly. Everyone who meets you loves you. They all say how beautiful you are, but if they're around you long enough the compliments move to how happy and cheerful you are. You brighten my day every morning when I walk in and you smile at me with the sleep still in your eyes. When you cuddle into my chest when you get a little shy, or try to kiss back with the open mouthed wet kisses. We love you baby girl, so much more than you'll ever know.

All my love,

Mommy