Oh baby...!

Well, if you would have asked me a couple of months ago how I would feel when I was officially done nursing, I would have said "thrilled"!  After all, our now 1 year old never really took to drinking a bottle and I was sure I'd be nursing her until she went off to kindergarten.  But, she really took a love to drinking whole milk from a sippy cup, and we were able to make the switch nicely!  Well, then last week, when she went to bed for the first time without me, I was brought to tears.  Now, we're done with the morning feedings as well, and she's officially 100% whole milk!  I thought I'd feel a sense of relief and freedom, but I'm really just left with sadness and guilt.  Why, though?  After all, I did nurse her until she was officially 1 year and 1 week old...MUCH longer than I had originally anticipated!  Aaahhh...just one of the times when I feel that my job as a parent is just slipping by too quickly and one phase of childhood replaces another!

Speaking of phases of childhood, though, here's Amelia's 1 year report...

*   23 pounds, 14 ounces (84%...a drop from the 98% at her 9 month check up...way to work off  those rolls baby girl!)

*  32 inches (100%)

*  cruising right along furniture, walls, people, anything she can get a hold of

*  taking a few steps on her own, but pretty apprehensive and would rather crawl at lightening  speed

*  touching anything and everything (see picture above...that's what happens when she's left  alone in a room...we didn't really need that Kleenex anyway)

*  using "more" in sign language

*  figuring out how stuff works (putting keys in doorknobs, turning pages in books)

*  making the sound for a monkey (Daddy was so proud to teach her that one)

I just had to include this picture as well!  For those of you who didn't know, Amelia was not a great sleeper during her 3-6 month age range.  God bless the inventor of the baby swing, as that was her location of choice.  We even had her sleep in her car seat (which was placed in the crib for my own sanity), which I swore I'd never do!  We swaddled her until I thought she'd burst out of the swaddler!  Once she was asleep, she was OK, but the trick was getting her there!  Anyway, at 6 months, she discovered that sleeping on her tummy was the way to go when she randomly flipped over during one of the 30 minute "let her cry it out" episodes that our doctor recommended.  Ever since then, she has been a tummy sleeper and has totally rocked the whole night sleeping thing!  So, whenever I happen to peek in on her and see her sunny side up, it it so heartwarming!  It's still a rarity, but it does happen, and I love to see her sweet sleeping baby face! 

Party Time!

What better way to celebrate a water girl's birthday than at the pool!  We cannot believe how much Amelia LOVES the water!  (In fact, when we run bath water, we have to shut the door right away, since she comes a running at just the sound of the water!)  We headed up to Virginia on Saturday (March 21) to celebrate the special day with family and Amelia's godparents.  After opening presents and pigging out on pizza, we hit the pool!  It was a BLAST!  (And, Carter was nearly the first one in the pool and was definitely the LAST one out!  He'd stay in forever too, if we'd let him!)  And, after drying off, we couldn't keep Amelia away from her princess cake any longer!  Even posing for a picture was difficult, as she dove right into the frosting!  Thank goodness for the sink nearby so that she could be hosed off before it was into jammies for the night!  What better way to celebrate than staying up until 9:30 with friends and family!  Thanks for joining us everyone!  

Happy 1st Birthday, Rae Rae!

Has it really been a whole year since this sweet bundle of joy joined the Hanson family??  It hardly seems fair that work and school needs to go on as usual on this special day!  (And, I still contend that moms should NOT have to work on the their child's birthday...after all, giving birth should definitely be an excuse for a day off!)  But, we did celebrate in a special way!  After leaving work promptly at 3:30, Carter and I joined Daddy at home with the birthday girl to open her presents.  (And, different than Christmas, she was actually into the paper and ripped like crazy!)  We had fun doing Amelia's almost favorite past-time...eating!  What better place than Q. Cumbers (which is a yummy fresh buffet style restaurant).  Then, we headed off to Edinborough Park (an indoor gym / huge indoor climbing extravaganza).  Amelia enjoyed climbing all over the toddler area and being pushed around in the seat scooter.  She even spent some time in the blow up jumper...with Carter right at her side to protect her...until Mommy and Daddy got worried that all the bouncing would cause us to see her supper!  Happy 1st Birthday, Amelia Rae!  We love you more than you'll ever know!

School Luck

First, we must mention how lucky we feel to have Carter at Poplar Bridge Elementary!  Not only do I get to see him each day, it just so happens to be the best school around!  (OK...I may be impartial, but...)  To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the leprechaun visited his classroom!  The kids pencils were taken and replaced by a special green felt-tip pen for use during the day.  (Any day that kinders get to use something to write with other than a pencil is great.  I guess our "we use a pencil to write" slogan gets taken to heart!)  Chairs were tipped over and the room was a mess!  The leprechaun left gold dust everywhere and turned the toilet water green!  (Hmmm...) He also left a mystery treat that magically turned green upon stirring!  All these extras sure make school a welcoming and exciting place!  Thanks, Mrs. Heil!  We think you're the best kindergarten teacher in the world!

More luck...Our school recently had a fundraiser in which they sold frozen food.  Each child who sold at least 15 items could be entered into a drawing for a new bike.  Well, here's the proud recipient!  (I swear...I had nothing to do with the drawing!  It was totally done legitimately by our student council!)  On account of the fact that Sunday's super warm weather helped us discover that Carter's bike from last season was WAY too small for him, the timing couldn't have been more exciting!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Don't they look great in green??!!  My Nana's favorite holiday was St. Patrick's Day, and she sure was proud to pass on her Irish heritage!  I know that a March 17 will never pass without my Nana in the forefront of my mind!  I know she was looking down on us today and smiling at these two!  We sure are lucky to have them in our lives!  

(P.S.  Bless Carter's heart for getting up nearly an hour earlier than usual so that he could be dressed and we could take this picture before I left with Amelia.  We can't count on Amelia staying clean - or even in the same outfit - so I wanted to get this picture before we left, which typically occurs when both boys are still sleeping!)  

They are my sunshine...(a proud mommy's bragging time)

Our school media center has a "literary egg" contest each spring.  The kids decorate an egg like a character from a book.  (They also do it with pumpkins in October, when Carter made the tiger from Dr. Seuss' "Ten Apples Up on Top" and won 2nd place!)  He chose do make mice this time!  After many rounds of painting the glass votive cups and assistance from Daddy with forming the fimo clay into the ears, tail, and feet, the masterpiece is complete.  And, how heartwarming to hear Carter say that "It doesn't matter if I win.  I just had fun making this with you guys!"  

After a busy day of playing, these two cuddled together to watch a Baby Einstein video!  Our usual busy baby sat down with eyes glued to the TV, and what other nearly 7 year-old would choose to take the time to watch a video geared toward babies while snuggling with "his baby"!
OK...speaking of where the time goes...what in the world happened to the teeny bundle that we brought home from the hospital nearly a year ago?  Although not walking independently, Amelia sure does cruise along furniture and can walk just holding onto someone's hand.  She drinks whole milk from a sippy cup, and LOVES it!  (Who would have thought that the baby who was never really thrilled about drinking from a bottle and who's mom spent the last 6 months fretting about the ounces she took in during the day would drink multiple sippy cup worths of milk each day?!)  She babbles constantly (a trait from Mommy) and sings and dances each time music is on (a trait from Daddy).  And, this weekend, we flipped her carseat to face the front!  I think she looks like such a peanut back there, and she's LOVING looking all round, giggles constantly, and swings her feet!  

Daddy Delight and Tree Tapping

Oops...these pictures are in backwards order!  It was a special day for Daddy and Carter as Billy was able to chaperone a recent field trip!  The day started out with Carter's favorite...a breakfast trip to McDonalds for pancakes!  We went to Richardson Nature Center to learn about maple syrup.  The kids were able to tap a maple tree (that they arrived at after a substantial nature hike) with a manual saw and observe how the sap is turned into maple syrup.  And, of course, Billy fit right in with the kindergartners, as he is such a kid at heart!  I don't feel too sorry for myself this year (since Carter is in kindergarten right next door and I can participate in field trips my matter of default with my class), but boy am I going to be jealous of the amount of time Billy gets to spend volunteering in Carter's school experience! But hey...I get the summers off, so I guess I shouldn't complain, right??!!

Weekend Wackiness

We're breaking ground with Amelia!  Little did we know that what we suspected as simply a bad cold that spread to her eye or possibly pink eye would turn out to be a full-blown ear infection!  She was kind of sniffly all weekend, but ate, drank, and slept well.  And, par for the course with Amelia, her demeanor was very happy and delightful.  So, bringing her in for what we thought would be a simple prescription for pink eye turned out to be enlightening for us! Carter never had an ear infection, and this is Amelia's first.  So, we expected an ear infection to be constant ear pulling and fussiness.  Good thing we brought her in!  Here she is enjoying a "freeze pop" with Papa!  She LOVES them!
Where did the time go?  Wasn't it just yesterday that I was rocking Carter to bed at night and now he's writing emails to his friends!  (His friend gave him a Lego race car that he had a double of at a recent playdate, and Carter wanted to to say thanks!)  I love each and every stage of growth, but each one brings a sense of sadness as I reflect upon how fast this ride through parenthood is!

Like Brother, Like Sister

These two are like two peas in a pod!  This picture of Carter was from last April.  And, this one of Amelia was from a couple of weeks ago!  Looks like they'll both be great at doing the dishes!  Yeah for Mom and Dad!


Daddy made Carter his fleece "tie" blanket when he was just a baby, and it has become a favorite for movie watching and lounging around!  Recently, Daddy (with Mommy's help, but totally lead by Daddy) made Amelia her "tie" blanket too!
It's music to Mommy's ears to her Carter reading!  He has far surpassed what's the norm for kindergarten, and I couldn't be more proud!  He enjoys reading, and Amelia has already shown off her love for books too!  She can turn the pages and loves to point at objects and say "dat" (her version of "what's that?")!

A LOT of Catching-Up

OK...so we (well, actually, I) started blogging in an attempt to share the Hanson happenings.  But, I quickly found out I was an awful blogger!  But, after finding a niche with how to update the blog that I have for my classroom (yup...technology entering the world of kindergarten as well), I think I've determined how I can be a better home blogger too!  So, until the future posts keep coming more frequently, here's some catch up from the last month (or two)!  Thanks for hanging in there!

When we arrive home from school and daycare (about an hour earlier than Daddy), Carter's "job" is playing with Amelia while Mommy gets supper going.  He's such a great big brother and I wish you could see her face light up when he plays with her!  On this day, he enjoyed digging in the box of barrettes, clips, and ponytail holders (that Mommy has all ready for when her hair gets longer and Daddy painfully dreads as it means finding out what his role will be in fixing Amelia's hair) to find a pink one to match her shirt!  Of course, she pulled it out and stuck it right into her mouth, but we managed to get a quick picture!

After school playtime with Carter!

Carter celebrated his 1/2 birthday in kindergarten!  Before enjoying the treat of Marvel Hero popsicles (yup...the girls were thrilled, I'm sure), he led his 20 classmates (all also playing musical instruments as LOUD as they could) on the traditional birthday parade around the classroom.  Bless his WONDERFUL kindergarten teacher's heart for doing this and for emailing me a picture of it!

Amelia definitely takes after her Mom!  Her favorite thing to do is pick things up and put them away!  Here she is picking up all of Carter's Transformer "guys" and putting them back into the bucket!  

Who knew how much fun a big box could be??!!  Besides crawling over, around, and in it, it was fun to be pushed around in it as well!  Carter and Papa turned it into an airplane, too!  (Thanks, Papa, for drawing all the gauges and gears!)  Unfortunately, the box's days of fun were cut short at the Hanson house, as it succumbed to the stomach flu that hit the house HARD the following day.  I don't think I need to say anything more...  :(

Shoveling with Dad is so much fun!

This is just too precious.  No matter how old they get, a sleeping child is so precious!

Mmmm...the snack cupboard is my favorite place.  That could be trouble for the hips and behind later down the road!  Don't worry, Amelia!  We'll keep all the fat free stuff on the bottom shelf!

Billy and Carter LOVE going to karate class together!  It is something that they started back in October, and since then, they have moved from white to orange to yellow belts!  Here they are with 2 of the academy instructors.  Some day, Amelia and I may join them!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"I don't want to nap...I want to bang on my drum all day"!  Amelia devised her own drum with Carter's plastic bat and the wagon wheel canister.  Sorry, daddy!  I think she'll be a drummer and not a guitar player!

Daddy says there are never pictures of Mommy because she's always the one taking them.  So, here are mommy and daughter to prove that Mommy isn't camera shy after all!  P.S.  Note the sock in Amelia's mouth!  That was her toy of choice for the day and she carried it with her all day - most often in her mouth!

Ikea is the best!  We found this metal locker-style laptop computer desk that hangs on a wall a closes shut!  Carter loves to play on the computer and his skills and abilities are scary for a 6 year old!  So, instead of hauling my laptop out from my classroom, we put it on his new desk!  Now that I have a work laptop, I rarely use this one (and, of course, Billy is always downstairs on "his" Apple in the music room), so Carter now calls my old laptop "his computer".  Fellow moms, don't cringe!  The computer is there with STRICT restrictions and regulations and the threat that "if we forget the rules, the computer will be taken away"!  Carter is THRILLED to have it and is SO proud of his desk!

Happy Mardi Gras!  Our church had a Mardi Gras carnival, and Carter was thrilled to have his face painted like a dragon and his hair sprayed with 5 different colors!  Boy, did we ever get the looks at Chuck E. Cheese later on that day when we were there for a birthday party!

One of our favorite things to do on the weekend is haul Carter's mattress into the living room for "movie night".  Well, it's even more fun if we leave it there on Sunday for the kids to climb and jump all over!  

Guitar Hero, anyone?  Mom caved and after months of Dad's begging met with her "You play the real guitar.  If you want to play, go down to your music room and play the real thing.", the Hanson 4 are now ALL addicted!  Yes, even Amelia loves to strum every once in a while!

Amelia now eats EVERYTHING!  "Real" food is so much more fun than that mushed up baby stuff!

Poplar Bridge Elementary family night at the Timberwolves game!  The highlight was getting to high-5 the players as the entered the court after half-time.  The lowlight was that the game was so awful that both boys lost interest at the 3rd quarter and decided to come home early!  Oh well!