Cookie Bars & Swings

Dave and Doris gave Zane his own cooking package, which included some cookie bar mix, an oven mitt, and a little wooden spoon. It was cold and grey the other day and perfect for baking yummy treats. 

 It didn't seem too cold this morning so we loaded up and headed to Harper's Playground again so Hannah could try out the swings for the first time. I think she liked it!

 After our hands and noses were all red, it was time to go home for some cookie bars and hot chocolate.

Zane really enjoys helping his sister eat Puffs. Note his new haircut! I like it, but I was inexplicably sad after it was done. He looks so big...sigh.

SLEEP!

Guess who slept through the night?!?!?! This gorgeous baby!

So my question to you all is: Is it OK to feed a baby sweet potatoes every night for the rest of her life? That's what she ate last night and I have no intention of altering that.

Dave and Doris Visit

We just had a very fun 4 days with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Doris! The kids and I met them at their hotel on Saturday morning to go for a swim. Brrrr! It was chilly, but they both had a great time. It was Hannah's first swim! Zane had a first too - he got in the hot tub with Grandpa! He normally stays away from anything hot, but I think the fact that Grandpa was in there, he could take Lightning McQueen with him, AND his shorts billowed out when he stood in front of the vent were all too much to keep him away.

Playing in Hannah's new downstairs room.

The weather was really odd. We got some extremely heavy fog that never lifted during the day. The fog horn on the river was sounding all day long! In all of our 7 years of living here, we've never heard the fog horn...or at least it never lasted long enough for us to think it was anything more than a boat. The temperature was down right frigid too. We'd go out just long enough to let Zane burn some energy and make a hasty retreat to the warmth of the house.

 Another first for Zane: Hot chocolate. He's hooked. He also ate (and liked) calamari while they were here!

 A walk to Peninsula School to let Virgie run. Zane is like Mason - he can make friends anywhere :)

 Christmas presents! Of course Zane had to help Hannah.

Tractor with mud on it!! A new favorite.

This Bozo the Clown punching bag brought back memories for both Mason and I. I was convinced I would get to be on the Bozo Show when I was a kid...sigh...I know I would have won the ball toss.

 Hannah loves her new bath turtle. His fins are chewy!

 We had to try out the tractor in the sand at Harper's Playground.

I'm glad I took a video of this workout routine because Hannah actually slept last night!!! The little cupcake only woke up twice! I'll have to study this and repeat it tonight...and every night.

 Before they took off for Seattle, we grabbed lunch at the McMenamins Kennedy School.

Zane and Grandpa comparing eye color.

 Bye bye guys, thank you for the fun time and we'll see you again soon!!

Belly Laughs

Hannah let loose with her first belly laugh the other night. Of course, it was Zane who got it out of her. She loves her brother :)

And then it was her turn to make him laugh!

Squirmy, kicky, coo-y baby.

Ridiculousness

We've been all over the place lately...trying desperately to keep our shit together. Hannah is still not sleeping well, but we moved her downstairs last night and are hoping that once she gets used to her new room she'll be comfortable enough to sleep blissfully though the night. Please god, child. Zane has been testing ALL of the limits and being very liberal with the temper tantrums, which is putting even more strain on Mason and I. Sometimes we just laugh at how ridiculous things are right now...because if we didn't laugh we'd cry. Or at least I would. Sometimes I do.

There are some rays of light. We attended a 4th birthday/going away party for our good friends who just moved to Omaha. Zane had a blast at the party because it was Lightning McQueen themed and he got to romp with all his buddies. I believe Cars has now eclipsed trains.

Sara! We'll see you in the midwest, my sweet friend.

 Look at this rat pack. Langston, Z, their buddy, Jack, and Graham the birthday boy.

On my birthday we were able to go OUT! It was fabulous to step out of the bubble, have some adult conversation (and beverages!), and focus on us for a few hours. Mason called ahead and we got an amazing table by the window at Portland City Grill, with a view of the rivers and bridges. It even had confetti on it! PCG is on the 30th floor of one of the office buildings downtown and is very swanky. A HUGE thank you to my girl, Anne, for the GC!  We ate like kings and then ate some more. We were home a whole hour before we told the sitter we'd be home because we were sitting there trading yawns at the table....sigh.

Hannah likes it when Papa plays for her.

 Mr. Defiance.

Hannah munches on her feet during a bath. It's funny to me that the doc told me that based on her height to weight ratio, she's technically skinny. Haha!

And this is the saving grace. They didn't know I was watching (at least Z didn't)...so sweet.

6 Months

Half of a year! Holy Moly! 

 She is increasingly more chatty with every passing day. She doesn't repeat syllables yet, but we're not far off from that. Mainly she's working on stretching her vocal chords and yells a lot. She doesn't cry, she just yells. But the thoughts in there are very important! Just look at this look.

We're still working on the sleeping. Naps during the day are much better than they were and we normally get at least 2 good ones per day. Night time, however, is still a sad time for us all with 4-7 wakings being very normal. We've figured out that she needs her own room because she does very well on the nights that I sleep on the futon and Mason stays up late. The problem is that we have no where to put her unless she moves into the toy/guest room downstairs. Mason and I don't like this plan because that would mean she's downstairs alone...but we feel like we have no other alternative. I'll keep you posted.

 Hannah is eating 2 meals per day, in addition to nursing, and enjoying every moment of it. So far I haven't noticed a preference....she just wants it all!

 She is rolling all over the place!  She finally remembered how to roll from her tummy to her back so we've really got to keep an eye on her...and get all of Zane's small toys up off the floor...

Hannah's shirt  was hand knit by her Aunt Erica! The blanket was knit by my neighbor's mom.

Opa and Oma's Visit

We have had the extreme pleasure of having Oma and Opa with us for the past week! It was such a fantastic time, we were so sad to see Oma go this morning (Opa had to head back to work a few days ago), but we have so many great memories that we will hold close to our hearts until the next visit.

We took a walk to Columbia Park and the sun came out!! Wow. The sun.

Opa Blase's daughter, Amanda (in the green hat), drove all the way from LA for a visit.

On New Year's Eve we drove up to Seattle to celebrate with Matt, Audrey, and little baby Alice. Alice is now 7 weeks old and is the sweetest little thing. We're hoping Hannah learned a thing or two about chilling out.

Hannah was absolutely smitten with her cousin.

On New Year's day we went to Carkeek Park to walk the shores of the Puget Sound, stand above trains, and throw rocks.

Fatty.  My favorite quote of the weekend was from Uncle Matt: "Hannah, I can't see your mouth from the side."

 Zane was really having a hard time cooperating...

It was a fun trip with lots of visiting, presents, sneaking around with Uncle Matt, eating, waking up often at night because of his sister, and skipped naps. Little man crashed hard on the way home :)

 Oma and Zane enjoying breakfast.

You'd think from Hannah's cheeks that she's been eating 5 course meals for months now, but the truth is that only within the past 2 weeks have we been able to get solid food past her lips. She was especially enthusiastic about eating when Oma fed her!

 A short hike on the Wildwood trail in Forest Park. It was COLD.

See. Cold.

We took refuge at the McMenamins Rock Creek Tavern and had lunch by the wood stove. It is my new favorite McMenamins. I love the rustic vibe. It reminds me of a cross between a Hobbit hole and something from Harry Potter.

Puzzles with Oma before she left. Hannah underwent a gigantic mental growth spurt during their visit. She now rolls all over the place and has the strength to hold herself up for extended periods of time. It's astonishing how much she has changed in one short week. Will this translate into good sleep? Only time will tell.

Opa and Oma: thank you for everything. It was amazing to have you here. Thank you for giving our kids (and us) such great memories! Until next time!