Adelaide Louise

Ok, folks. I finally uploaded the pictures to Flickr of our little Adelaide's arrival. For those who haven't heard the details -- she was 8 lbs 7 oz, 21 inches and pink as anything. She is doing well, sleeping quite a bit, nursing easily and generally really sweet. Labor and delivery, as well as most of the pregnancy for that matter, were quite drama free -- a really nice way to have a baby. We arrived at the hospital about 6:30 or so, they had me walk around for a while, my water was broken at 11:00 am, I got an epidural at 3:00ish (7 cm-ish) and at 3:30 we were ready to roll. After about 15 minutes Adelaide was born -- 3:44 pm! If I had more energy I'd write a more detailed post but we are officially outnumbered around here and I am trying to rest as much as possible before Vince heads back to work.

New Do

After many long months of holding her hair out of her face or patiently (sometimes) allowing us to put it up with a hair tie, Eleanor got bangs. She looks like a totally different girl, so grown up. I can't believe I waited so long, she seems so happy with the ease of her hair now. Here are a variety of dinosaur scary faces to show off the new cut:





And, my personal favorite, complete with flailing dino arms:

Two Amazing Things

This may not be amazing for anyone other than me, and maybe the grandparents, but Eleanor did two things recently that I thought I should make note of.

1. This morning she spelled her name to me. E-L-E-A-N-O-R. No mistakes, hardly any hesitation. I was impressed.

2. A teacher at her school in the other 3 year old class told me that she and Eleanor had been talking about how Vince gets to work. Apparently, Eleanor told her that he takes the Metro. When the teacher asked how he gets to the Metro, Eleanor replied he takes the [number] bus. Eleanor used the actual number but for privacy sake, I've left it out here. She hears and remembers EVERYTHING.

Nursery School Portrait

I am so pleased with how Eleanor's school portrait came out. Apparently, the photographers were amazing with the kids -- and it really shows. So, here is our big girl and her class:

First Day of School (belated)

I have been having trouble getting back into the swing here since we have been back from vacation. Eleanor is back in school and the adjustment is just starting to smooth out. So, several weeks later, here is a little post about our girl's first day of nursery school.

The first day we took pictures, got the school bag ready to go, and headed to the school. There was a coffee for parents, so they could be close in case of tears. I'm glad I stayed, I don't think I expressed clearly enough that I would be back to pick her up at the end of the half-day. The funny thing is, I remember worrying so much as a kid that when I said goodbye to my mom, I might not see her again. Now that we are back and into the routine, I think things are a lot easier, and certainly more fun.

The school is a cooperative school, which means the parents are involved in the classroom and also in the day to day operations. It is so much fun to see the kids in action, learning and creating. I think it will be a really great experience as we go through the year, for both Eleanor and me.

Eleanor's Art Show

A couple of weeks ago, Eleanor had her first art show. Her beloved teacher, Paula, is putting her studio for toddlers and preschoolers on hold while she works as an art teacher in a school. We will miss her and her wonderful classes dearly. We did thoroughly enjoy the "gallery show" that she put together as a sort of send-off party. Work by all of the students, inspired in color and form by Salvadorian artist Fernando Llort, was displayed in the nave of a church along with some collaborative pieces that were silent auctioned for a charity to benefit the people of El Salvador. In addition, there were snacks, space for coloring and painting, face painting, and a great slide show of the children creating in Paula's classes. Eleanor enjoyed the party, mostly running up and down the church aisles and eating chips right out of the bowl.


Eleanor's work in the show.


Eleanor and her friend Ella from class.


Running.

Quote of the Day

Henry: Gock, gock, gock!

This is his work for cup, truck (sometimes "truck" is a bit more like "guck"), clock, book (sometimes "book" is a bit more like "gook"), and possibly some others. The only way, at this point, for me to tell which one he means is to look at what he is pointing at.

Henry Still Almost Walking

Oh, he is so close. He takes forward steps when creeping along, instead of the sideways shuffle he did at first. He can also stand now for a few seconds by himself before he decides to slowly lower himself to the ground and crawl. And, if he manages a few steps, they are often accompanied by a little screech of joy



Luckily, he has an encouraging big sister. Eleanor helps him (even when he is not sure that he wants or needs help) to walk around the room. This often begins with hysterical laughter and ends with hysterical screaming -- Eleanor screaming "Henry you want to walk!" and Henry screaming in protest.



And, she is even giving Giraffe a little assistance in learning to walk.

First Step

Henry took a step today. It was the first one I've seen, though there may have been another a few weeks back when I was in the kitchen. At any rate, he is very close to walking. He has been racing all around the house behind the shopping cart, the doll stroller, and the new walking cart we got him for his birthday. (He also likes to do this on his knees, sort of a hybrid walk/crawl.) His balance is pretty good and I don't think it will be too long at all before he is really, truly walking.

Henry's Big Day

I can't believe my baby boy is one year old. I'm sure I've written something similar or even these exact words about Eleanor, but each year that passes seems incomprehensible. They really do grow so fast.



We celebrated in fantastic style thanks to Vince and Grandaddy's efforts out in the backyard. Our simple, usually overgrown, yard was transformed into a veritable water park complete with vibrant colors and joyful kids. Hot dogs, lemonade and corn on the cob were consumed by all; it really did feel like summertime.





Henry's cake experience was somewhat tentative. After acting shy when everyone sang, he was hesitant to touch the cake. Once he got a taste though, he didn't have a problem finishing it up.



The funniest moment of the party, in my opinion, was when Vince and Karl started using the slip and slide as a luge. Had the shed not been in the way, and the grass not burned quite as much, I think they might still be out there trying to best each other.


(Notice Vince's perfect penguin form and Grace's reaction.)

Thanks to everyone who was here to celebrate with us and to everyone who was thinking of our big man on his birthday.

Uh-oh

Yep, Henry's first word is "uh-oh". He will deliberately drop something, look up at me with a smile and say "uh-oh". My heart is melting!

Cheerios, Crawling and Spitting

Three things.

First, Henry is eating Cheerios. I've been offering them to him but for the longest time, anything coarser than a completely smooth puree would make him gag. Well, last week he started using his new found pincer grasp to put Cheerios in his mouth and simultaneously, he figured out how to chew/gum them to a swallowable state.

Second, Henry is still not crawling. Though he is getting much closer. He lays on his belly like a fat frog (not that he is really fat, just what it reminds me of) with arms and legs flailing frantically but only manages a circular movement. And, boy, does this tick him off. He is, however, able to creep along while standing, which I recently read somewhere likened to vertical crawling. I think he will be moving soon though, he seems to be getting the idea that if he gets his legs under him he can propel forward a bit.

Third, Eleanor has learned to spit. Quite well. I thought I might try to teach her so that we could use some fluoride toothpaste. So, we pulled out a small cup (ok, it is really an applesauce cup that we have repurposed as her bathroom cup) and practiced swishing and spitting back into the sink. Now she is absolutely obsessed with swishing and spitting. It makes her laugh though so often we have water not only in the sink but also all over her pajamas, me, the bathroom floor, etc. She really can expectorate (love that word) with some velocity. I think she's rather proud of her accomplishment.

If you're happy and you know it...

Henry is clapping. Or, at least, he is padding his sweet chubby hands together. No accompanying sound yet. It does give him a huge grin though. We haven't caught it on film but will keep trying.

Two Footed Jumping

Eleanor managed her first two feet of the air at the same time jump this morning! This is a piece of developmental trivia that I did not know -- kids have to learn to jump with two feet at once. Before this, they sort of gallop. Anyway, our girl has moved into the world of two-footed-at-the-same-time jumpers.

The New Arrivals

The two new arrivals in our household have been keeping us up late nights and generally trying every last ounce of our patience. For some reason, they are unexpectedly difficult, maybe because they came just at the same time. I suppose we should just be thankful that they have come at all, but sometimes in the middle of the night when Henry is screaming we all mumble bad words under our breath (or occasionally out loud). So, here are the new arrivals as they make their first appearance:

Chompers

Henry's first two teeth cut through his bottom gum this morning. Poor little thing has been grumpy as all get out lately. We suspected that it was his teeth but now we have proof. As soon as there is anything to be seen, I'll get the camera in his mouth and get some pictures up.

Kisses, Hugs and Other Updates

Henry is giving the most wonderful kisses and hugs these days. By kiss, I mean open-mouthed, slobbery gumming on the cheek/chin -- very sweet.

He is also sitting up very well for long periods of time. He occasionally leans forward as if he is going to crawl but doesn't have enough control yet and usually face plants. He did a couple of super face plants into the grass yesterday when I was outside raking the leaves out of the daffodils. Still not entirely sure how he managed to do it, I had him set up in a way that I thought would make it difficult.

He still loves his sister and she is able to make him laugh more than anyone else. If she is laughing, he is laughing too. If she is crying, he is usually still laughing.

Both kids have had a rotten cold for the past week and I have been referring to them as my barking seals because that is exactly what they sound like. And, I am not sure if it is due to the cold or teeth but they have both been excessively cranky. Eleanor is getting some molars on the top and Henry might be getting one or two of his front bottom teeth, though we can't see anything yet.

Amazing how fast they change! More pictures soon to come.

Henry Gives Peas a Chance and Eleanor Helps Out

Henry is well into "solid" foods now. Of course he likes things nice and mushy as babies of his age generally do. So far, the only thing he definitively likes is bananas -- everything else still gets a grimace. I have found though, that a bit of banana mashed into whatever else he is eating helps significantly.



Eleanor has been a huge help in preparing (and taste testing) Henry's food. I do appreciate her assistance in the kitchen.



Henry is also sitting up on his own, though still prone to spontaneous toppling. I think he quite enjoys the seated view of things though. (This picture is from a couple of weeks ago, he's much better at it now -- I'll have to get some better shots.)



And finally, Eleanor has made some hilarious, insightful, and generally marvelous statements lately. I wrote about a few from our trip to the National Gallery of Art here. It is amazing how fast they learn at this age. I have a few pangs of guilt every time we hear "Don Alfredo Baila" on the new Music Together CD -- Eleanor has already mastered all of the Spanish in that song (dedo, mano, brazo, pecho) and it makes me feel as though I need to expose her to more Spanish on a regular basis. Something to work towards!

Can't Write. Too Tired. OK, just a little.

Henry and Eleanor (mostly Eleanor) kept us on our toes last night. So much so that I am too tired to actually put together any coherent thoughts. Yet I'm writing anyway. I know, makes no sense.

I just wanted to make a few notes on Henry's developmental milestones. He's recently, in the last week or so, started rolling from back to front. He is able to sit like a tripod for a bit and even sit up straight for a few seconds at a time. Won't be long before all of that is old hat. He is raking with his hands and it even seemed (maybe just due to my overtired stupor) that he was trying to use his pincer grasp this morning. Everything is going straight into his mouth, including some new foods. We've moved past rice cereal and he's tried banana and pear. Seems to like the pear a lot.

And, while I'm at it, a few funny turns of phrase that Eleanor has been using lately. She says "really" all the time: really tired, really cold, really funny, really scary, etc. Another favorite is "maybe": maybe this one, maybe just one more, etc. She is working on sorting out her pronouns as well. She still says "You are really heavy", instead of "I am really heavy", when I am carrying her and she wants me to put her down. She has, however, wrapped her mind around the concept of "mine", even though she still says "mine eyes" or "mine giraffe".


So, to wrap up this sleep deprived babble, I thought I'd put up some pics of Henry and Eleanor, each at about 6 months, just for fun. I don't think they look much alike:





(Would you look at the hair on that girl?!)

Budding Photographer

Eleanor has been fascinated with the camera lately. Maybe it is because we have barraged her with paparazzi style photo sessions since her birth or maybe it is the new video camera we recently got. Whatever the cause, she wants to hold the cameras and take pictures. So, we have given her the old PowerShot digital camera to play with. Here are some of her very first shots, some assisted by me, others taken on her very own:

Eleanor's stool


Giraffe and duck


Momma's knee


Momma and Henry