My baby girl turned 1-year-old on Saturday, August 1st. We had a small, casual BBQ in her honor with a few friends, cupcakes (in the shape of a caterpillar!), and a startling large number of presents. (We didn't even give her our presents on her birthday because there were so many. And then she got TWO additional boxes FULL of presents in the following week from family members. I made a joke that our apartment should now be known as Eden's Closet, but really, it sometimes seems kind of true...)
Eden was in a great mood all day and seemed to thoroughly enjoy her party. She loves being around people, and just happily wandered around the house from one person or toy to another cheerfully chattering and pointing and laughing and exploring. She's such a great kid. She didn't really get the whole unwrapping presents process (as we expected) but she had a great time watching two friends (5-year-old twins) "assist" her and occasionally digging for a cell phone (an all-time-favorite baby toy) that we hid in a gift bag here and there.
As mentioned previously, Eden's birthday cake was actually cupcakes made to look like a caterpillar. She got her very own cupcake and had a great time taking it apart and eating it (all on camera, of course). She was actually pretty dainty with the cake at first, but eventually headed down the much anticipated shove-cake-into-face path to the enjoyment of all. Her specific cupcake (they were all different colors etc.) was vanilla with whipped cream topping and rainbow sprinkles.
Unfortunately, Peter left his camera at work, so we don't have any photos at the moment. We used our camcorder a lot though, and Pete put together a relatively short (and very sweet) birthday video that can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEr226Yvp6o.
I'm so proud of my little girl and so thankful to have shared one year of life with her! It really has gone by in a blink. She is more amazing and incredible than I could possibly describe or have ever possibly anticipated. I can't wait to see what she'll be like with each passing year.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Return of the Blog
Hello!
It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything to this blog - sorry about that. The truth is I wasn't really up to posting for awhile - partially because I was just way too busy, and partially because what was keeping me busy (the whole working mom bit) was also keeping me feeling a bit glum overall. And no one wants to read post after post of repeated grumblings, right? Despite the general tilt of my personality toward the melancholy, I didn't really want to write post after post of repeated grumblings either. So I decided to give the ol' blog a break for awhile. And awhile turned in to 4 to 5 months. It happens.
But big changes have been afoot in the Hough House lately, and I'm excited to share them all with you. The fact that I also have a little more time to share them now should give you a hint regarding what at least one of those changes might be... but more about that later. Right now I want to try to catch you up to the present - well, at least through the end of July. It's going to be a whirlwind tour, so hang on to your hats!
Shortly after my last post in the beginning of April, we took a family trip to Yosemite for about 5 days. Eden went on her first hike and pretty much cried the whole way. The only time she would stop crying was when another hiker appeared on the path - mostly because she immediately became curious about the new person. This saved us from the fear that someone would turn us in to the authorities for cruelty but didn't keep that first hike from being pretty miserable for all involved. The next day however, we decided to take a hike on a little path near our cabin, and this time Eden proved that she was more than able to be a happy camper (happy hiker?) when she felt so inclined. She even indulged in a short snooze on the way home. This trip contained 2 other firsts as well - the first time Eden clapped and her first scary fall - head first off the hotel bed while Peter and I were a little too focused on looking over the trail map. (Perhaps someone should have turned us in to the authorities after all...) I'm pretty sure the thunk of Eden hitting the floor was the loudest and worst sound I've ever heard in my life - followed closely by the scream she let out immediately afterward (which, both Peter and I noted later, seemed much more like an "angry" scream than a hurt or frightened one). She recovered pretty quickly though and never got a bump or even a bruise. I'm still a jittery mess about it though.
Two of us:
The Not-So-Happy-Hiker:
Fun times:
Short snooze:
Yosemite:
Other items of note: Eden stood on her own without support for the first time on May 7th. She had her 9-month checkup on May 14th and weighed 16.69 pounds and was 28.3 inches long. Her much anticipated first steps were taken on Sunday, May 24th, in the presence of both mom and dad, as well as our friend, Shanelle!
In June we flew back to the Midwest for a family reunion in the Smoky Mountains. It was the first time everyone (grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins) from my mom's side of the family had gotten all together since before I was married. The reunion was also a surprise 80th birthday party for my wonderful Grandma Green - I am so thankful that all the details were worked out and that everyone was able to make it. Both Peter and Eden were introduced to many relatives and, apart from a terrible cold I developed a few days into the trip, a fun time was had by all. Eden also started waving "bye-bye" on our last day in the Midwest - right before we flew back to California.
Stretching our legs at a rest stop with Cousin Cedric:
Passed out on Grandma at the cabin:
Fuzzy family:
Curly top:
Shortly after we returned from the family reunion, Peter went on a trip to Africa with students and staff from his school. They had an incredible time and were able to visit several organizations that the school might partner with and support in the future. While he was gone, my sister-in-law, Laura, visited for a week with my nephew. We had a wonderful time just relaxing as well as taking fun little adventures each day to places like the Huntington Gardens, Kidspace, and the beaches in Malibu (which my nephew referred to as the "Big Water"). I was very sad to see them go when the week was up.
Flat tire on safari:
Masai man:
Laura, Eden, Cedric:
My beautiful baby:
Kidspace:
On July 16th, Eden dropped a toy from the changing table while I was changing her diaper. I said "uh-oh!" and she looked right at me and repeated the word, drawing out the second syllable: "uh-ohhhh." And she's been saying it ever since! Usually she says it when she drops something, but she will also say it sometimes for no (apparent) reason. She was cracking us up the other day by saying it whenever we told her no or to stop doing something:
"Eden, out of the trash!"
"Uh-oh!"
"Don't put that cat food in your mouth!"
"Uh-oh!"
"Eden - no! Put that down!"
"Uh-oh!"
"Eden, please stop squealing in that incredibly high-pitched way."
"Uh-oh!"
Well, you get the picture. It was even funnier because she was so serious and sincere when saying it. We would have to hide our faces so she wouldn't see us laughing and continue it as a joke.
She has actually become quite a mimic verbally and will often repeat words immediately after we say them although "uh-oh" seems to be the one she understands the most and uses independently. Other words she has said, or at least mimicked, include: mama, dada, kitty, no, wow, more, tada!, and e-i-e-i-oooo (from the Old McDonald Had a Farm song). There is also an interesting and very hard to describe "la-la-la" noise that we think is supposed to mean banana.
It's hard to believe the time has passed so quickly, but Eden turned one year old on August 1st, 2009. I will write another post soon all about her party and the other big events that have happened in the month of August - promise! (Although, please be generous with your interpretation of the word soon.) For now, I hope you feel at least a little bit caught up on our lives over the last few months. In addition to some new posts (and hopefully regularly occurring posts from this point on), I will be working on some other changes to the blog to get it a bit more up-to-date. It's definitely a work in progress at the moment though, so don't be surprised if a few things seem missing or a bit unfinished for a (hopefully brief) time.
Until next time here's a short video of Eden walking/climbing to tide you over.
It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything to this blog - sorry about that. The truth is I wasn't really up to posting for awhile - partially because I was just way too busy, and partially because what was keeping me busy (the whole working mom bit) was also keeping me feeling a bit glum overall. And no one wants to read post after post of repeated grumblings, right? Despite the general tilt of my personality toward the melancholy, I didn't really want to write post after post of repeated grumblings either. So I decided to give the ol' blog a break for awhile. And awhile turned in to 4 to 5 months. It happens.
But big changes have been afoot in the Hough House lately, and I'm excited to share them all with you. The fact that I also have a little more time to share them now should give you a hint regarding what at least one of those changes might be... but more about that later. Right now I want to try to catch you up to the present - well, at least through the end of July. It's going to be a whirlwind tour, so hang on to your hats!
Shortly after my last post in the beginning of April, we took a family trip to Yosemite for about 5 days. Eden went on her first hike and pretty much cried the whole way. The only time she would stop crying was when another hiker appeared on the path - mostly because she immediately became curious about the new person. This saved us from the fear that someone would turn us in to the authorities for cruelty but didn't keep that first hike from being pretty miserable for all involved. The next day however, we decided to take a hike on a little path near our cabin, and this time Eden proved that she was more than able to be a happy camper (happy hiker?) when she felt so inclined. She even indulged in a short snooze on the way home. This trip contained 2 other firsts as well - the first time Eden clapped and her first scary fall - head first off the hotel bed while Peter and I were a little too focused on looking over the trail map. (Perhaps someone should have turned us in to the authorities after all...) I'm pretty sure the thunk of Eden hitting the floor was the loudest and worst sound I've ever heard in my life - followed closely by the scream she let out immediately afterward (which, both Peter and I noted later, seemed much more like an "angry" scream than a hurt or frightened one). She recovered pretty quickly though and never got a bump or even a bruise. I'm still a jittery mess about it though.
Two of us:
The Not-So-Happy-Hiker:
Fun times:
Short snooze:
Yosemite:
Other items of note: Eden stood on her own without support for the first time on May 7th. She had her 9-month checkup on May 14th and weighed 16.69 pounds and was 28.3 inches long. Her much anticipated first steps were taken on Sunday, May 24th, in the presence of both mom and dad, as well as our friend, Shanelle!
In June we flew back to the Midwest for a family reunion in the Smoky Mountains. It was the first time everyone (grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins) from my mom's side of the family had gotten all together since before I was married. The reunion was also a surprise 80th birthday party for my wonderful Grandma Green - I am so thankful that all the details were worked out and that everyone was able to make it. Both Peter and Eden were introduced to many relatives and, apart from a terrible cold I developed a few days into the trip, a fun time was had by all. Eden also started waving "bye-bye" on our last day in the Midwest - right before we flew back to California.
Stretching our legs at a rest stop with Cousin Cedric:
Passed out on Grandma at the cabin:
Fuzzy family:
Curly top:
Shortly after we returned from the family reunion, Peter went on a trip to Africa with students and staff from his school. They had an incredible time and were able to visit several organizations that the school might partner with and support in the future. While he was gone, my sister-in-law, Laura, visited for a week with my nephew. We had a wonderful time just relaxing as well as taking fun little adventures each day to places like the Huntington Gardens, Kidspace, and the beaches in Malibu (which my nephew referred to as the "Big Water"). I was very sad to see them go when the week was up.
Flat tire on safari:
Masai man:
Laura, Eden, Cedric:
My beautiful baby:
Kidspace:
On July 16th, Eden dropped a toy from the changing table while I was changing her diaper. I said "uh-oh!" and she looked right at me and repeated the word, drawing out the second syllable: "uh-ohhhh." And she's been saying it ever since! Usually she says it when she drops something, but she will also say it sometimes for no (apparent) reason. She was cracking us up the other day by saying it whenever we told her no or to stop doing something:
"Eden, out of the trash!"
"Uh-oh!"
"Don't put that cat food in your mouth!"
"Uh-oh!"
"Eden - no! Put that down!"
"Uh-oh!"
"Eden, please stop squealing in that incredibly high-pitched way."
"Uh-oh!"
Well, you get the picture. It was even funnier because she was so serious and sincere when saying it. We would have to hide our faces so she wouldn't see us laughing and continue it as a joke.
She has actually become quite a mimic verbally and will often repeat words immediately after we say them although "uh-oh" seems to be the one she understands the most and uses independently. Other words she has said, or at least mimicked, include: mama, dada, kitty, no, wow, more, tada!, and e-i-e-i-oooo (from the Old McDonald Had a Farm song). There is also an interesting and very hard to describe "la-la-la" noise that we think is supposed to mean banana.
It's hard to believe the time has passed so quickly, but Eden turned one year old on August 1st, 2009. I will write another post soon all about her party and the other big events that have happened in the month of August - promise! (Although, please be generous with your interpretation of the word soon.) For now, I hope you feel at least a little bit caught up on our lives over the last few months. In addition to some new posts (and hopefully regularly occurring posts from this point on), I will be working on some other changes to the blog to get it a bit more up-to-date. It's definitely a work in progress at the moment though, so don't be surprised if a few things seem missing or a bit unfinished for a (hopefully brief) time.
Until next time here's a short video of Eden walking/climbing to tide you over.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Brief Update
Now that our lives are so full of activity, there's never much time for even a brief update, but I didn't want to go too much longer without checking in.
Eden continues to amaze us! She is crawling like crazy, she pulls herself up to a stand on anything - and she can stand well even while just holding on with one hand or even just slightly leaning against the couch (or whatever). She cruises (inching her way along the coffee table, couch, or exersaucer). She clearly knows that the remote does funny things to the TV (turning to look at the TV when she plays with it in expectation). She seems to love other children and babies - at church she kept crawling after a 15-month-old and trying to pull herself up by grabbing his clothes (he was a little alarmed). She also likes to try to mimic them - if they are banging on a toy, she needs to go over and pat the same toy too. Her sense of humor is developing - she now often laughs if we sneeze or yawn or make funny faces. If you stick your tongue out at her, she will try to reach up and grab it, and sometimes she'll try to stick her tongue out too. She is so much fun!! Exhausting to keep up with, but very, very fun!
I continue to feel torn in two - I don't dislike my job or working, but I hate not getting to spend more time with the cuddle-bug. She continues to have separation anxiety, and actually is starting to get a little suspicious of all strangers now. Leaving her to go to work is the most difficult part of my day, especially if she seems sad or upset. This last week especially she has been having trouble sleeping again - not wanting to nap at all and waking up multiple times at night (and then not wanting to go back to sleep). This has happened before and seemed to eventually resolve on its own, so I'm hoping that will be true this time as well - and I'm hoping it will happen soon!
Next week is Holy Week - one of my favorite times of the year. And the week after Easter we are taking a trip to Yosemite!! I'm so looking forward to spending time away, just the three of us. I'm hoping that it will truly be a relaxing and peaceful experience. I love my little family!! Here's a funny picture of our little cutie - if I can figure out how to post the video Peter made of her crawling, I will put it up soon!
Eden continues to amaze us! She is crawling like crazy, she pulls herself up to a stand on anything - and she can stand well even while just holding on with one hand or even just slightly leaning against the couch (or whatever). She cruises (inching her way along the coffee table, couch, or exersaucer). She clearly knows that the remote does funny things to the TV (turning to look at the TV when she plays with it in expectation). She seems to love other children and babies - at church she kept crawling after a 15-month-old and trying to pull herself up by grabbing his clothes (he was a little alarmed). She also likes to try to mimic them - if they are banging on a toy, she needs to go over and pat the same toy too. Her sense of humor is developing - she now often laughs if we sneeze or yawn or make funny faces. If you stick your tongue out at her, she will try to reach up and grab it, and sometimes she'll try to stick her tongue out too. She is so much fun!! Exhausting to keep up with, but very, very fun!
I continue to feel torn in two - I don't dislike my job or working, but I hate not getting to spend more time with the cuddle-bug. She continues to have separation anxiety, and actually is starting to get a little suspicious of all strangers now. Leaving her to go to work is the most difficult part of my day, especially if she seems sad or upset. This last week especially she has been having trouble sleeping again - not wanting to nap at all and waking up multiple times at night (and then not wanting to go back to sleep). This has happened before and seemed to eventually resolve on its own, so I'm hoping that will be true this time as well - and I'm hoping it will happen soon!
Next week is Holy Week - one of my favorite times of the year. And the week after Easter we are taking a trip to Yosemite!! I'm so looking forward to spending time away, just the three of us. I'm hoping that it will truly be a relaxing and peaceful experience. I love my little family!! Here's a funny picture of our little cutie - if I can figure out how to post the video Peter made of her crawling, I will put it up soon!
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