tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45584152140531177302024-02-01T22:38:50.690-08:00The Tuttle FamilyGeoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-14852606817279069842011-03-13T20:41:00.000-07:002011-03-13T20:50:06.666-07:00From Your Nose to Your Toes<div style="text-align: left;">Lately Hayley has been extremely sweet and lovey. She also is at a stage where she likes to repeat everything she hears. A few days ago I told her, "I love you to pieces!" Right away she said "I love you" in the cute little way she does and then added "pieces". I just about died. </div><br />Since then I could count on her to say it back to me when prompted and each time it just got more and more cute. Then tonight after dinner we were having a little family hug and she leaned back, looked at us and completely unprompted said, "I love you! Pieces!"<div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogLr44wDE8wlEaMVKBbBOfVX_pb58An4eTrCzMfgwajHlrHNCMokAEOxWxiyQvJBrqUCEsjaddSLGgc6MEB7kgfUfSB2R6vzwLbrDZGV-yvLuHu9vKed7PZMlX8LbgrOghpOCxN6XDfI/s320/IMG_3618.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 286px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583777425496085730" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Right back at you, kid.</i></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-32397342038109988202011-02-21T20:35:00.000-08:002011-02-21T22:40:21.221-08:00Happy Birthday, PrincessDear Hayley,<br /><br />Today you turned two. Two. Has it really only been 2 years since you made us a family? It's hard to imagine a time without you.<br /><br />This past year has been nothing short of amazing. You learned sign language. You learned to walk. Then you learned to talk. It's staggering to think about all of the advancements you've made in twelve short months. Now you run around in circles for no reason other than you can. Now you talk nonstop (we stopped counting at about 85 words a few months ago) and we understand most of what you say. (Really need to work on that pronunciation, kid.) Now you use your imagination and love to spend your day doing pretend play. Now you love Beauty and the Beast, just like your Aunt Kati. Now you love to chase and be chased. Now you use your little finger to tap my nose while you say, "I love you." Now you know when something is funny and you laugh until your cute little face turns red. Now you love books and love even more when I tell you stories before bed (usually you request 2 stories: one about piggies and another about a princess).<br /><br />I think a lot now about the relationship I want to have with you, now and forever. As much as I wish I could just stop time and keep you my sweet little girl forever, the truth is I'm so excited to see the person you grow to be. Something tells me you're going to be someone awfully special.<br /><br />I've never been more proud in my life than when I hear you call for me, "Mama!" I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that when we're in public and you call for me I feel like I'm about to burst with pride. <i>"That's right everyone. I'M the lucky person that gets to be the mother of this child"</i>, I think to myself. It makes my day when someone tells me they think you look like me. Cause, Hayley? You are the most gorgeous person I know. Hands down.<br /><br />You melt my heart on a daily basis with your sweetness. I love to watch you shake and shush your dolls, just like Daddy taught you. I love how loving and careful you are while holding your baby cousin. Your little hugs and kisses are just too much to take. I don't know how there can be so much sweetness in one little person.<br /><br />Two years ago I met you, my heart, my daughter. I can't wait to see what year three has in store.<br /><br />I love you, Hayley. Happy birthday.<br /><br />Love,<br />MamaMirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-74300873987156493082011-02-14T12:40:00.000-08:002011-02-14T12:41:35.032-08:00Happy Valentine's Day!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2zvYNvQkKGfhUPIbA0JlFEKiBUER6-MRnigrehfKckpyXnfE6jjHJHz56JZUqrz9X-2pcqXomEbrFUzTYdPwEPkN9E0feNA4vnEw0jFm6au_1DEU4fEILJnMPDsAdjyr2arEGb_eFKM/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq2zvYNvQkKGfhUPIbA0JlFEKiBUER6-MRnigrehfKckpyXnfE6jjHJHz56JZUqrz9X-2pcqXomEbrFUzTYdPwEPkN9E0feNA4vnEw0jFm6au_1DEU4fEILJnMPDsAdjyr2arEGb_eFKM/s320/IMG_2883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573647942726785874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">And now we start counting down to the day we become parents of a 2 year old...</span><br /></span></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-45805448211710249172010-12-24T22:59:00.000-08:002010-12-24T23:48:16.390-08:00Merry Christmas to all......and to all a good night!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ0uX8QLFM7C08pVVVwFhqBZZEpu1SOamMnNQ84F3eILRMdw4P-mhVlAEMo_NvKC1y1db9PiXlBej0XFSuBNCsnTcmmfp_4c1NnTrw4LiGfsZlQozJLh01vgF23h_s4MRzJCFusNv0Do/s1600/Hayley+and+Santa+10.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZ0uX8QLFM7C08pVVVwFhqBZZEpu1SOamMnNQ84F3eILRMdw4P-mhVlAEMo_NvKC1y1db9PiXlBej0XFSuBNCsnTcmmfp_4c1NnTrw4LiGfsZlQozJLh01vgF23h_s4MRzJCFusNv0Do/s320/Hayley+and+Santa+10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554521754289782066" /></a><br /><br />Yes, that is me with Hayley and Santa Claus. It was the only way I could get her to go anywhere near old St. Nick this year. I may be smiling, but at that moment I was feeling the way Hayley looks. Even Father Christmas himself doesn't look very pleased. That may have had something to do with the fact that a 200+ lb. guy and his daughter were sitting on his left knee.<br /><br />Happy holidays, everyone!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHjrnlMTBId22yhWpB5i-3-YhiqoejY1fYtrqGraZ2857BbPNeagtjbMfXgRGt_nu59dF1zHqZXYJV0o3C1yfmIpSm8Sapm09LHM5qrWDuS0fD2ogNHq-p1I_lAyoHKDuXN7X3LTcOWg/s1600/IMG_1760.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHjrnlMTBId22yhWpB5i-3-YhiqoejY1fYtrqGraZ2857BbPNeagtjbMfXgRGt_nu59dF1zHqZXYJV0o3C1yfmIpSm8Sapm09LHM5qrWDuS0fD2ogNHq-p1I_lAyoHKDuXN7X3LTcOWg/s320/IMG_1760.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554521752876804146" /></a>Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-65263241843810779162010-11-29T20:35:00.001-08:002010-11-29T20:37:54.584-08:00Happy Birthday, Ryder!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbfWRs7-qZYnDowskGjaU5LTZYF56ASjCMwWw7tQ3dUJanqvmCIE5Q7UYOwUBakwJ8uCxYAM6ANCJ_fsIE3aDySCi0nggRxubjETevUWdFs3noSfaH2AwcPytDUcJ6eJPTVjxf2t4Lf8/s1600/DSCN1598.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbfWRs7-qZYnDowskGjaU5LTZYF56ASjCMwWw7tQ3dUJanqvmCIE5Q7UYOwUBakwJ8uCxYAM6ANCJ_fsIE3aDySCi0nggRxubjETevUWdFs3noSfaH2AwcPytDUcJ6eJPTVjxf2t4Lf8/s320/DSCN1598.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545196929390429522" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Ryder James Johnson</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Born Monday, November 29 at 5:54a.m.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>8lbs 4oz, 21.5 inches</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Congratulations to Mom, Dad and Big Brother from the Tuttles</i></span></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-32763125689599002092010-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:002010-11-29T20:34:01.817-08:00Words Update 2.1Bagel, splash, grow, kick, eye, turtle, Squirtle, baby, mine, me, bear, please, help, wallet, Kiki, school, car, bird, Hayley.Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-51350574408640999982010-11-25T20:28:00.000-08:002010-11-29T20:29:49.537-08:00Thankful Doesn't Even Begin To Cut It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h2sKn8ZT8pEqwjsF9LydBXVBaNyBGj4vmLqqwQuj97KrGHfD5fhAHlbe2AVee0Sr8ln0z0z-RWMYScf6YTJCLpLSlfqdkEfF6hoi2oSG98mGf1AYzw0ZkaCzTqqb6u8Qya7e41yo4Dg/s1600/DSCN1515.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0h2sKn8ZT8pEqwjsF9LydBXVBaNyBGj4vmLqqwQuj97KrGHfD5fhAHlbe2AVee0Sr8ln0z0z-RWMYScf6YTJCLpLSlfqdkEfF6hoi2oSG98mGf1AYzw0ZkaCzTqqb6u8Qya7e41yo4Dg/s320/DSCN1515.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545195123644558530" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Thanksgiving 2010</i></span></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-87702117499803769942010-11-23T22:57:00.000-08:002010-11-24T22:02:44.965-08:00Fall 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r0_SbBdAKj06TR4_5VWjJPkjnJI-W2N6HL1vUEleFRL5Qry4ZSj80o6KtiWmCUPpzmN_n4rUT_1MOG3umdREBgCIYm3Ssq20cumApnyBqL0ud4WqYSFvtHn6d4ZagyBWNUgPIQgiABc/s1600/DSCN1439.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7r0_SbBdAKj06TR4_5VWjJPkjnJI-W2N6HL1vUEleFRL5Qry4ZSj80o6KtiWmCUPpzmN_n4rUT_1MOG3umdREBgCIYm3Ssq20cumApnyBqL0ud4WqYSFvtHn6d4ZagyBWNUgPIQgiABc/s320/DSCN1439.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543021462434490258" /></a><br /><br />The holidays are about to descend upon us with full force, but before that happens, allow me to recap the last couple of months. Hayley just continues to become the most amazing kid. I know I sound like a broken record, but she never ceases to surprise me, day in and day out. There have been so many areas of growth and individual moments of awesomeness that it's tough to cover everything, or to know where to start. <br /><br />Hayley has turned into quite the little helper. She already does so much for herself, but she rarely misses an opportunity to assist the people around her. She loves to pick out her shoes before leaving and put them back after coming home. She makes sure to give me my keys and wallet from the drawer that is so conveniently at her level by the door. She attempts to clean various things, either with the baby wipes that she is now obsessed with (completely my fault) or the kid's broom we got for her. She desperately wants to help us put away the dishes or sort/fold laundry. She even lent a hand (and a million sprinkles) when mama made some brownies:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWuzZ6rfy0XJ2OqVTHPr_4pW3-sj2OorvAMXeo3qb2WSLY9kTvQ52Wt-zdiIoYmZvbNWmujg2A7eAhKV2OEEud7_IZt7W7gIfAU2nJh1CqdngCeaNJlMjFMAIhkOyKSRoQreRSwjX8P0/s1600/DSCN0827.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWuzZ6rfy0XJ2OqVTHPr_4pW3-sj2OorvAMXeo3qb2WSLY9kTvQ52Wt-zdiIoYmZvbNWmujg2A7eAhKV2OEEud7_IZt7W7gIfAU2nJh1CqdngCeaNJlMjFMAIhkOyKSRoQreRSwjX8P0/s320/DSCN0827.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543021431486823378" /></a><br /><br />Along with that industrious side, Hayley's creativity continues to blossom, mostly in the area of music. Her sense of rhythm is getting better as she plays with her drums or her friend Luca's drum set, and bops her little head along to the music playing in the car. She still dances her heart out when she really likes the beat. She sings along with the 'la la' parts in her favorite Fresh Beat Band songs. She rocks out on her cute little keyboard and guitars. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gqFk5mWPrXcJGfrvxMFCxfTzB7u3HtDESkzrfm89-7Qu-RC9N9wNONchK91WCHyBUsCHReT4LUBCUogQM4-59-pSq_aPEvo73Nralp9vq-Pw1XxweT9CKhTJodsBbYRsE0MQ8UBp5u0/s1600/DSCN1307.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gqFk5mWPrXcJGfrvxMFCxfTzB7u3HtDESkzrfm89-7Qu-RC9N9wNONchK91WCHyBUsCHReT4LUBCUogQM4-59-pSq_aPEvo73Nralp9vq-Pw1XxweT9CKhTJodsBbYRsE0MQ8UBp5u0/s320/DSCN1307.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543021439924556114" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdLT4xSGWK2hNdAEfnD-4ujWcoDUFonsNednmNgtnqxO9x2ivRhnWORvA_O2H0KEwL6ZipWjvSnCih1sjGbtXfMDgNEWNiH-0nbsGZga-07cqieX5Xb-OfcB2itv4YyJuSmObAi2fCnw/s1600/DSCN1132.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdLT4xSGWK2hNdAEfnD-4ujWcoDUFonsNednmNgtnqxO9x2ivRhnWORvA_O2H0KEwL6ZipWjvSnCih1sjGbtXfMDgNEWNiH-0nbsGZga-07cqieX5Xb-OfcB2itv4YyJuSmObAi2fCnw/s320/DSCN1132.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543021437056979474" /></a><br /><br />Hayley also loves to draw with her crayons, but we don't have a great setup for drawing, nor do we have many supplies. We plan to correct this with a cool xmas gift (you'll see). In the meantime, we got her a small notebook for collecting stickers (which I hope she will keep up with for a long time). So far, she loves it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KpG4_6CAV4YTTkyqXRz2XHG2j4qvqCsLaedo8ajXUkcds1QgsjcBBMAUMlS2yhYfJtEo-WMMSromPRKWlzKI1FBKFChfxjx7Jba3zgYZEdLzgVQvj8bY1DRlly6lA1uoBRLcCRm3oJU/s1600/DSCN1392.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KpG4_6CAV4YTTkyqXRz2XHG2j4qvqCsLaedo8ajXUkcds1QgsjcBBMAUMlS2yhYfJtEo-WMMSromPRKWlzKI1FBKFChfxjx7Jba3zgYZEdLzgVQvj8bY1DRlly6lA1uoBRLcCRm3oJU/s320/DSCN1392.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543021453530406178" /></a><br /><br />Two other fun new acquisitions include a pair of rain boots that Hayley seriously fell in love with at the store, and her first Build-a-Bear, which we named Coco:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOH3RgumOJ2bP5jXlr2d2bSiNS9Wszr0QubgU6dadBCGCi7yIAN3lq2EdTWg58A9jjO3X2_3TAtHZCQrvDEopcEkhMayhjpCHaEcA8uCauIosHZRTysREgjnMdho_jj0WJwYXsECXWvc/s1600/DSCN1426.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOH3RgumOJ2bP5jXlr2d2bSiNS9Wszr0QubgU6dadBCGCi7yIAN3lq2EdTWg58A9jjO3X2_3TAtHZCQrvDEopcEkhMayhjpCHaEcA8uCauIosHZRTysREgjnMdho_jj0WJwYXsECXWvc/s320/DSCN1426.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543030245653166370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMxDFQ7glYRTZ-iJrRWrXrN2xVdA-2oWmLp4UTyf_OdZadtl5RtBitpWu3teqKfn5vs0yThW1HzR5HMMjO3-fEi8zpeIaU3O5j8BEWHDDg-r5_9FaotuF3yB_uZZiYnzIJNBepqvO4Vw/s1600/DSCN1352.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMxDFQ7glYRTZ-iJrRWrXrN2xVdA-2oWmLp4UTyf_OdZadtl5RtBitpWu3teqKfn5vs0yThW1HzR5HMMjO3-fEi8zpeIaU3O5j8BEWHDDg-r5_9FaotuF3yB_uZZiYnzIJNBepqvO4Vw/s320/DSCN1352.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543030228566075202" /></a><br /><br />As always, family is a huge part of Hayley's life, and as she grows and gains new social skills, her family bonds just get stronger. She has gotten a lot closer with her cousin Dylan, who really warmed up to Hayley in recent weeks. I don't think he realizes what's in store though, because she basically thinks he is the coolest person ever. Seeing them together is unbearably cute; hearing them talk about the other one when they aren't together is even cuter. It will be interesting to see how their relationship evolves as each of them gets older.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmumEwIcVHLOUtDjHw1SJAqPWg4QDBJqUGn6DETo4XPU-TA6IUoPJCrPnh3PF-JtXC80yWUaSB_gRN0v2Y46Wu3FYA9CvNtRU4ziKHWW1MgNB5qppaVxu6YEKYX1dBSCZqPoNn_T6m-5M/s1600/DSCN1063.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmumEwIcVHLOUtDjHw1SJAqPWg4QDBJqUGn6DETo4XPU-TA6IUoPJCrPnh3PF-JtXC80yWUaSB_gRN0v2Y46Wu3FYA9CvNtRU4ziKHWW1MgNB5qppaVxu6YEKYX1dBSCZqPoNn_T6m-5M/s320/DSCN1063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543030189028350754" /></a><br /><br />Probably the most significant change for Hayley is the rapid increase of spoken words over the past 2 months. Miranda has been covering this in other posts so I won't repeat those, but we are both continually left speechless (ironic?) at the explosion of words coming from Hayley's mouth. Of course, she still babbles all the time and uses plenty of signs, but the progress is undeniable. Just this evening, we finally got her to say 'please' instead of signing it (or more accurately, <span style="font-style:italic;">while </span>signing). Along with how much she is saying is how much she is understanding. The number of words she actually knows has got to be in the hundreds at this point. We are so proud and excited to be supporting Hayley in her linguistic journey! Now if I could just get her to smile for pictures instead of pointing at her mouth and saying 'teeeeeth':<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAy3gNA3aTIGc40azzyvQCGIMD9gHjVifzXeZ0gYsgvHfFSHrwAu2LpyA76XPYbJguM7jYeBrxDAf1rMxt14TDCIzDtJSqdyMxu7AgOtlzv5ADNg3emMq5oRFR_0oL5R3UOdJYrQjME4/s1600/2010-11-11+11.24.40.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAy3gNA3aTIGc40azzyvQCGIMD9gHjVifzXeZ0gYsgvHfFSHrwAu2LpyA76XPYbJguM7jYeBrxDAf1rMxt14TDCIzDtJSqdyMxu7AgOtlzv5ADNg3emMq5oRFR_0oL5R3UOdJYrQjME4/s320/2010-11-11+11.24.40.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543030173990316722" /></a><br /><br />Of course, with the good comes the bad. Hayley is really hitting her toddler stride lately, with tantrums and attitude aplenty. As (relatively) new parents, we are still figuring out how best to handle it. Thankfully her sweetness far outweighs her sourness, but some days she is a 3-foot-tall teenager:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjOR91cHMmJHtY4oGn6Xo3J_vop_5WvGtLVTM7sskb4Zk84FRxxIWxqznI8GFa0GNuFIBObNIupjD9VyBNKmeTUmGxPf66fpRbzekFP8XZ6gpJfBdfpOmLfMOfwahp0MdP1504vYbDuI/s1600/DSCN1122.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPjOR91cHMmJHtY4oGn6Xo3J_vop_5WvGtLVTM7sskb4Zk84FRxxIWxqznI8GFa0GNuFIBObNIupjD9VyBNKmeTUmGxPf66fpRbzekFP8XZ6gpJfBdfpOmLfMOfwahp0MdP1504vYbDuI/s320/DSCN1122.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543030205648923986" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, Miranda and I are big fans of this time of year, for many reasons. Despite the often unseasonably warm weather, this year has lived up to our expectations. And it wouldn't be a successful autumn without some classic seasonal activities. We got our fall on in many ways, including visiting various pumpkin patches (complete with hay rides or train rides), enjoying lazy weekends cuddled up on the couch with some hot coffee, spending the day at the Cupertino Memorial Park (aka duck duck park), eating the delicious baked goods that mama makes, or simply stomping on the fallen leaves outside.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphdyaf-JzoFdKEJRuEnqBVWEh44e1ucFB06fmcVJLzCLuncbVya4aMw4iJPYL6mydb0POYyguwfpmeV2djTBj_zASeqai_mqaixwXi4Nnt64kwz6rV0tbC8JAdRWOQvA_tzDOwLFtXt8/s1600/DSCN0749.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphdyaf-JzoFdKEJRuEnqBVWEh44e1ucFB06fmcVJLzCLuncbVya4aMw4iJPYL6mydb0POYyguwfpmeV2djTBj_zASeqai_mqaixwXi4Nnt64kwz6rV0tbC8JAdRWOQvA_tzDOwLFtXt8/s320/DSCN0749.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543033648437489602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHIY2BQ31fBVvCD45c4sjnAir8qNKp3SdnFdwc7eOwFKBkHyDWe6905SIrwaB-LoCvG4sZkto3AzycLATDPppKmIIE9ItIoIJHegJWYQ6n3CVpQ1cOtMYzRG75K8SbvRcN_5GlbGOvqM/s1600/2010-10-21+12.39.07.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHIY2BQ31fBVvCD45c4sjnAir8qNKp3SdnFdwc7eOwFKBkHyDWe6905SIrwaB-LoCvG4sZkto3AzycLATDPppKmIIE9ItIoIJHegJWYQ6n3CVpQ1cOtMYzRG75K8SbvRcN_5GlbGOvqM/s320/2010-10-21+12.39.07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543033645618270338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjraXzXx4mD-23N4WoQgwkB3UJEyA0XqYib7rYDRhJ0sZPAFZwPjE-K3jlHQ79Ysf_YA8AYFDuBfkn8MoErlPnCe5mPB106pnzONcvaVtQ12YAmgTwBte44JA7ac9xtEkCoqVhlogH48/s1600/DSCN0906.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjraXzXx4mD-23N4WoQgwkB3UJEyA0XqYib7rYDRhJ0sZPAFZwPjE-K3jlHQ79Ysf_YA8AYFDuBfkn8MoErlPnCe5mPB106pnzONcvaVtQ12YAmgTwBte44JA7ac9xtEkCoqVhlogH48/s320/DSCN0906.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543033661088419890" /></a><br /><br />Which brings us to the main event of the season. Although this was her second time celebrating Halloween, Hayley got her first chance to really experience it this year. Dressed in her stunning Snow White costume (the official one from Disney), Hayley joined Cleopatra and Marc Antony (aka mama and dada) at a kid-filled costume party at our friend Clara's house. We took her out on her first ever trick-or-treating that night. After some apprehension and awkwardness at the first few houses, she started to get the idea (I get candy for being cute!) and was an old pro by the end of it. Her super cool apple bag (custom-made by Auntie Kati) was full of candy and we were full of joy. The night really couldn't have gone any better.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKzoUsClgBaqpIl9RYSSaXLXRqEyNJi7O-fq2ZhPk1NrnaNAQHWuGxmrUf4PnLY24RnrGIsaRmpjL9clo2vqdItqSoIUf3_R8K93IYdMYTI3kRAAoTsZTuQfvCwswIlMkSjshk1OngUA/s1600/DSCN1226.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKzoUsClgBaqpIl9RYSSaXLXRqEyNJi7O-fq2ZhPk1NrnaNAQHWuGxmrUf4PnLY24RnrGIsaRmpjL9clo2vqdItqSoIUf3_R8K93IYdMYTI3kRAAoTsZTuQfvCwswIlMkSjshk1OngUA/s320/DSCN1226.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543033667405916978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOMpq2duKvWEw5maT2Cw1bLHOvHOBB-cmcH-nsr3R32nxixVeGCe6crs5_jAjHnA2vyXWcqYHQwPZ_AjSdzOdU8i6ixuFhEFMXypHxRkRhsFdR-URxEkMBFUak1JfzlOkPfsrV_9xm8A/s1600/DSCN1294.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOMpq2duKvWEw5maT2Cw1bLHOvHOBB-cmcH-nsr3R32nxixVeGCe6crs5_jAjHnA2vyXWcqYHQwPZ_AjSdzOdU8i6ixuFhEFMXypHxRkRhsFdR-URxEkMBFUak1JfzlOkPfsrV_9xm8A/s320/DSCN1294.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543033681023676658" /></a><br /><br />Mostly we've just been trying to have as much fun together as we can. Sometimes that means wearing silly wigs even though it's not quite Halloween.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19-nlPMoPnpQ3CBub9RXESZ6QiOv6DdDFYUCXAz27Sswdka4arm6hNZunv0FeprS2pBV2ImHPaPt0p5ihVtGaMZGmr3cSS2FI9Wd5sTADGcGyif4XgeL8jsTkuUQVCIeJZ9UzBgcMZBg/s1600/DSCN1211.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19-nlPMoPnpQ3CBub9RXESZ6QiOv6DdDFYUCXAz27Sswdka4arm6hNZunv0FeprS2pBV2ImHPaPt0p5ihVtGaMZGmr3cSS2FI9Wd5sTADGcGyif4XgeL8jsTkuUQVCIeJZ9UzBgcMZBg/s320/DSCN1211.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543033740316357218" /></a>Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-3392051081117156352010-11-18T18:02:00.000-08:002010-11-18T18:18:58.389-08:00Words Update 2.0Since I posted the list of words Hayley can say I've been keeping track of all her new words so I could periodically update the list here. When I get to ten or so new words I'll post an update- which might mean a ton of word updates because this kid is learning new words at an amazing rate! Here's what sh'se learned since my original post (9 days ago): shout, deer, Coco, stroller, corn, quack, meow, door, toes, keys, sharks, shoot, Belle, dip-dip, phone, bottle, baby.Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-15573242945111123032010-11-11T21:13:00.001-08:002010-11-12T15:45:43.497-08:00Goodnight MoonDear Hayley,<div><br /><div>The last few days I've found myself counting down the minutes until your bedtime. Not because I want you to go to sleep, but because our bedtime routine has become so sincere and sweet and in those moments I remember just how lucky I am to be your mother.</div><div>After your practical routine of a diaper change, vitamins, jammies and brushing your teeth, I lift you up and we go about the apartment looking for people in all the rooms. I really have no idea how or why this started, but you insist we do this each night. Then I place you on your daddy's lap while he sits in the rocker and I get to your level to tell you I love you and thank you for another great day together. I ask for a kiss and you always oblige- and always lean up to make sure daddy gets one, too. When I tell you I love you you look me straight in the eyes and tap my nose- the way we taught you to sign "I love you". I then get up and leave the room, closing the door behind me.</div><div>Traditionally you've called out for me, "Mama!", and I quickly open the door and make a funny face or noise and we do this a few times before you lose interest and are ready for daddy to read you your book. Lately, though, you've wanted me to come back into the room and sit with you so we can have a few beautiful moments together. You're getting some new teeth so you'll smile, point with both hands to your cheeks and say "teeth!" with great pride. I get really excited and tell you how beautiful your little teeth are and tell you you're doing such a good job growing and building your little body. Then you look at me, so rare are the moments when you're truly still enough to give your full attention to someone, and we stare at each other in silence as you rub your hands along my shoulders and pat my back. You look at my eyes, then my lips, back and forth, before initiating a good night kiss. You gently hold my face in your little warm hands and I feel your little finger go <i>tap, tap, tap</i> on my nose. I try to hold it together and revel in your sweetness before once more getting up, saying goodnight and closing the door behind me.</div><div>I stand in the hall way, waiting. "Mama!" I can't help it. I go back in and we do it again.</div><div>I love you, sweetheart.</div><div>-Mama</div></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-64094158550174282762010-11-09T18:39:00.000-08:002010-11-09T19:07:52.919-08:00Words updateLately Hayley has been more and more willing to say new words and I want to be sure to record her progress here along the way. Here are all the words (that I can remember right now) Hayley's said so far with varying frequency and accuracy:<div>Mama, Dada, duck, dog, goat, sheep, turtle, bee, go, sit, shoes, socks, scooch, sheesh, yellow, blue, pink, green, brown, purple, black, Kati, Dyl, Maddy, Papa, Ming-Ming, ball, bubble, hot, hat, block, boo, shape, star, ship, bone, truck, no, yes, straw, hi, bye-bye</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-11462749294630636372010-09-16T13:00:00.000-07:002010-09-16T14:31:12.005-07:00Class of 2031Dear Hayley,<br /><br />This week Stanford welcomed the Class of 2014 to campus. For you, this meant mama hasn't been around a whole lot. I'm so sorry I've been gone so much. I'd love nothing more than to have been home for dinner and evening playtime this week. I hope you know I've missed you terribly and I couldn't help but think about you and our family all week.<br /><br />Last year was the first time I was so involved in New Student Orientation and you were only 6 months old. This year you are 18 months and although I knew what to expect when going from event to event this week, I wasn't prepared to be so personally moved by the process. On Tuesday, as I watched teary eyed parents beam with pride as they moved their son or daughter in to their freshman dorm, I couldn't help but think of you and where we will be in 17 years. As I watched a crowd of highly intelligent and motivated students happily fill the Main Quad for Convocation, I couldn't help but think of you. And while I sat in my golf cart watching 1700 freshmen join the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LSJUMB</span> on Band Run in the middle of the night, I, again, thought of you.<br /><br />As you grow older and continue to grow and learn (at an alarming rate) it becomes more and more apparent that we are raising an actual person that will become an adult and we have such a huge responsibility in shaping the woman you'll become. I watch you now, so amazingly smart, beautiful, funny, inquisitive, caring and happy and want to ensure you carry these traits with you always. I want to encourage you to work hard, take risks and try new things. I want to empower you to know who you are and what you stand for. I want to raise a daughter who knows her parents adore her and will <span style="font-weight: bold;">always</span> have her back, affording her the confidence to go out and do great things. I want to create a relationship that reassures me, when the time comes for your dad and I to move you in to your freshmen dorm and as you distance yourself from your parents, our <span style="font-style: italic;">friendship</span> will keep us close.<br /><br />I can't help but see you in everything I do. You are the single most significant contribution I'll make in my lifetime and I desperately want to do this right.<br /><br />I love you, sweetheart.<br /><br />-MamaMirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-1535279128127448162010-09-12T23:16:00.000-07:002010-09-13T00:25:37.334-07:00Happy Grandparents Day to us?Hayley is growing up way too fast. Case in point: she now has her own little bundle of joy. She's had other baby dolls before (<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/triforce9/HayleyMonth19#5515806560053799778">including one that she spent a lot of time playing with, even recently</a>) but the latest addition to the family has raised her level of interest in babies to near-obsession.<br /><br />Hayley's friends Leila and Maddy each have a Circo brand baby doll that is much larger than any doll Hayley has had, until now. Last week, she got the chance to spend some quality time with Leila's doll; it become apparent that she wouldn't be complete without one of her own. So yesterday we headed to our favorite store (Target) to do our duty as both loving parents and American consumers. Here is Hayley mere moments after the purchase:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjq7Hyp5cn9YscTBOrTs3d327rF-MIjG69XvpB-5aWTznXfO-Uaot87cazr9ESiZffJD9bEY9Q5DxjyE-ZU8eg1Oskp4-nO3b5whgH0hrUpGhbeIKTAZUR5czvSUBgtpaiABk8yKXh7A/s1600/091110121455.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjq7Hyp5cn9YscTBOrTs3d327rF-MIjG69XvpB-5aWTznXfO-Uaot87cazr9ESiZffJD9bEY9Q5DxjyE-ZU8eg1Oskp4-nO3b5whgH0hrUpGhbeIKTAZUR5czvSUBgtpaiABk8yKXh7A/s320/091110121455.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516283579598462370" /></a><br /><br />For the first day together, they were practically inseparable. Everywhere Hayley went, so too did her baby (which we've named Bailey - get it?). She fed Bailey repeatedly, comforted her when she cried, poked her in the eye when she fell asleep, and cooed back at her when she babbled. Yes, the doll can cry, babble, eat, and sleep. Fun, right? When she's not doing any of those things, Hayley just hugs or kisses it. The best part is that we didn't show her how to do any of this stuff; it all comes naturally.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCraW-cNGzBA9AaIY24k7V-wwWqESN5-A_0v5DJ4gauEOh5x5l0-eISXjNMZiBmNCGFcaRX038vq5TaiDIFlwz1AqTDXV4Us8fzB4EwXwE9_sJRswNo11FG-5UEY_Od4YTUotKTBnGdkE/s1600/DSCN0647.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCraW-cNGzBA9AaIY24k7V-wwWqESN5-A_0v5DJ4gauEOh5x5l0-eISXjNMZiBmNCGFcaRX038vq5TaiDIFlwz1AqTDXV4Us8fzB4EwXwE9_sJRswNo11FG-5UEY_Od4YTUotKTBnGdkE/s320/DSCN0647.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516283586587542802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Q79aQBWxFUoU348ayeoMzVgy9wF85LRPMlVqgyFEgRaNLeO0sqNBy-ni75WhMWq0OAXAJmoa0ZQqD8VniGL3nh67RuSGh7fjTfAlOHVNU4ijb97N0C2VcZYi2M222haMHLNI0A6gZi8/s1600/DSCN0662.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Q79aQBWxFUoU348ayeoMzVgy9wF85LRPMlVqgyFEgRaNLeO0sqNBy-ni75WhMWq0OAXAJmoa0ZQqD8VniGL3nh67RuSGh7fjTfAlOHVNU4ijb97N0C2VcZYi2M222haMHLNI0A6gZi8/s320/DSCN0662.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516283624521873346" /></a><br /><br />The cuteness only became more unbearable. At one point, Hayley grabbed some of her blueberry bagel and shared it with her baby. She then signed 'thank you' to Bailey. This makes sense only when you realize that Hayley was trying to <span style="font-style:italic;">teach </span>her baby to say thank you. How do we know? After showing Bailey the sign on herself, she moved her baby's hand in the signing motion to help her learn! Keep in mind, this was all totally unprompted by us. Sadly, it happened too quickly to capture on camera.<br /><br />We did get some pictures of Hayley getting her baby ready for bedtime. After feeding her for the millionth time, she read Goodnight Moon to Bailey (the book I read to Hayley every night). I then helped her get her baby in the crib and cuddled up with Bunny.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzBNodsS-hnKqST-y3ZGv-W_wNyEcNZB1ObYK2g2hCac80kufXgh8Xd1DmhFr7ecdiyzX-CJFPbxPaU1XGQ96YCVkjPmbMGoHfGZaDMtHoq-JOy9oqVBeprZvhqIVx2aySVwgb75FRKA/s1600/DSCN0657.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzBNodsS-hnKqST-y3ZGv-W_wNyEcNZB1ObYK2g2hCac80kufXgh8Xd1DmhFr7ecdiyzX-CJFPbxPaU1XGQ96YCVkjPmbMGoHfGZaDMtHoq-JOy9oqVBeprZvhqIVx2aySVwgb75FRKA/s320/DSCN0657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516283596593564194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLciw17crn83sWArMZHXV-5bjF0hz8YKsmgtoTIAmp4frXKKjwVg0644T1_jOWX1vFJIAfTahgixQkoay7QumpWFPqXiXP8EyB0a-a0lZq3BEsRdJaXwtUH5zPrFH4Z5-l9IDnRsGlzaI/s1600/DSCN0665.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLciw17crn83sWArMZHXV-5bjF0hz8YKsmgtoTIAmp4frXKKjwVg0644T1_jOWX1vFJIAfTahgixQkoay7QumpWFPqXiXP8EyB0a-a0lZq3BEsRdJaXwtUH5zPrFH4Z5-l9IDnRsGlzaI/s320/DSCN0665.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516291442233899554" /></a><br /><br />We knew the danger of letting Hayley sleep with her baby, so we took it out. This, of course, resulted in a tantrum, but we held fast to the rule and to our bedtime routine. Luckily Hayley got over it and went to sleep. <br /><br />This morning she woke up and immediately looked for Bailey. She still insisted on taking her everywhere she went today, but an interesting thing occurred: Hayley seemed to actually get tired of her baby. At naptime she pushed Bailey away because it kept crying and wanting attention. This evening, Hayley barely touched her. It's fine with me if she doesn't want to spend every waking moment with the doll, but I will be surprised and a little annoyed if Hayley dumps her altogether after only two days. I guess we'll see how tomorrow goes.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-52916143435699249692010-08-15T20:28:00.000-07:002010-08-16T10:17:45.823-07:00Forget-me-notsDear Hayley,<br /><br />When Daddy and I created this blog it was mostly to keep our family and friends updated on the life of our expanding family. Since then, I've relied on this space to capture moments in our life that I never want to forget. I've been thinking lately that you are growing and learning so fast that I need to pause and take a moment to capture all of the magical moments and accomplishments that have been happening at lightning speed lately. So, here we go!<br /><br /><div><ul><li>We've been working on sign language for months now and currently you sign for: more, eat, thirsty/water, milk, fruit, please, thank you, you're welcome, I love you, sleep, baby, dog, cat, duck/bird, chicken, car, train, home, shoes, play, book, help, bath, dance and music. It's not always perfect, and some of the signs you've made up yourself, but you're consistent enough that we know what you mean. You know so many signs now that sometimes you get too excited about something and you become confused, going through a few similar signs before settling on the correct motion.</li><li>You're pretty content with signing and are taking your time with the talking. You babble all. the. time. but you are pretty limited with your words: Mama, Dada, go, bye-bye, stars, sit, I did it! and what's this? round out your vocabulary. Sometimes you learn a new word and use it over and over for a few days and then all of a sudden you stop. This happened for duck, dog and other words I know I'm forgetting. You've also made up your own version of Kati, and call Grandma "Ah-ma". </li><li>Though you speak very little it's obvious you understand just about everything. You can follow directions, even if they are specific (for example, you know the difference between bringing me your slippers rather than your shoes). Not only do you understand what we're saying, but you're a great listener and will help clean up your toys, share and follow rules with minimal conflict. You understand concepts very well. We can tell you we're going to go to grandma's and you can pick a toy to bring. You'll get up, pick a toy and head straight for the door saying "Go, go!".</li><li>Grandma's already working on teaching you Christmas carols. When prompted with "Laughing all the way" you go "ha, ha, ha". Currently she's working on getting you to say "Hey!" after she sings "On a one horse open sleigh".<br /></li><li>When you see a real, toy or picture of a fish you make a little fishy face with your mouth. When you see animals such as dinosaurs, lions, tigers or bears you let out a loud "Roar!" You just started making monkey noises, too.</li><li>You're slightly obsessed with books right now and reading with you is very interactive. When the book says "sick" you pretend to cough. When a book says kiss, you have to kiss <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">whoever's</span> reading to you. When your dress up book shows the secret spy, you hold your finger up to your mouth and say "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Shhh</span>!" When there are flowers on a page you have to stop and smell each. and. every. one (just like in real life). You really enjoy the books that encourage interaction, such as those with flaps or different textures to feel. You like us to ask you where things are on the page, be it the moon, the mouse, the bee, the mama, the baby, the cat, the...</li><li>As we read what the caterpillar in "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" ate each day, you pretend to burp after each day's meal. I have no idea where you got this idea but I can't imagine the book being read any other way now.</li><li>You know a lot of body parts and can point out nose, mouth, eyes, ears, hair, tummy, bellybutton, hands, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">heiny</span>, legs, feet and toes. You can point this stuff out on yourself, on others, on animals and in pictures of people or animals.</li><li>You like to pick out your own clothes now. You go to your dresser, open a drawer and tap your pointer finger on your cheek and say "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hmm</span>..." as you make your selection. </li><li>You hate having anything in your hair. Clips, headbands, rubber bands, hats; doesn't matter what- you want it out. Sometimes if we distract you long enough after putting your hair up we can get you to forget about the offending accessory. Sometimes.</li><li>You love to play dress up. You love to wear bead necklaces, tutus and your dinosaur tail. Sometimes you wear it all at the same time.</li><li>When mama is getting ready you like to watch and you love when I put my face cream on you or let you wear a little perfume. It's just as awesome as I'd always imagined it would be.</li><li>You love shoes. You like to drag guests into your room to show them your bin of shoes, you love to try on shoes at the store, you like to try on Mama's and Dada's shoes, you like to bring people their shoes when it's time to go and you love wearing slippers cause they're the only shoes you get to wear inside.</li><li>You don't get to watch too much <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">TV</span>, but your favorite things to watch are The Fresh Beat Band and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pingu</span>. You're completely obsessed with both. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Pingu</span> you often watch on our cell phones or on Auntie Kati's laptop. Sometimes you like to walk around with your arms behind your back, just like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Pingu</span>. The Fresh Beat Band causes you to either get excited and dance or sit there mesmerized for the entire show. You love them so much that Dada made you a CD of their music so we can listen to them in the car (which you ask for right away as soon as we're in the car). I find the fact that Daddy made you a mix CD too adorable to stand.</li><li>You love to be chased.</li><li>You love to give high-fives.</li><li>You love looking at pictures. Of yourself.</li><li>You love to tickle and be tickled.</li><li>You love hugging, kissing and playing peek-a-boo with yourself in the mirror.</li><li>You can go up and down stairs, using the railing, all by yourself. This means it takes longer to get anywhere, but it's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">okay</span> because you're always so proud of yourself when you get to the top/bottom.</li><li>You have amazing hearing. It's usually birds or the train that make you stop what you're doing, sign and look for where the sound was coming from.</li><li>You are still the best sleeper I could have asked for. You sleep for a minimum of 12 hours a night and nap for 1 1/2 or 2 hours each day. You actually ASK for nap in the afternoon and get terribly excited for bedtime. </li><li>A month or 2 ago you started getting up a few times when Daddy first put you to sleep. It was super frustrating and then one night Daddy was in the middle of something and took a minute to respond. I watched you on the monitor and not even a minute in to your crying you decided to lay back down and go to sleep. Since then we haven't been going in and we watch as you sometimes stand up for a moment, don't cry for us, and then lay back down with Bunny and go to sleep. Lately, you haven't even been standing up and instead going right to sleep. </li><li>This past week you've been sleeping with a blanket. You seem to like this, but you don't like to have your feet covered. </li><li>In the mornings you often will lay or sit in your crib for a good 20 minutes just having some quiet time to yourself while you play. When we go in to get you in the morning you get extremely excited, throw your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">paci</span> on the ground (which you immediately want us to retrieve for you) then you like to point out the stars on the wall and ask, "What's this?"</li><li>You sleep with both Olivia and Bunny in your crib. You are by far most attached to Bunny over all your other toys.</li><li>If we'd allow you to eat fruit exclusively you'd be a happy camper. Blueberries seem to be your favorite, but I've yet to see you really pass on any fruit offered. We can <i>usually</i> get you to try something, but after that initial taste there's no guarantee you'll continue to eat it. </li><li>If we offer you something to dip your food in the chances of you eating it increase dramatically. Sometimes this backfires and you end up just eating your ketchup with your finger for dinner. </li><li>You're working on using utensils to feed yourself but you always hold your spoon upside down. This drives daddy crazy.</li><li>You don't like to be messy. You hold up your hands to be cleaned mid-meal, you'll use a napkin to clean yourself and the table and if none are available you'll use your bib. It will shock no one that this pleases your daddy greatly.</li><li>You drink water and milk pretty exclusively. We don't offer you juice because it has so much sugar and we think it's good for you to get a taste for water now. The only real exception to all this is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Jamba</span> Juice. You love smoothies. A lot.</li><li>You are really loud when you want to be. Like, REALLY loud. You yell for "MAMA!" or "DADA!" when you want us, no matter where we are. When you're excited you squeal and shout. When you're angry, boy, do you make sure we know it. </li><li>You've started throwing tantrums and we're at a bit of a loss as to how to react. We try to ignore it, hoping the lack of attention causes you to try out a new approach, but it's hard. Partly cause we want to tell you to stop and quiet down, partly because it's extremely funny and partly because it's so cute when you get mad I want to eat your little face.</li><li>You're daddy had the genius idea to institute the "all-better hug" for when you fall or get hurt. You're very in tune with us and often look to us for how to react to situations and we consciously decided that we needed to contain our reactions and teach you (and us) to not sweat the small stuff. So, when you have a little tumble and your little face scrunches up we ask if you need an all-better hug and you come to us for a quick hug and then are back on your way. </li><li>You're getting another tooth right now, which will bring your total to 11.</li><li>We brush your teeth every night and just started using training toothpaste. When we first started with the toothpaste we all huddled around the sink and we tried to teach you to spit. It was a complete failure but it was also one of the funniest times we've had as a family yet.</li><li>You're in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Gymboree</span> level 4 now. It took a while for you to warm up to it, but you love <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Gymboree</span> now. You missed it the other week because we were on vacation and when you went the following week you were thrilled to be there. </li><li>Every weekend, usually on Sunday, we go around the corner to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Jamba</span> Juice, Starbucks and Noah's for breakfast. It's our little routine and I wait all week for that outing.</li><li>You now can build with your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">LEGOs</span> on your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">LEGOs</span> table. And with that, all of your daddy's dreams came true.</li><li>You threw up for the first time 2 weeks ago (real vomit, not spit-up) and it was horrible and gross and you were so scared and upset. We all were.</li><li>Day or night, you search the sky for the moon.</li><li>Sometimes you zone out and stare into space and I'd buy you a pony to know what it is you're thinking about. </li><li>Sometimes when you zone out or are concentrating on something you softly say "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma..." to yourself over and over in the most adorable little voice we've ever heard.</li><li>You're somewhat stingy with the hugs and kisses, but when you do decide to give a kiss to someone you make sure to give kisses to everyone else in the room, too.</li></ul><div>These are just a few of the millions of things I want to remember when I think about you at 17 months old. I could never capture all the little memories I want to always remember, but I know its <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">okay</span> because everyday there's something new and special that I'll hold on to. I am constantly telling myself that there's no way it could get better and, sure enough, another day with you comes along and I'm proven wrong. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>To the stars and back, Hayley.</div><div><br /></div><div>Love,</div><div>Mama</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vdyOCX2ZA8q0Pc6c5WiST1HJx83YgO7YohVS4cHkdYbP1jsR4efp0CETaKbspypjlb1fS8mB_crOAu34lNwRHWLZOQ9GMcZSMs8iem8sQgFnaPE180ZPMWXnCnQVwYZMNdPyro4RoBU/s1600/DSCN0203.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vdyOCX2ZA8q0Pc6c5WiST1HJx83YgO7YohVS4cHkdYbP1jsR4efp0CETaKbspypjlb1fS8mB_crOAu34lNwRHWLZOQ9GMcZSMs8iem8sQgFnaPE180ZPMWXnCnQVwYZMNdPyro4RoBU/s320/DSCN0203.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505894426682824242" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>****</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>Are there memories you want to make sure we remember years from now? Post them in the comments!</i></span></div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-34885553574810917412010-08-06T12:10:00.000-07:002010-08-06T12:16:09.041-07:00Hayley doesn't need much to have fun.<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FnE4eK-hDuI&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FnE4eK-hDuI&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Hayley's been playing peek-a-boo with her reflection the last few weeks and Geoff finally caught it on his camera phone. (Sorry for the low quality video.) It should be noted that she started doing this entirely on her own. Man, I love this kid!Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-19077547813492716072010-08-02T14:42:00.000-07:002010-08-02T20:55:51.438-07:00Summer vacationLast week Miranda took some vacation time from work. What a week it was! It's funny how you always end up doing so much more on vacation than during normal time. So here comes another loooong post.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyCjEOPCg6ZhFY8kH-UMyNrPL9E9cXyF1DeSPmYL5x3DVkZ3CLBcEDb2_68HhhR7hV9F-8EULJfTz1KJRNPqnmxOb5cPghfxajcwxn7XxI8bnVRu6xAM23iDaT7ItiPbcXpuQu8zCCu8/s1600/DSCN0030.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyCjEOPCg6ZhFY8kH-UMyNrPL9E9cXyF1DeSPmYL5x3DVkZ3CLBcEDb2_68HhhR7hV9F-8EULJfTz1KJRNPqnmxOb5cPghfxajcwxn7XxI8bnVRu6xAM23iDaT7ItiPbcXpuQu8zCCu8/s320/DSCN0030.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500940912937349858" /></a><br /><br />Instead of taking a long trip somewhere, we decided it would be more fun (and far cheaper and easier) to have a "staycation" of sorts. We had at least one event or destination planned for almost every day but we still got to sleep in our own beds. We even managed to get Hayley home for her midday nap most of the time.<br /><br />Our vacation coincided with visits by out-of-state family and friends. On Saturday, Hayley's Uncle Gabe arrived, so we kicked off our week with a little dinner/reunion. She seemed pretty smitten with Gabe, as usual, although the effect wore off as the week continued.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTkMOU3_NBrWF53njWFa0BUIUBgu8jHJiFgkxImxdy3XWq0YSoTIY0mOsxEVKpyO1LOQxcd8r8-XbQXvWjd5lWHe8TzRcmYBl9UmJaWzkF3GfPy_cikaGlvQDEnQ7ygWgr_lXLLAB3gw/s1600/DSCN9411.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTkMOU3_NBrWF53njWFa0BUIUBgu8jHJiFgkxImxdy3XWq0YSoTIY0mOsxEVKpyO1LOQxcd8r8-XbQXvWjd5lWHe8TzRcmYBl9UmJaWzkF3GfPy_cikaGlvQDEnQ7ygWgr_lXLLAB3gw/s320/DSCN9411.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500940916181898866" /></a><br /><br />Cousin Dylan celebrated his 5th birthday on Sunday and we were there for all the festivities. Everyone had a great time playing in the bouncy house, lounging in the shade, and eating birthday cake. Still can't believe little Dyl pickle is 5 years old!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiG-NyZnxH09UePSTJUG2ZYzH29yZRjsWI-dYvZmU3ENQVJYPHVy1tgvw70TSvNNZqlPAwvL-GP0-SxGo7m_sFd8OBoYJreflEEcbHAxzkEnJAHA6G6Y-mTpXsn_qxfVilT3zKjP-wtFo/s1600/DSCN9460.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiG-NyZnxH09UePSTJUG2ZYzH29yZRjsWI-dYvZmU3ENQVJYPHVy1tgvw70TSvNNZqlPAwvL-GP0-SxGo7m_sFd8OBoYJreflEEcbHAxzkEnJAHA6G6Y-mTpXsn_qxfVilT3zKjP-wtFo/s320/DSCN9460.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500940922318447554" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMAqIZic6aEoSdMuhWSCoqeyqwy0C4bzJ239HSew_ykhv8PRRF-nchzAGmlsOhhrZozj723CEXhMvU4hrEDKeWSiXa9VAMdruF-PM3AtsxwQZvolIo_tyefREmeVIJrxfth50m2CsTyo/s1600/DSCN9487.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMAqIZic6aEoSdMuhWSCoqeyqwy0C4bzJ239HSew_ykhv8PRRF-nchzAGmlsOhhrZozj723CEXhMvU4hrEDKeWSiXa9VAMdruF-PM3AtsxwQZvolIo_tyefREmeVIJrxfth50m2CsTyo/s320/DSCN9487.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500940930508114674" /></a><br /><br />After nap, we took Hayley to a San Jose Giants game. We've been avoiding taking her to baseball and hockey games this year because she is so mobile now (read: restless). Cheap seats at a local minor league game meant we could go without worrying about staying for the whole thing. We had some good food and a few nice, relaxing strolls around the stadium. We even saw some baseball.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmLqMu2v3ljrfn4HfAHKyuF4hzS0AMLdujC3y2tHp7OcM4ig_L8hvjGEF1HG-miH2D3c2JyWQACjipJUMemYj3pnp1dYBJMio8Y1TFY0CM7JJLE4H7itDWG-lMY2E4wwYFLYookCdobw/s1600/DSCN9526.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmLqMu2v3ljrfn4HfAHKyuF4hzS0AMLdujC3y2tHp7OcM4ig_L8hvjGEF1HG-miH2D3c2JyWQACjipJUMemYj3pnp1dYBJMio8Y1TFY0CM7JJLE4H7itDWG-lMY2E4wwYFLYookCdobw/s320/DSCN9526.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500946534488888642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nyxbhGsGYyAM6vCZMFo2kUTdCgXeBNgOCm6RQAlE5zSvjQqZsymIxZiv2t1rqEv21YWueOmaRU0yeUeCW6qn7wDNQB3ibm_DUSW0hrCxnxFGJvI6NtK2jnN7cPEkCs52-C5IqHQuheA/s1600/DSCN9531.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nyxbhGsGYyAM6vCZMFo2kUTdCgXeBNgOCm6RQAlE5zSvjQqZsymIxZiv2t1rqEv21YWueOmaRU0yeUeCW6qn7wDNQB3ibm_DUSW0hrCxnxFGJvI6NtK2jnN7cPEkCs52-C5IqHQuheA/s320/DSCN9531.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500940938928053810" /></a><br /><br />Auntie Kati joined us for a visit to Happy Hollow on Monday. The recently renovated children's park/zoo has been around for a long time (it was a favorite of Kati's when she was a kid) but I had never seen it. I have to say, I was pretty impressed. It's pretty big without being overwhelming, there's a ton of variety, and everything is clean and new (thanks to the aforementioned renovation). Best of all, Hayley had a wonderful time. We enjoyed it enough to get a membership, so we should be heading back there pretty soon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyKyLQ53VcPoJb-sQpCGU0z27185GsHdp5RJV4yUCH2b-gliS4VVPMQwrluCXiBwFYYhABLOZEpJSFI1xjcT7c8EQl5xjkGP2ajGBLYlnTut0mXEPhYh2pKBJGYe6UEronmonOBXNswM/s1600/DSCN9537.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyKyLQ53VcPoJb-sQpCGU0z27185GsHdp5RJV4yUCH2b-gliS4VVPMQwrluCXiBwFYYhABLOZEpJSFI1xjcT7c8EQl5xjkGP2ajGBLYlnTut0mXEPhYh2pKBJGYe6UEronmonOBXNswM/s320/DSCN9537.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500946537571811218" /></a><br /><br />A few highlights of Happy Hollow include Hayley's first carousel ride, a huge play area with some cool slides, and tons of adorable animals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupNzSpl8r1veojz3fV9XgjLniCSJ_RTGMcNEi_J5PJu03z3A30AiBxggLZDvzFg0A_Oc2Lt48ymhYyhFMSC0Vqg5lUqeP8ewkmoCUV9S7l5-c0JYw0_ftxrx3ay1NtQbhFPuqoJnw_3k/s1600/DSCN9549.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupNzSpl8r1veojz3fV9XgjLniCSJ_RTGMcNEi_J5PJu03z3A30AiBxggLZDvzFg0A_Oc2Lt48ymhYyhFMSC0Vqg5lUqeP8ewkmoCUV9S7l5-c0JYw0_ftxrx3ay1NtQbhFPuqoJnw_3k/s320/DSCN9549.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500946547333768994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuykd53jp22ZX5UlNSgVWP4Gpog4jNIkSQOAJjXZSINzhcmkMHJn7lfnJirsmluXnnbT3S585sW7W2OGY_gZkUqZVU2B_UXM-vL-TxOOJgBagr9oQO4HMUSDFVCqbDRGTC7CpxLNQRBIo/s1600/DSCN9594.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuykd53jp22ZX5UlNSgVWP4Gpog4jNIkSQOAJjXZSINzhcmkMHJn7lfnJirsmluXnnbT3S585sW7W2OGY_gZkUqZVU2B_UXM-vL-TxOOJgBagr9oQO4HMUSDFVCqbDRGTC7CpxLNQRBIo/s320/DSCN9594.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500946552978307090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJ52CYGxthTUy0wv6dwWC5ATBkFcwZcG-cT8Bf9ADz9JCntj6hbxZfRLwD2-UuOmqbJSmpBcru8dkdGEQDvgFiXmPr4E_qvBsVKcvaSNR98EsIUPInl6yra0pBJbOyRyFfkOJPVjzAAw/s1600/DSCN9657.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJ52CYGxthTUy0wv6dwWC5ATBkFcwZcG-cT8Bf9ADz9JCntj6hbxZfRLwD2-UuOmqbJSmpBcru8dkdGEQDvgFiXmPr4E_qvBsVKcvaSNR98EsIUPInl6yra0pBJbOyRyFfkOJPVjzAAw/s320/DSCN9657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500948434841564418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtjLVvK2g-sVkBm90e1dibtKZvGsNc-V5VFgGlBnWr4DI4_V2l38dvqM6_IHCgpzGkRiirpWLLAesqnd4i6SghlU3Mz61e2Q4eyKgHD4JZZ2O6shFVlfkFgPnc4V3qvgPhUY0Z8pTCmI/s1600/DSCN9661.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 276px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtjLVvK2g-sVkBm90e1dibtKZvGsNc-V5VFgGlBnWr4DI4_V2l38dvqM6_IHCgpzGkRiirpWLLAesqnd4i6SghlU3Mz61e2Q4eyKgHD4JZZ2O6shFVlfkFgPnc4V3qvgPhUY0Z8pTCmI/s320/DSCN9661.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500948441019493618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K1cYAhGfO-sba7uj0FQNx73wXuDFTXXfGRCdQj1Hdc8QM1jSYOVuIQZNARHV4J0jbB45sOzkag6HG-P1324rKoyFAVR4I0NJk_KJ6Zjgu5DY53k3dQ8Z2nVMGWnUeOmalXGHS0Btfvg/s1600/DSCN9621.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K1cYAhGfO-sba7uj0FQNx73wXuDFTXXfGRCdQj1Hdc8QM1jSYOVuIQZNARHV4J0jbB45sOzkag6HG-P1324rKoyFAVR4I0NJk_KJ6Zjgu5DY53k3dQ8Z2nVMGWnUeOmalXGHS0Btfvg/s320/DSCN9621.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500948422683960610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii8VMSsan3EyDGW4um-5q7Aib1xtdjHWC1zCQRvbwycsQYKFGBOYjFTlcrBzEUfUqNLQumEls86Gnpolu1GBwm_tez35KHx6q0QimNjillPyRlIR989NkcjfBHMMiCXAeG3tokFmc9A0/s1600/DSCN9658.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii8VMSsan3EyDGW4um-5q7Aib1xtdjHWC1zCQRvbwycsQYKFGBOYjFTlcrBzEUfUqNLQumEls86Gnpolu1GBwm_tez35KHx6q0QimNjillPyRlIR989NkcjfBHMMiCXAeG3tokFmc9A0/s320/DSCN9658.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500948439708453362" /></a><br /><br />That evening, Hayley spent some time with Caiden and they both learned a lesson in sharing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC90jJgtuLJ6QPN6y-QYumFPep-kdty0-QLJGCICFfBfF_fN4tu4pufKWS95c2lsZCdkSYSaDoQzKKsnxLuN4_NlxAukDDvGrnN7QukJj8fkEgJowyxJsLmzrEL3w_TNVnG8Fjj0SmFU/s1600/DSCN9668.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC90jJgtuLJ6QPN6y-QYumFPep-kdty0-QLJGCICFfBfF_fN4tu4pufKWS95c2lsZCdkSYSaDoQzKKsnxLuN4_NlxAukDDvGrnN7QukJj8fkEgJowyxJsLmzrEL3w_TNVnG8Fjj0SmFU/s320/DSCN9668.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500950281737071634" /></a><br /><br />On Tuesday, we drove down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We saw lots of cool exhibits, but overall Hayley was not as excited about it as Happy Hollow. We made the initial error of not bringing her stroller, so she got pretty crabby (pun intended). After we realized our mistake, I grabbed it from the car, but the damage was already done. We did our best to recover and actually had some fun, though. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkPYmC457J6Lohwo_ripnphCvgAAXZPKyZZZJ04oonZ8wXQocFnF3B8Ah65O3q59j5HmRvuMm5CKoNOG9SM1KygpG0QBXh2zKdOTLAmQ4tr1EbzUna6KkZoVdqENJkqJqkpYAAmWBW9k/s1600/DSCN9701.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkPYmC457J6Lohwo_ripnphCvgAAXZPKyZZZJ04oonZ8wXQocFnF3B8Ah65O3q59j5HmRvuMm5CKoNOG9SM1KygpG0QBXh2zKdOTLAmQ4tr1EbzUna6KkZoVdqENJkqJqkpYAAmWBW9k/s320/DSCN9701.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500962370619139730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lZbok8DXoebJVgibdwbSJquqt2PXpvPx9Xd9oQphJnqnYYPI4B1b0NOQEXvGhNhpR-aVPH_c-f4wsH9FXwrayZQh8lSby7hjZJBXNEEIE-NU-LXLd-q21FOJBJ__JNmvhKBg5J7-LcE/s1600/DSCN9704.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lZbok8DXoebJVgibdwbSJquqt2PXpvPx9Xd9oQphJnqnYYPI4B1b0NOQEXvGhNhpR-aVPH_c-f4wsH9FXwrayZQh8lSby7hjZJBXNEEIE-NU-LXLd-q21FOJBJ__JNmvhKBg5J7-LcE/s320/DSCN9704.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500962366056379250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLXyGtVVjnb7maMKDUyWke7pwCK2QLkt4KXsRqGXu0Bouh4g8apsSoh4-yIfwctkHtIpFy6BiuQWBwqvTiFXwm0fM6Ntj037CxMMBv1cclCWvINGpxai7Kv2Vw958HpdlYgsikbLdd9c/s1600/DSCN9712.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLXyGtVVjnb7maMKDUyWke7pwCK2QLkt4KXsRqGXu0Bouh4g8apsSoh4-yIfwctkHtIpFy6BiuQWBwqvTiFXwm0fM6Ntj037CxMMBv1cclCWvINGpxai7Kv2Vw958HpdlYgsikbLdd9c/s320/DSCN9712.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500962360973325714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4aL_OtR5lSJmLK-Dia-w984BW32qzQspF82kFqHJOQSMFfwHNYd4abkO8a8GnpRRhyPjqiHb-AqoiJF4RnXfHhLIU1X14RkXrKPZ2FO5rj1fDz44W4GwsEczHAdoIHlFevRtrFtIph8/s1600/DSCN9733.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4aL_OtR5lSJmLK-Dia-w984BW32qzQspF82kFqHJOQSMFfwHNYd4abkO8a8GnpRRhyPjqiHb-AqoiJF4RnXfHhLIU1X14RkXrKPZ2FO5rj1fDz44W4GwsEczHAdoIHlFevRtrFtIph8/s320/DSCN9733.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500962352201945346" /></a><br /><br />A notable incident occurred near the kiddy area, where they had a large plastic clamshell for sitting in and general silliness (which is exactly what Hayley engaged in). She sat there and signed for sleep, so we joked with her that she should take a nap, at which point she laid down and pretended to sleep. Then she noticed the group of onlookers giggling at her. Hayley sat up with a big cheesy grin and basically showed off her cuteness for the crowd.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7mNkdypEuxgNy_vYaFpoC1pp0OocetCIU47EUtyKu6kUXBClT-GPnT80n8xnCHVr14JwP2y15SlfxYFxgzTt-Jzgx5JKMks4FKSWTCgUIwBVTfoaT97Btp3LdTkQtL2LK2nuSHJhQas/s1600/080210205229.jpeg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7mNkdypEuxgNy_vYaFpoC1pp0OocetCIU47EUtyKu6kUXBClT-GPnT80n8xnCHVr14JwP2y15SlfxYFxgzTt-Jzgx5JKMks4FKSWTCgUIwBVTfoaT97Btp3LdTkQtL2LK2nuSHJhQas/s320/080210205229.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501027240820252898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzHSQqY8evyyT7J1bBgeb2tTZ62zeKayoUzeN9wqwqhGE0Dtu1awRJdwbfZX6AmmIpFrGMWE6mlx_nfsIqwzEkmQ77tLKdQU-YGkJoq00ZJicXYCJ54bRMHCJNN6OvtCBL1TpRIfk9JE/s1600/DSCN9756.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzHSQqY8evyyT7J1bBgeb2tTZ62zeKayoUzeN9wqwqhGE0Dtu1awRJdwbfZX6AmmIpFrGMWE6mlx_nfsIqwzEkmQ77tLKdQU-YGkJoq00ZJicXYCJ54bRMHCJNN6OvtCBL1TpRIfk9JE/s320/DSCN9756.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500962344557854674" /></a><br /><br />We left the aquarium pretty late with the intention of going to Casa de Fruta. Hayley was supposed to nap on the long car ride, but she took a really long time to fall asleep, so we decided to abort and head home. That night we had dinner with the family, including Kelley and Dylan. Wednesday morning was our first low-key morning in days. We had breakfast at Hobee's, then dropped Hayley off at Grandma's so we could take Gabe to see Inception (absolutely amazing movie, by the way). Afterward, we met up with family for another big dinner, this time with even more people (and awesome food courtesy of Dave).<br /><br />The next day (Thursday) was my birthday. We had big plans for a trip to Berkeley, including a visit to the Lawrence Hall of Science in the morning and lunch at the Pyramid Brewery. Unfortunately, our natural alarm clock gave daddy a surprise gift by sleeping in later than expected, thus we missed our time window. So we had another relatively low-key morning with breakfast at Scramblz (an awesome family restaurant in SJ) and some light shopping. Following a relaxing afternoon, we headed out for, you guessed it, dinner with family! You'd think they would be sick of us; good thing we've got such a cute kid. Anyway, Miranda made some delicious steaks and my favorite cake. I capped off the night with some cognac I got with the BevMo card my parents sent to me. All in all, a very nice birthday. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zYNUlZVgdSzNlnT75KKTYDIhwJ9LOXIsk0DfrZoMb4BEwznAdHAZOHFnQBSLMSTKaE2M9d5slmFH9AqMu2a5hRkoWW7Py3lpJmui3ztADqEA6zZcW4v5115SA9Dcu4O5VSwceUAfsAc/s1600/DSCN9800.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zYNUlZVgdSzNlnT75KKTYDIhwJ9LOXIsk0DfrZoMb4BEwznAdHAZOHFnQBSLMSTKaE2M9d5slmFH9AqMu2a5hRkoWW7Py3lpJmui3ztADqEA6zZcW4v5115SA9Dcu4O5VSwceUAfsAc/s320/DSCN9800.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500969169413881010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDYoysx4nfpREQjsgdpxCMEf0BqiK4YB7MKr-dXzWe9v3NooGFRcDDyCaodjPbzVo58_B6o5Ka-T62lYP0cC4wVycugDTgchGI9x3HfrwGBbR02PkfhzOs5mxaaYgrrWHCKv55Hh603w/s1600/DSCN9811.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDYoysx4nfpREQjsgdpxCMEf0BqiK4YB7MKr-dXzWe9v3NooGFRcDDyCaodjPbzVo58_B6o5Ka-T62lYP0cC4wVycugDTgchGI9x3HfrwGBbR02PkfhzOs5mxaaYgrrWHCKv55Hh603w/s320/DSCN9811.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500969162749789362" /></a><br /><br />On Friday morning we headed up to the Oakland Zoo with Kati. We went to the San Francisco Zoo before Hayley was born but we weren't that impressed. We had heard that the Oakland Zoo was better in some ways so we decided to see for ourselves. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPR5kdeds1Xcg4lXYQUcSlVuUjcqyYDrInWJeX-TpE54fBwT5Ff18-tXZMjxQ2WxsY5d7rr4vw11OOjNPT7NKdeF5mkMPE54CYnTxWioid2eUEwPpYxdGkyCgwn_wUSi6cwyPIwKkn3rQ/s1600/DSCN9935.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPR5kdeds1Xcg4lXYQUcSlVuUjcqyYDrInWJeX-TpE54fBwT5Ff18-tXZMjxQ2WxsY5d7rr4vw11OOjNPT7NKdeF5mkMPE54CYnTxWioid2eUEwPpYxdGkyCgwn_wUSi6cwyPIwKkn3rQ/s320/DSCN9935.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501003448051236738" /></a><br /><br />As far as we're concerned, it's much better. Inexpensive, clean, and fun; it's big, but not so big that you feel overwhelmed (we covered nearly everything within 4 hours, including a lunch break). There are a lot of different animals and none of the exhibits are closed or incomplete. We all had a great time and will probably return within the next year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSTvCbfSD1TGdE66ikH10Mq11LTgk3i5Cmd18VTEsA6PFjhQE2muEsqOCaUfH_to_LKImgBm6tN_s9MC_Mr5AgyC0lYsV1xNAThwRW3JIR-scGQ84APuwbhNmd_7wtXjzycLpZ23SnAg/s1600/DSCN9857.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSTvCbfSD1TGdE66ikH10Mq11LTgk3i5Cmd18VTEsA6PFjhQE2muEsqOCaUfH_to_LKImgBm6tN_s9MC_Mr5AgyC0lYsV1xNAThwRW3JIR-scGQ84APuwbhNmd_7wtXjzycLpZ23SnAg/s320/DSCN9857.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501005675519137794" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCQvs_iyuXCLo8qgnACnxjSX150VYN1jv4bLR376d-NkD02eWULwg_gjVmZ4f9RZUKUTvr0poBUTSDoPZzQ4ele_HEigQ9ziq8rvGl-rL_R5agQ0XFz3pD4AdLpLqqys3rqGK89QMI58/s1600/DSCN9847.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCQvs_iyuXCLo8qgnACnxjSX150VYN1jv4bLR376d-NkD02eWULwg_gjVmZ4f9RZUKUTvr0poBUTSDoPZzQ4ele_HEigQ9ziq8rvGl-rL_R5agQ0XFz3pD4AdLpLqqys3rqGK89QMI58/s320/DSCN9847.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501005666850298274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HAwPlPrsNhHctz__YvdpL-ePRqdSIJiMYeEQAiqHyfyYaV0R8mZ46l4SoDfYAuZR9ZSD4CVBCuJlMfoaIweLNUwGk73sZvPE4gxjyLgZ5E1iXcZ-eMiHQPPAa9vFhmqJMjWj6hI6Wa8/s1600/DSCN9879.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HAwPlPrsNhHctz__YvdpL-ePRqdSIJiMYeEQAiqHyfyYaV0R8mZ46l4SoDfYAuZR9ZSD4CVBCuJlMfoaIweLNUwGk73sZvPE4gxjyLgZ5E1iXcZ-eMiHQPPAa9vFhmqJMjWj6hI6Wa8/s320/DSCN9879.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501005663689439506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR8Lc5b-pIF3tuOWHPyQS4-We54ebT1ifZYysmbYsLcNQ-YwUbG27f5uToN4f3adjHlfASxVxzCU8n6mZJdwgzC3b0DphxwKlzZ9w3L4qSlb5zVvejBSiTqeCuRmJpZWOxtuwQkOUWOw/s1600/DSCN9914.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUR8Lc5b-pIF3tuOWHPyQS4-We54ebT1ifZYysmbYsLcNQ-YwUbG27f5uToN4f3adjHlfASxVxzCU8n6mZJdwgzC3b0DphxwKlzZ9w3L4qSlb5zVvejBSiTqeCuRmJpZWOxtuwQkOUWOw/s320/DSCN9914.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501005654698950498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_3ejZByB6IWIhhSJnVIdfC6nmHjqb79acNLuOESPuGRIPi5oVpAw-Ubk92qNtH3UmVP9sIrLUuBTxfoDZ2vLP92SNeFGONvbNsNLTq9EGSN_IIFuIfFUKcT6KGozPLTx7wrvUJ50rMk/s1600/DSCN9910.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_3ejZByB6IWIhhSJnVIdfC6nmHjqb79acNLuOESPuGRIPi5oVpAw-Ubk92qNtH3UmVP9sIrLUuBTxfoDZ2vLP92SNeFGONvbNsNLTq9EGSN_IIFuIfFUKcT6KGozPLTx7wrvUJ50rMk/s320/DSCN9910.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501005649604981666" /></a><br /><br />Hayley slept over at Grandma's on Friday night so we could host a game night. As usual, much fun was had. Our awesome friends all chipped in for my birthday gift: Link's shield from the Zelda games. It goes with the sword that they gave me a few years ago. Yes, Hayley's daddy is a huge nerd and proud of it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRucTqBoWwEYguYVe3p-5cbp_qiJ4Tltto466m5GNf_4JCJfYZlXQN7gNppgStCEM7trdASCdpMwGzqlkPGXBbf2wXS_UA_VeyvRcwVyp7-6Wk-IfO6z8IDJsax46lGvvomo5ewyLfg9U/s1600/2010-07-30+21.46.47.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRucTqBoWwEYguYVe3p-5cbp_qiJ4Tltto466m5GNf_4JCJfYZlXQN7gNppgStCEM7trdASCdpMwGzqlkPGXBbf2wXS_UA_VeyvRcwVyp7-6Wk-IfO6z8IDJsax46lGvvomo5ewyLfg9U/s320/2010-07-30+21.46.47.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501011517946428818" /></a><br /><br />When we picked up Hayley on Saturday morning, it was time for us to say goodbye to Sandy, Dave, and Uncle Gabe. For the afternoon, we had tickets to an event that would simultaneously finish off our great week of vacation and officially welcome us into modern parenthood: a Wiggles concert! Hayley is not the biggest fan of the Wiggles, but we hoped that the live show would be more exciting for her. Luckily it was exactly that. After some initial worry due to the loud music and audience, she totally got into it, dancing and clapping along with the action on stage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv17M6IwIN_ZvruL0BH6U-T1zo9TpydB8WJR-6c6ue2O7RCDKDI53e4jrg4EhVUGLIZpr96lXzgO07_Ut2H-xLj0aYBm9jWKGBgS5Xxtqmqyhq0REOvC4Vqb5cs80HNMW-t_P1ecunbNI/s1600/2010-07-31+16.24.47.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv17M6IwIN_ZvruL0BH6U-T1zo9TpydB8WJR-6c6ue2O7RCDKDI53e4jrg4EhVUGLIZpr96lXzgO07_Ut2H-xLj0aYBm9jWKGBgS5Xxtqmqyhq0REOvC4Vqb5cs80HNMW-t_P1ecunbNI/s320/2010-07-31+16.24.47.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501014653989696530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifq1XyJYfoGitlvpZEa738Ym-51mdNfZ_833AZapdh9YP2fkkQPaE4lyfSOh1reCRxTMfr9mspqHD4A2n2_EzukoW2VThp6DbVRFOceT7TXCm26ODVWlWv8-m4u5ySyFHqRrMBb1DpM1s/s1600/DSCN0001.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifq1XyJYfoGitlvpZEa738Ym-51mdNfZ_833AZapdh9YP2fkkQPaE4lyfSOh1reCRxTMfr9mspqHD4A2n2_EzukoW2VThp6DbVRFOceT7TXCm26ODVWlWv8-m4u5ySyFHqRrMBb1DpM1s/s320/DSCN0001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501014667314361138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ang0iOu6-JgUZwQKOJQ-Sdxap7aHnbs2uMtE6sUKFm0N5nKnTDbyIZnM_xK0xzJT0FQjn0bwkjw-RsBhQfto4eEcIDtrQGNUMZyp96Io0CxLOKkJgAO450mAbVvafC7NKvr1iappWoU/s1600/DSCN9985.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Ang0iOu6-JgUZwQKOJQ-Sdxap7aHnbs2uMtE6sUKFm0N5nKnTDbyIZnM_xK0xzJT0FQjn0bwkjw-RsBhQfto4eEcIDtrQGNUMZyp96Io0CxLOKkJgAO450mAbVvafC7NKvr1iappWoU/s320/DSCN9985.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501014677642933154" /></a><br /><br />To commemorate all the places we took Hayley this week, we made sure to get souvenirs for her: a Giants hat from the baseball game, a book from Happy Hollow, a small stuffed penguin from the aquarium, an animal puzzle and a collection of toy animals from the zoo, and a wearable tail from the Wiggles concert (it resembles the tail of Dorothy the Dinosaur, one of the Wiggles characters). Here's Hayley wearing the tail:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwVA7u3isiSgr2MAUiZxmawoFKn4uQ1KE7aIoF12yifn3K6ipJRKDuWmfy1VkasC0BJAq3U3yU-vm-dnlnVrG2RhcQyRUbo6d2w78AyE_3MCnVh1tzu3S-u-L-umLAVdZT4-9ofI3TNA/s1600/DSCN9945.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwVA7u3isiSgr2MAUiZxmawoFKn4uQ1KE7aIoF12yifn3K6ipJRKDuWmfy1VkasC0BJAq3U3yU-vm-dnlnVrG2RhcQyRUbo6d2w78AyE_3MCnVh1tzu3S-u-L-umLAVdZT4-9ofI3TNA/s320/DSCN9945.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501014671108043394" /></a><br /><br />Even though it was exhausting at times (especially for Hayley, who passed out hard every single night), this was one of the best weeks we've had as parents. There is really nothing better than making your child happy, and I'm pretty sure we did that. Unfortunately, the fun can't last forever. Mama went back to work today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuP6m5niBz_g5Q3GIMI2QYvacDL83n2mG4Q8AOB-ISFbZwues9jO6gfLtyrlqdhssPqYcyeEnsEbI2fA3r5Ag8H5dTgWBE6mDDk1-JO7ATA89mAL9z1G7mC0MdsA-S_gWGsj_DMz9M3Q/s1600/080210194019.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuP6m5niBz_g5Q3GIMI2QYvacDL83n2mG4Q8AOB-ISFbZwues9jO6gfLtyrlqdhssPqYcyeEnsEbI2fA3r5Ag8H5dTgWBE6mDDk1-JO7ATA89mAL9z1G7mC0MdsA-S_gWGsj_DMz9M3Q/s320/080210194019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501014661557619986" /></a>Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-16092740161222534192010-07-19T23:53:00.000-07:002010-07-19T23:59:09.903-07:00Christmas in JulyHayley had a great weekend, which included a girls' night and sleepover. Grandma took the opportunity to start teaching Hayley some Christmas songs (it's never too early, right?). Unexpectedly, she learned her own little part: the "ha ha ha" in Jingle Bells. I started practicing it with her today and took a quick video:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TvAU2weROxk&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TvAU2weROxk&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Sadly, the video was taken with my phone, so the quality is rather low. You'll have to turn it up to hear Hayley.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-20813862432390592452010-07-13T14:25:00.000-07:002010-07-14T10:41:35.682-07:00The past month, in summarySo much has happened since the last post (sorry about that) that I'm not even sure where to begin- so I'll take it from the top.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDiHxHRF4-25qvHgfN_A7ymGJo4716FFqxzxjQ8GoRbCG1kjPYIL83fsYJOWtQVisa5SpQJPo4y-rWXhdRhsdrob3au3iY27G8YF4xPwbEg4n9RE-UZjOrmV8GBv3yaTQ8Jnc8mpTY-M/s1600/DSCN9109.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDiHxHRF4-25qvHgfN_A7ymGJo4716FFqxzxjQ8GoRbCG1kjPYIL83fsYJOWtQVisa5SpQJPo4y-rWXhdRhsdrob3au3iY27G8YF4xPwbEg4n9RE-UZjOrmV8GBv3yaTQ8Jnc8mpTY-M/s320/DSCN9109.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493530546303536162" border="0" /></a><br />It has been our routine for some time now to have lunch all together on Wednesday afternoons, somewhere in the general Stanford area, then Geoff and Hayley head to Grandma's house and hang out until I'm off work and then we have family dinner at the house. Every once in a while we eat on campus so I can show Hayley off to my co-workers- which is just what we did a few weeks ago. The big difference this time was that Hayley's walking so when we went to lunch we let her lead the way- while also trying to steer her out of the way of golf carts and students on bikes- and watched as she waved at everyone we passed. We, obviously, took some pictures and this one of her with Hoover Tower in the background is a favorite of mine. I can't quite pinpoint why Hoover Tower is so meaningful to me, but I do know that from miles around it's always the beacon I look for to orient myself and find my way. Being on this beautiful campus, the same campus I remember running around on as a kid, with my own daughter and seeing Hoover Tower in the distance kinda brings tears to my eyes. Stanford, meet a future member of the Class of 2031!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJFMZheEF3LmX9MOrfNYMRvYjmTO9o5-s3-4WQZVo9nBmqA2xedDc6fKWOg8OTOk4hbdp6eRvk8_HaVA0YelBAVMBiyocNAz545NeersOWcCFEJNJ8Lf9hiZkkJG5iHR54i4Po2HHxd4/s1600/HOT.HooTow.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJFMZheEF3LmX9MOrfNYMRvYjmTO9o5-s3-4WQZVo9nBmqA2xedDc6fKWOg8OTOk4hbdp6eRvk8_HaVA0YelBAVMBiyocNAz545NeersOWcCFEJNJ8Lf9hiZkkJG5iHR54i4Po2HHxd4/s320/HOT.HooTow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527103105527538" border="0" /></a><br />Another part of Hayley's routine has been Gymboree class once a week. It's taken some time to get used to this new environment, and Hayley still hates going through tunnels, but over time she's warmed up to it and it is great to see her interact with the other kids and learn her little body's physical ability at this stage. Hayley just recently moved up to level 4 and it's, again, taking her some time to adjust to this change but she's making progress.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9wl8mT2jxKq-FVULiIUyCNTOW10Zt8gs-pqF3Eh3DSs_i_N6fe3SXFil8qi2D_1MI_WbdH9GG9YJQkU-2L9wT-zphg0TdGMJ_NjT9ryYOyx_I117JijgfBl5zqu4uox_WQt2NdEiBys/s1600/gymboree.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9wl8mT2jxKq-FVULiIUyCNTOW10Zt8gs-pqF3Eh3DSs_i_N6fe3SXFil8qi2D_1MI_WbdH9GG9YJQkU-2L9wT-zphg0TdGMJ_NjT9ryYOyx_I117JijgfBl5zqu4uox_WQt2NdEiBys/s320/gymboree.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527112858377042" border="0" /></a><br />Now that Hayley's walking, time spent at the Children's Discovery Museum is much more enjoyable all around. Lots of new play areas and activities, such as virtual snowboarding, have opened up to her due to this new-found mobility.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD75ohZ-0_uRoKRwiPdIUgxMhTpXhXINc6v_XGGenYA8VNtzkAXvkj51icw3D_jTS_C8g5_yfqFTyzr5qIhqHJmv-4TtoIA5lIHOkrpRr6AYGCG8oUaCZ6Fx_T9jC-uRdyhjDn7luKmQ/s1600/snowbordingJPG.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD75ohZ-0_uRoKRwiPdIUgxMhTpXhXINc6v_XGGenYA8VNtzkAXvkj51icw3D_jTS_C8g5_yfqFTyzr5qIhqHJmv-4TtoIA5lIHOkrpRr6AYGCG8oUaCZ6Fx_T9jC-uRdyhjDn7luKmQ/s320/snowbordingJPG.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527116685546850" border="0" /></a><br />A favorite section of hers seems to be the little house section; she likes to set the table, have tea parties and throw the pretend food, plates and cups all over the place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PS7kEcSH4E8z-WbkXwLMupOwkxjJov4e3_td6FE2DdaRsROPzT4HWSxNchOgaVsp3pLcJFHCcrEYs02x0KTRZljkAd_mJmImk8SEjRs_Yul6rDiHQm2LhzeolX5wrD8QfyyxqDtvZD0/s1600/table.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PS7kEcSH4E8z-WbkXwLMupOwkxjJov4e3_td6FE2DdaRsROPzT4HWSxNchOgaVsp3pLcJFHCcrEYs02x0KTRZljkAd_mJmImk8SEjRs_Yul6rDiHQm2LhzeolX5wrD8QfyyxqDtvZD0/s320/table.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527122434416002" border="0" /></a><br />She also seems to enjoy taking a snack break on the park benches outside- she even shares with the pigeons!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamFx0dj0M4Y_wZpm_kznG8lhXqLQI8FQ9PTYekLeLV-fQa_bT9tzXCOcaP4iVbtTCkIyMnAb3LEjtTwxaFqhs3SKvWgMyBtcvyEVttwPuO1Lg6VGMLJQM7GkjjpFZn-FkCL-_81WzPdM/s1600/feeding+1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamFx0dj0M4Y_wZpm_kznG8lhXqLQI8FQ9PTYekLeLV-fQa_bT9tzXCOcaP4iVbtTCkIyMnAb3LEjtTwxaFqhs3SKvWgMyBtcvyEVttwPuO1Lg6VGMLJQM7GkjjpFZn-FkCL-_81WzPdM/s320/feeding+1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527862125325426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebU5Aep-dA13817AdN3ewU3YfkTUPjqK1H4ZAFaw3b2GtuUxwlBAiYbS-4AxT6-7Mq_5YoJOVfmEoabXKsvOg_Yil5FaS_tLA2oQsoUYvRMhVpWUEcraaSk9ixRlljr6OP4XqNQEzRJE/s1600/feeding2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebU5Aep-dA13817AdN3ewU3YfkTUPjqK1H4ZAFaw3b2GtuUxwlBAiYbS-4AxT6-7Mq_5YoJOVfmEoabXKsvOg_Yil5FaS_tLA2oQsoUYvRMhVpWUEcraaSk9ixRlljr6OP4XqNQEzRJE/s320/feeding2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527126194856594" border="0" /></a><br />I've been wanting to get Hayley a little play table for a while now and a few weeks ago a neat little LEGO/activity table was on sale so Geoff took Hayley to Toys R Us to pick it up. I know Geoff's been looking forward to playing LEGOs with his own child for ages now, so this was a big day for them. Hayley seems fairly interested in the table, though her favorite way to "play" with LEGOs seems to be bringing them to us one by one over and over again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YqDaDfBgPnxomanNqyZ97jesQiBXlUUrhHLfDoIW9hbha2WLPAjf_gfLqou-NPIePj7kig2kLxgg5qwVhApyHLnk7YKhjguO6kte-xXgIoywySuhk-7ebvfJ84Iij2vC2J5NaUzr2hs/s1600/LEGOtable.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YqDaDfBgPnxomanNqyZ97jesQiBXlUUrhHLfDoIW9hbha2WLPAjf_gfLqou-NPIePj7kig2kLxgg5qwVhApyHLnk7YKhjguO6kte-xXgIoywySuhk-7ebvfJ84Iij2vC2J5NaUzr2hs/s320/LEGOtable.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527880183330930" border="0" /></a><br />Hayley's friend, Maddy, turned 2 at the end of June and she had her birthday party at a bounce house party place. Hayley wasn't so sure at first, but she couldn't hide her smiles as she went down the huge inflatable slides or chased me around the bouncy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aGS4QPhvzKg61dQv7W10dvUO0n2R0miB-kkm_eeVZr3UzE-hqESC9uCgfISV-9g8s1Flj1wL793xegrn0s1owHUO6yZAP58UNacZviU3wT2VnyhdrJRwnNPgikeaNWYYERJQhpITJGQ/s1600/Bouncy.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aGS4QPhvzKg61dQv7W10dvUO0n2R0miB-kkm_eeVZr3UzE-hqESC9uCgfISV-9g8s1Flj1wL793xegrn0s1owHUO6yZAP58UNacZviU3wT2VnyhdrJRwnNPgikeaNWYYERJQhpITJGQ/s320/Bouncy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527866559013234" border="0" /></a><br />When it was time for cake we were surprised to find that Hayley preferred her little box of raisins to the yummy birthday cake. I suppose we shouldn't have been too shocked- that girl would happily eat fruit exclusively if we'd let her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn70eB1nuWbqpOhJ5iFMxoA04303PisdjaMx01TLxzZDU6D07fxV3J70NID6Io6qzBkL5v6AyxMccLmLiOjbEuaN7oGbWKQffZC5terF4PHuiAn-aj7IDC1bj3CnDzhkUSJIHxvkv_h0/s1600/raisins.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIn70eB1nuWbqpOhJ5iFMxoA04303PisdjaMx01TLxzZDU6D07fxV3J70NID6Io6qzBkL5v6AyxMccLmLiOjbEuaN7oGbWKQffZC5terF4PHuiAn-aj7IDC1bj3CnDzhkUSJIHxvkv_h0/s320/raisins.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527874160201202" border="0" /></a><br />A few Dum Dums were included in the party's goody bag, which led to Hayley having her first lollipop. She enjoyed it for a while- then asked for some fruit instead.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu05VUiGpaWRuQFgf_PRAkBmk6W7BIHdr5XA32NMcwqhpq4jgh06lhS5hth1oBRKGAPYpvPV-iAV_t9JsEElX37DVElRQtU4-M4wnmkz-zRyTWm2uSQsViqlnKxZcKKtEIEc4oSTaTWo/s1600/lollipop.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPu05VUiGpaWRuQFgf_PRAkBmk6W7BIHdr5XA32NMcwqhpq4jgh06lhS5hth1oBRKGAPYpvPV-iAV_t9JsEElX37DVElRQtU4-M4wnmkz-zRyTWm2uSQsViqlnKxZcKKtEIEc4oSTaTWo/s320/lollipop.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493527875346368162" border="0" /></a><br />Earlier this month was Independence Day and we went down to Morgan Hill to spend the day with family at Danny and Patti's.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYufTGmcFteHCguzwa9czuBdInnSg5wKbt93TY4wn2s3KqPuXVj7oGX_bGm9BLFnOXpA0NquZ39FpcAM2T-wzrUQbDQe-xdoRBzHwVtkDdr-QrSaEIRHwsLjpcXitquPWtOqXt_-WtXI/s1600/ID1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYufTGmcFteHCguzwa9czuBdInnSg5wKbt93TY4wn2s3KqPuXVj7oGX_bGm9BLFnOXpA0NquZ39FpcAM2T-wzrUQbDQe-xdoRBzHwVtkDdr-QrSaEIRHwsLjpcXitquPWtOqXt_-WtXI/s320/ID1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493528571076644978" border="0" /></a><br />As usual, the food was delicious, the pool and weather perfect and a good time was had by all. I think Hayley especially enjoyed her dessert of berries and whipped cream.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkfwWU4jsFpfWQ4TxIfASh3OoS-pRNk9GBQYF08lu1BxAoGIV-b98jqYfwOxOr071wXoxXDUMO334aKWSQD50Ow2-g63UTcHrbU_woNpjXQXorbdsN_rRrFFPW3MtoA_1eXMRVeihoLY/s1600/ID2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkfwWU4jsFpfWQ4TxIfASh3OoS-pRNk9GBQYF08lu1BxAoGIV-b98jqYfwOxOr071wXoxXDUMO334aKWSQD50Ow2-g63UTcHrbU_woNpjXQXorbdsN_rRrFFPW3MtoA_1eXMRVeihoLY/s320/ID2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493528582748697042" border="0" /></a><br />This year we decided to stay for fireworks and Hayley stayed up <span style="font-style: italic;">well</span> past her bed time with no melt-down at all. I was so proud! She didn't seem to be very scared of the fireworks, though she did retreat to Geoff's lap a few times for some of the louder blasts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0cQZXb4G4JD9pDcBkyc5incVaOKrcbaxOcooJyyKwPAJHj_tZglSyuX66V3KrJc_5Vg9Ovl9nfafm27pqOjye-2jaurltvTAxW5FI_ZfudkCGR8M43MPBfBks-ZvJuSt1BK-PHRGYuI/s1600/ID3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0cQZXb4G4JD9pDcBkyc5incVaOKrcbaxOcooJyyKwPAJHj_tZglSyuX66V3KrJc_5Vg9Ovl9nfafm27pqOjye-2jaurltvTAxW5FI_ZfudkCGR8M43MPBfBks-ZvJuSt1BK-PHRGYuI/s320/ID3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493528587489502706" border="0" /></a><br />Truth be told, Hayley was less interested in the fireworks than she was the graham cracker and marshmallow she was munching on throughout.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vFQJzwU-JwNJtDEdjeadAZbpKMMijPG3TZ6DWnS9oZCMs4yth3bHTxG4QNIjfNfl9NbJbtIja1oPhDxySU4fjIXAIDk_fame-C4NtKxp2GwFuEJoTz31qtQ3wn-Au6nj28-7A8wb-Vc/s1600/ID4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vFQJzwU-JwNJtDEdjeadAZbpKMMijPG3TZ6DWnS9oZCMs4yth3bHTxG4QNIjfNfl9NbJbtIja1oPhDxySU4fjIXAIDk_fame-C4NtKxp2GwFuEJoTz31qtQ3wn-Au6nj28-7A8wb-Vc/s320/ID4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493528589227251346" border="0" /></a><br />A week or so ago Hayley's started building towers out of her alphabet blocks...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljmiNalD-xzyWkbNQqWRVK1eOidG4cLbEq5qAUVEdUpfGUYP5XCQ8neHIeveFYh6uHz1REWuM1lEGZ37WDRe2KfcAACgqNCnZ-fmq9YjgUHtjXaaLALQCfyQQPIwA59XPW7lZ6sDRFrc/s1600/blocks1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljmiNalD-xzyWkbNQqWRVK1eOidG4cLbEq5qAUVEdUpfGUYP5XCQ8neHIeveFYh6uHz1REWuM1lEGZ37WDRe2KfcAACgqNCnZ-fmq9YjgUHtjXaaLALQCfyQQPIwA59XPW7lZ6sDRFrc/s320/blocks1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493528596958891634" border="0" /></a><br />...for the sole purpose of knocking them down.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KeCbu2vXeBMJeILXLpuKDzKjMG53eC_LoIXz4zZXeStLtZyDB6Ec93jdr6ZeZKRzgptUuSK7hDwHlZeTHoE0i9k4G9Nw6h33KjEYjSTU52nitHwbDzkW_mWOZR8QF7LNipVIu3klg9U/s1600/blocks3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KeCbu2vXeBMJeILXLpuKDzKjMG53eC_LoIXz4zZXeStLtZyDB6Ec93jdr6ZeZKRzgptUuSK7hDwHlZeTHoE0i9k4G9Nw6h33KjEYjSTU52nitHwbDzkW_mWOZR8QF7LNipVIu3klg9U/s320/blocks3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493529153037753538" border="0" /></a><br />Hayley's interest in books has dramatically increased lately, causing Geoff and I to read the same 4 books over and over again. And then another few times for good measure. Grandpa David and Grandma Tina came for a visit this past weekend and got to see first hand how much Hayley loves her story time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeEpEN5M9R6gac1Bsth9HrYNyOsdFkFPZma29XPVLnwwi8zVjf-xGKHlKH-hgwVWmwvd2yDyuGt3GQ7T87tzVFij6iYNr5d7qoP91l0SnZF-EOokBOQ4V5z4WXjCqZ5onVNLYmhtFUN4/s1600/books.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeEpEN5M9R6gac1Bsth9HrYNyOsdFkFPZma29XPVLnwwi8zVjf-xGKHlKH-hgwVWmwvd2yDyuGt3GQ7T87tzVFij6iYNr5d7qoP91l0SnZF-EOokBOQ4V5z4WXjCqZ5onVNLYmhtFUN4/s320/books.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493529157833939442" border="0" /></a><br />Another development, one which I must admit I'm THRILLED about, is Hayley wanting to play dress up. She hands us her pink tutu and bead necklaces to put on her pretty regularly these days. I should have known this was coming, considering her slight obsession with shoes. Here she shows off her new Disney Princess slippers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcguPwXlISlJl0NUg1uI4aWQF4p7jIUsBcd2olfdr0wfGgJXa9hDFdud7d7c-lYhsmYHW_-xGXD90TpiGNl2e0Ypzl4yS6POJHI8P6osSYYSVuL0YUVu04_0_XBv4YwHXU1MOvrLQxG_k/s1600/slippers.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcguPwXlISlJl0NUg1uI4aWQF4p7jIUsBcd2olfdr0wfGgJXa9hDFdud7d7c-lYhsmYHW_-xGXD90TpiGNl2e0Ypzl4yS6POJHI8P6osSYYSVuL0YUVu04_0_XBv4YwHXU1MOvrLQxG_k/s320/slippers.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493529165264441858" border="0" /></a><br />We caught Hayley playing with her reflection in the mirror the other day and found it especially hysterical when she'd hug or kiss herself. Though, we can't really blame her- she IS pretty smooshable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVm_GOgAJlrpMyJuyScA91EHBlCKFZgGPQD5DuFO-aCzOf2ROrovotXa_ZullWha12z9TFnnPZ2bxmF_eWDkJdzFa7TGF1ddCmszaZP6Jg7tLotEZsAMc6p2zfKuXRHm-v8w56vvs6QY/s1600/mirror.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVm_GOgAJlrpMyJuyScA91EHBlCKFZgGPQD5DuFO-aCzOf2ROrovotXa_ZullWha12z9TFnnPZ2bxmF_eWDkJdzFa7TGF1ddCmszaZP6Jg7tLotEZsAMc6p2zfKuXRHm-v8w56vvs6QY/s320/mirror.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493529167825065154" border="0" /></a>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-86788221760347008292010-06-02T23:01:00.000-07:002010-06-03T00:37:27.754-07:00Leaps and bounds and baby steps<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4TCt50RJ8bYKA34-YJCNKCIZZPgKhtS-IuePRrXJc3NF8AbMIvfy2UG3eDy83ixqhqvR1RT8MoiXsUtR0JxUczaCzrlBin6SO6lik3U-n-56-ngj-bPk_vlUOnFJ5G2h9iLlIUJLUfk/s1600/DSCN8100.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4TCt50RJ8bYKA34-YJCNKCIZZPgKhtS-IuePRrXJc3NF8AbMIvfy2UG3eDy83ixqhqvR1RT8MoiXsUtR0JxUczaCzrlBin6SO6lik3U-n-56-ngj-bPk_vlUOnFJ5G2h9iLlIUJLUfk/s320/DSCN8100.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478445926229776146" /></a><br /><br />My amazement is renewed daily by this child of ours. Family members who spend some time with Hayley, but don't see her every day, frequently ask "How do you stand it?" We can only answer honestly: we can't stand it. Miranda and I alternate between staring in wonder and smooshing her. It's not like she never misbehaves, or frustrates us, but all is quickly forgiven and forgotten; we're just <span style="font-style:italic;">compelled</span> to adore this kid. And it's only going to get worse.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-kVmPndAIlTPprt_9ZJ_0lJ0fHATnNNhmavX5qI3Wug7TFYynPDrlHPNK9U9UXO26XUHtWWlZ3XW5Xabi_HSDNQD_PQ1HC1dfK0Q7Lb2BV-4vumjnCz4eTV_BNd6LuzfD29Tq-tVVh0/s1600/DSCN8182.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-kVmPndAIlTPprt_9ZJ_0lJ0fHATnNNhmavX5qI3Wug7TFYynPDrlHPNK9U9UXO26XUHtWWlZ3XW5Xabi_HSDNQD_PQ1HC1dfK0Q7Lb2BV-4vumjnCz4eTV_BNd6LuzfD29Tq-tVVh0/s320/DSCN8182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478445957945207954" /></a><br /><br />A week ago Hayley decided that she could walk all the time, instead of only when we hold her hand. Knee-walking is now a very rare occurrence. She'll hold your hand if she wants to take you somewhere. She can go from sitting to standing without assistance in a couple seconds. She's on the verge of <span style="font-style:italic;">running</span>. She can wear dresses without losing mobility. She can play outside, for real!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6Y0YJFzxtNC5ULg6DG7fUCb26-b7Nhj2XSTHfhElKPZQQuifKQkVDQ9RRlAdpD6jiqCjYjiZZxS4PDFelQ1xa10SlGEUWpZewFHIH1dn3qony-uILCPF8OuttFllTQdIPid0rhYsQdg/s1600/DSCN8115.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6Y0YJFzxtNC5ULg6DG7fUCb26-b7Nhj2XSTHfhElKPZQQuifKQkVDQ9RRlAdpD6jiqCjYjiZZxS4PDFelQ1xa10SlGEUWpZewFHIH1dn3qony-uILCPF8OuttFllTQdIPid0rhYsQdg/s320/DSCN8115.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478445941340975570" /></a><br /><br />Speaking of playing outside, we started our Memorial Day weekend with a trip to the beach. This was actually a re-creation of a special day from last year (<a href="http://tuttle-fam.blogspot.com/2009/04/busy-baby.html">which I blogged about here</a>) when Hayley was just 5 weeks old. Breakfast at a great cafe in Half Moon Bay, followed by a drive down the Pacific Highway where we stopped at San Gregorio beach (still the only beach Hayley's ever visited) and topped off with ice cream at Marianne's in Santa Cruz. She was a little hesitant at first, but once she saw how fun the sand was, Hayley dove right in. She happily played for quite a while and was less than pleased about leaving the beach. She forgave us when she got her ice cream (which was only her second ice cream cone ever, her first happening just a week earlier at Baskin Robbins).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MjCDa8rGh7_piWCxXqY40LzD-0bxxtREx9noKw9kJ6WVyOC6aQA_L-eBWWP9CRVXjRxX_8BMs4aSZrqArekHbGmHP5AQo8rc54ZMSuZCNltU8Gs62_3kyH3-0NE_Mc4QMxSiGfBfK1M/s1600/DSCN8157.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MjCDa8rGh7_piWCxXqY40LzD-0bxxtREx9noKw9kJ6WVyOC6aQA_L-eBWWP9CRVXjRxX_8BMs4aSZrqArekHbGmHP5AQo8rc54ZMSuZCNltU8Gs62_3kyH3-0NE_Mc4QMxSiGfBfK1M/s320/DSCN8157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478445948259161042" /></a><br /><br />Along with the improvements in mobility, Hayley has been pushing forward with her communication skills. Whether she is excitedly telling us about the train she hears across the street or letting us know she's hungry, sign language is fast becoming a fun and useful tool for her. She's even starting to link two signs together (such as "more" and "please"). Hayley can also understand quite a bit of what is said to her. I only have to mention changing her diaper once and she gets right up, toddles into her room and walks over to the changing table. Of course, as we all know, hearing and listening are two different things; I'm sure the listening is not going to happen as often as the hearing when she gets older.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb33t7M9sWtVIkoMzMs_whUAtg25J5I9K3slc9aU7CTh2i3oLizat-fNDjKCaQOmZpX9FRSL_7_ly2OyzvALNqi3ZGngIopZiPyuFMovvC1fjDXKt97tJqJ_g_hjBJNS9UEN0eS8iMNPI/s1600/DSCN8198.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb33t7M9sWtVIkoMzMs_whUAtg25J5I9K3slc9aU7CTh2i3oLizat-fNDjKCaQOmZpX9FRSL_7_ly2OyzvALNqi3ZGngIopZiPyuFMovvC1fjDXKt97tJqJ_g_hjBJNS9UEN0eS8iMNPI/s320/DSCN8198.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478445964752735362" /></a><br /><br />This weekend also marked the end of bottles. For a while, Hayley was getting sippy cups and straw cups throughout the day and a bottle right before bed. That last bottle has now been replaced by a sippy cup. Aside from the big stuff like the crib and diapers, the last remaining evidence of once being a baby is her pacifier. She only gets it in her crib, but I have a funny feeling she's going to hold onto that one for some time. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to taking it away from her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfELGaHGdivI3WTEDNf4aKCG6IOQyzoo8Z_t_fjAgzLmAiWlJiQTDUWhLRG8dwqCW0fQfhA4fhcIy-hNfU-pbiAqqrvYBq545TSn6QxNw_gEHDbHdVYEIvLlgUqC0_BttYmFZq4G9tB7o/s1600/DSCN8235.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfELGaHGdivI3WTEDNf4aKCG6IOQyzoo8Z_t_fjAgzLmAiWlJiQTDUWhLRG8dwqCW0fQfhA4fhcIy-hNfU-pbiAqqrvYBq545TSn6QxNw_gEHDbHdVYEIvLlgUqC0_BttYmFZq4G9tB7o/s320/DSCN8235.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478447162057179458" /></a><br /><br />Not all of the changes happening recently are so obvious. Some of them are subtle: small changes in behavior that are hard to explain or even remember. Big or small, though, changes happen fast and they are always unexpected. These moments, when my daughter <span style="font-style:italic;">surprises</span> me, continue to be some of the best moments as a parent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRo9OoJZVyUKWr1qI0KSM6Aa7JSq7_PzR-muux8kykvFHeolg3kVzaPjiX2LzXyIC0aPhc2xhZQD4t0M399wYxMs16ZaHo9CgXc3I210Snz430Wz0LaATm3rFJpzF53ubccpO-oymR94/s1600/DSCN8217.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRo9OoJZVyUKWr1qI0KSM6Aa7JSq7_PzR-muux8kykvFHeolg3kVzaPjiX2LzXyIC0aPhc2xhZQD4t0M399wYxMs16ZaHo9CgXc3I210Snz430Wz0LaATm3rFJpzF53ubccpO-oymR94/s320/DSCN8217.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478447169645538290" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and she had her first official tea party with daddy on Memorial Day.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-66952861593942553112010-05-21T15:39:00.000-07:002010-05-21T16:05:15.554-07:00Sign of the times<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SFwFbRV-oRyA83eKinZUmx7TRz6UvQOqpBcbrq0-pnaYWfdOqBRRMF8TqpmiUmXzZTUaNjBSM5hkCds2ztoqh9jo3osUP_ksde7QLgr1-9pqIQmbLku-PeeY8kF2jLLB2T-9W8j3EVA/s512/DSCN7986.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 384px; height: 512px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0SFwFbRV-oRyA83eKinZUmx7TRz6UvQOqpBcbrq0-pnaYWfdOqBRRMF8TqpmiUmXzZTUaNjBSM5hkCds2ztoqh9jo3osUP_ksde7QLgr1-9pqIQmbLku-PeeY8kF2jLLB2T-9W8j3EVA/s512/DSCN7986.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Today Hayley is 15 months old. In some ways it feels like it's been a lot longer than 3 months since her birthday, but seeing how big she is just boggles my mind. We are full on into toddler country now. As some of you know, effective communication is one of the biggest issues when dealing with toddlers. To help with that, Hayley and I took a 5 week course in sign language (specifically ASL) at our local community center. The format was pretty simple; basically it's just a teacher (certified in ASL) showing the parents some signs each week while the kids play. Upon completion of the course, I know about 50 signs (including people, animals, colors, vehicles and more) as well as the alphabet. At this point, for any more signs I might want to learn and/or teach to Hayley, I can just refer to our old friend the internet.<br /><br />One of the things the teacher explained right away is not to expect too much from our children. It can take anywhere from weeks to months for a young child to learn just one sign and there doesn't seem to be an established system for teaching them. The only thing you can really do is to consistently use signs while talking. So that is what we're trying to do, although it can be tough to remember to do that. <br /><br />The first week of the class, we learned the sign for "more" (among others) and it's a sign that both Miranda and I have been fairly consistent with in usage. Hayley surprised us both a couple weeks ago when she actually did the sign on her own. She still does it occasionally and this was my attempt to capture it on video:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rW_vsvhEVP4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rW_vsvhEVP4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object>Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-61895867358630400422010-05-04T23:26:00.000-07:002010-05-05T00:39:17.359-07:00May the FourthToday was a very special day. Today, our little girl officially became a toddler. Just last week we showed you how close she was to walking on her own. Then on Sunday she took a few steps by herself. Yesterday she did it again. Then this evening, right in the middle of a very exciting playoff hockey game, Hayley decided she could walk. She proceeded to show off her new ability over and over:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_eBcaDaXIsw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_eBcaDaXIsw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />We are so proud of you, Hayley! Welcome to the wonderful world of bipedal independence.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-82053291144668149742010-05-01T21:04:00.000-07:002010-05-01T21:05:21.698-07:00I hope...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9wXmQGQ1qp3xH2BWxdSu9S76p4ug2nDQKmMWi5vAHk6-EeHUaFE2izXBpTSRRyKRiyMhfY_vpB0Pj_SsSVQLzjcYoeb628vqKLbd8dEeOdFcCsqOE0vE38ZZ_XLNMKUV4itGLaIcT6A/s1600/DSCN7719.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9wXmQGQ1qp3xH2BWxdSu9S76p4ug2nDQKmMWi5vAHk6-EeHUaFE2izXBpTSRRyKRiyMhfY_vpB0Pj_SsSVQLzjcYoeb628vqKLbd8dEeOdFcCsqOE0vE38ZZ_XLNMKUV4itGLaIcT6A/s320/DSCN7719.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466518833011633170" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">...you always stop to smell the roses.</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-64693273590814876222010-04-27T22:27:00.000-07:002010-04-28T00:40:24.508-07:00It's a processFirst she rolled, then crawled, pulled herself up and stood, cruised along furniture and eventually developed the unusual skill of knee walking (which she has since perfected). Over the past month, Hayley has thankfully taken a real interest in walking on her feet. She has yet to take more than a single step without holding on to something or someone; when she <span style="font-style:italic;">does</span> have a hand, she is pretty much unstoppable.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bSnnfieaTCo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bSnnfieaTCo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />The latest step in the process came this week when Hayley began standing on her own for more than 2 seconds. Her little legs are getting stronger and her sense of balance is coming along nicely.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gb6SJhbIRP8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gb6SJhbIRP8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />At the end of the day, Hayley always resorts to knee walking, but she will outgrow that. It's only a matter of time before she is happily running into true toddlerhood.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-64398143762968483342010-04-21T20:20:00.000-07:002010-04-22T08:51:18.801-07:00The Wonderful OnesDear Hayley,<div><br /></div><div>Today you turned 14 months old. I know I sound like a broken record, but I must say this past month has by far been the best yet. I am just so appreciative of every single moment I have with you, with our little family. Daddy and I still have moments where we look at you, then look at each other, grin and say, "Can you believe that we were lucky enough to get HER for a daughter?" And you know what, Hayley? I really can't.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVb4-gcGgcsrfCyUaQ7xzEy0DkW-2lpbpdZzrQ1zSJ143wqNj6JKATKGPcuGMHqaL046UFHIJNfW8teuGBh4RuDsb6fkXirFf8-kpNzaXance8uc2fRemn4PpuCqx3LC9bKHUaDvpZ0g8/s320/DSCN7605.JPG" /></div><br /></div><div>This past weekend we removed the rain battered "Baby on Board" sign from our car and it was quite symbolic for me because this past month I have come to terms with the fact that you aren't my little baby girl anymore- and that's truly ok because I just adore the little kid you're developing into. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRpimcf69LGUphsZatw7EFRNz0H5RHuHF9pyA7s1x72gkg_je_G7YrT32DqAF6-VE3oFBx7VM9DkaPRpWimaXF3ePHrAM9c15zr2llciEgAKD6IRsU3m3XmqA9jlt5Fkm6azQFD1EdTg/s320/DSCN7617.JPG" /></div><br /></div><div>You are starting to show interest in standing and walking more and more everyday. I think your cautious nature is really whats hindering your ability. You prefer to risk taking a tentative step unassisted on the cushy couch or our bed where you know the fall will be soft and gentle. You actually seem to rather like the falling part and often stand just so you can fall back down on purpose. Sometimes we can distract you with some beloved toy (or, most likely, my iPhone) and in your hurry to grasp the object you abandon all hesitation and take a few quick steps. Might you actually learn to run before you walk?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFVhlaLno8FDlzo3qB1gMbcPkA-yJM3qBK55dmfcbfqQ4_3f_x-PNtahG2eRI9RFfirgnSFyCwdzOZWmF4rwaiRpv3FuXpChIo5gMIBpDVV1IH0R8_pvQXsLb1Dfm-rQT6UPcE2iW8Fw/s320/DSCN7591.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Daddy started taking you to Gymboree this month in an effort to get you some play time with other kids your age. You're gradually warming up to it but you still like to stay close to Daddy. I understand- he's awfully comforting, isn't he? That's kinda why I chose him for us. You do love when the teacher blows bubbles, though, so we bought are own to use at home. Just as in class, you always seem to catch a few in your hair.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bK-7wChyCGeMlLLeEKHce3SutxEWKX41Y6dt7wPQJ6Cvw4S8dnAeXnriqUNxCbUB8OJN5-DLEcoBlMMflbQtgUSZXsakvquvfDu_nNdtjC46FF0udWl1TcZY0_9AabuT3wu381AkJEI/s320/DSCN7568.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Work has been difficult for me the past few weeks but the thing that gets me through every rough day is knowing that when I get home, we'll all three lounge on the bed for some family bed time. We grab a few toys and tell each other about our day. It's when I hear all about the neat/funny/weird/silly/impressive things you do while I'm away and you happily demonstrate the new trick you learned. The time is filled with lots of hugs, kisses and renditions of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and for those 10 minutes, everyday, I feel completely blessed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawfrhJUyDoeBIdWHY1vhyhoMG_CJzBu4_pgRXgVatYBGyEDAnS9Iufdqx0OChR1u9gMFkG4yeWuuyJgDIwwN_Rlehj45k7lW8KNwgcG403cMobZYH8K8UE4Nb6Wq_IGoincTgaUnvcZM/s320/DSCN7655.JPG" /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, no, you may not be a little baby anymore, but you're still my Sweets.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGndaiAfZ1X1ePiw7tAGrFAqcQOAq4xM4ksjLgCwtG2c-VJ6tuGNZha1FbYVGPxLNVBDqEB0wt4Za2yWZtQ9G-5wOM5SMxuoZfUZTR-BG3qbgWZyhpRa2sv849HETngr42CkWCE7Gxv9s/s320/DSCN7252.JPG" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Love,</div><div>Mama</div>Mirandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13979738392280655662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558415214053117730.post-73642012686723907262010-04-08T10:02:00.000-07:002010-04-08T11:15:14.073-07:00The egg is calling for you<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsojL6M-kz1gp9YODUWUDnCoNnRLjCpyU5rpbeeEZPVxldyHM7tUWnGEIpucX2FDDlK-6BiJMK25sw-u3pfVLL0GOQKbi_N856SVEj5BL388HvLEJXM0VW2N6MIwI4h7g0rLDkoBhKiI/s1600/DSCN7433.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsojL6M-kz1gp9YODUWUDnCoNnRLjCpyU5rpbeeEZPVxldyHM7tUWnGEIpucX2FDDlK-6BiJMK25sw-u3pfVLL0GOQKbi_N856SVEj5BL388HvLEJXM0VW2N6MIwI4h7g0rLDkoBhKiI/s200/DSCN7433.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457826532395858978" /></a><br />It's weird to realize that we're celebrating holidays for the second time with Hayley, instead of the first. St. Patrick's Day and now Easter have happened twice since she was born. The former was pretty low key for us, while the latter was a bit more eventful. Easter doesn't hold any religious significance for our family, but it's a special day nonetheless, especially now that Hayley is here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fFdiub40uieSoVNOjOBnT0FJF3zN3f7gGPISYkR0qHxiX3vcdTFItftCjmVG5l5uNC_p2WfvGSkqPKMIPuOyQaxYl1dK1zMESGOgX3h11unFHIv-7owvqRrVoCy7U0JmNZP6m4AiwK4/s1600/DSCN7406.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fFdiub40uieSoVNOjOBnT0FJF3zN3f7gGPISYkR0qHxiX3vcdTFItftCjmVG5l5uNC_p2WfvGSkqPKMIPuOyQaxYl1dK1zMESGOgX3h11unFHIv-7owvqRrVoCy7U0JmNZP6m4AiwK4/s200/DSCN7406.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457826549047989730" /></a><br />We dressed her up in an adorable new outfit and headed out to grandma's house in the morning. First order of business: Hayley's Easter basket! Miranda put together another great little basket of gifts that Hayley genuinely seemed to enjoy, for the most part. There was a pair of sunglasses and a bunny ear headband that she really didn't want to wear (surprise!). Luckily, grandma didn't mind putting them on for the camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjja64987wHt2JZmRzZHAD09nZ4eIV-_serLqRvtEBbtFi3qv1vH6wiZkIbYLscg12BwQ-sMvBfUZq-iSXzxaVvgJcQQmBVv88-TAH5oTeWuh62_mMTdVx6qcazyxJDyjDv55UHd9SBe1Y/s1600/DSCN7420.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjja64987wHt2JZmRzZHAD09nZ4eIV-_serLqRvtEBbtFi3qv1vH6wiZkIbYLscg12BwQ-sMvBfUZq-iSXzxaVvgJcQQmBVv88-TAH5oTeWuh62_mMTdVx6qcazyxJDyjDv55UHd9SBe1Y/s200/DSCN7420.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457826562492491538" /></a><br />Afterward it was time for Hayley's first Easter egg hunt. We wanted it to be fun for her; as you'll see in the video, we made the eggs easy to find since she's only 13 months old. Also, Miranda got this cool electronic egg that calls out to the person trying to find it:<br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bwb_nl_H_SQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bwb_nl_H_SQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />We spent the rest of our time there just hanging out and eating a delicious lunch together. We went back home in the afternoon so we could watch the opening night of the baseball season (Yankees @ Red Sox!). Easter and the start of the MLB season don't usually coincide, but that's how it worked out this year. It was actually a really great game and a very nice way to cap off the holiday.Geoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281554685349692362noreply@blogger.com0