Sisters

Laine and Mead have been playing with each other a lot more lately. We've heard more laughter, seen more games, and watched more silliness between the two of them in the past few weeks than we have up until this point. A large part of it, I'm sure, is that Mead is getting older and is better able to keep up with her big sister and not get hurt!

Most recently Mead discovered the little rocking chair in our playroom. I plopped her in it for the first time, and she went right to work rocking herself back and forth. Then Laine decided Mead needed some help and came up behind her to give some extra umph to her rocking. I snapped a whole host of shots with every facial expression imaginable on Mead's face, from fear to joy. This one best captured the fun of it all.


And here's a cute shot of Laine I got in the process. My little girl is getting bigger all the time!

"Camping out"

I grew up camping with the Girl Scouts, but I haven't gone camping since I was in college. Penny never went camping much at all when he was younger. At this point neither of us have much of a desire for it. We've gotten spoiled by comfortable beds, electricity, running water, etc! I do love a good fire, and that's part of what we love about our fireplace and firepit, depending on whether we want to be inside or outside to enjoy the beauty and warmth of the flames.

Well, one of Mead's birthday gifts (which the girls will share) is their first "tent." They have loved crawling through the tunnel, playing hide and seek with each other through the holes, and having "picnics" in the tent. It's been so fun to watch them enjoy this new play place.

I'm waiting for the day when Laine asks to put it in her room and spend the night in the tent. I think I'd be okay with that - provided that she actually sleeps! Who knows, maybe I'd find her back in her bed where I would want to be too if I were her.

More birthday fun

Rachel and Caleb joined us for a trip to the Magic House for Mead's birthday. She's been a few times before, but now that she can stand pretty well she can enjoy the activities a lot more. And of course Laine enjoyed tagging along!

As always, the sand table is a big hit.

Later in the day we opened birthday gifts with Kelly and family. All in all it was a wonderful day.

Mead's One Year Stats

Mead had her one year check-up today. Earlier this week she started coughing and had a runny nose, so I wasn't too sure what we would find at our appointment today.

Turns out this little cutie has another ear infection. She had one about a month ago, but apparently it never cleared up completely. Thankfully Mead hasn't shown any signs of discomfort.


Other than that, she looks healthy. She weighs 19 pounds 6 ounces (25%), is 29 1/2 inches long (50-75%), and her head is 46 cm round (75%). I guess that's a little disproportionate, but who can tell. She has two teeth, and last week she started whole milk, which she loves. Dr. Mathews said by the time she sees her next (at 15 months) Mead will probably be walking. We'll wait and see!

Birthday celebration

We took a lot of pictures for Mead's birthday, so pardon the focus on our youngest for a few posts. First off, here's Mead enjoying her birthday "cupcake," which was actually a blueberry muffin.

The anticipation... what is this flaming thing coming my way?

Mead was dangerously curious of the candle, so we had to keep her little fingers away from the flame and the hot wick.

In trying not to overload her with too much sugar, I decided to avoid the full-out cake and icing experience. That will come next year!

This year she had a blast gobbling down her first big muffin.

Yay for blueberry muffins!

Are you sure I'm all done? Can I fit any more in my mouth?

Happy Birthday Mead!

Mead turns one today!! A year ago today President Obama was being sworn in while I was waiting at home for the call to go to the hospital. I was already a week overdue, and my 5:00 a.m. phone call didn't come until 3:15 in the afternoon. It seemed like Mead was never going to join us!

She finally made her appearance that evening, and she has been such a joy since then. Her sweet and calm personality has made her a very easy-going baby. She is much more attached to me than Laine was, but that manifests itself in lots of snuggles, which I absolutely adore.

She is now standing on her own, after we carefully place her on her feet. She has yet to take a step from that position, but she can hold herself up for a while (note the outstretched hands for balance!). I know one day she'll be running around chasing after her big sister and the days of snuggling will be gone. In the meantime I'm enjoying every moment of quietness and closeness while I can.

We love you, Mead, and look forward to seeing the wonderful woman you grow up to be!

Twirling

Laine loves dancing in the kitchen, especially when Daddy helps her twirl around on the slippery floor.

Personality

Mead turns one in just a few days. As her birthday approaches, it's been fun to see her personality come out more and more. She's babbling quite a bit, especially when we're nearby to listen, though she talks to herself a lot too. And she gives great shouts of joy or frustration.

Her curiosity is growing, and we've found her inside our kitchen cabinets, our dishwasher, our closets, and our bathrooms! She often takes everything out and leaves a trail of debris behind her. Our quiet little one is making her mark in this family!

Sledding!

We got some snow - about 4 inches, which is enough for some good sledding. Despite really cold temperatures (highs in the teens for several days straight) we made it outdoors to play.

Laine obviously was less than excited about all her layers initially, but once we made it outside she was thrilled to be sledding.

We went down the big hill at the front of the church. Laine kept saying, "I want to do it all by myself." So after giving her a good push, I ran down the 40 foot path and then helped pull the sled back up to the top again. Good times!

Stuck

The exersaucer can be used in many ways - now it's fun to crawl through. Unfortunately Mead often gets stuck before she can make it back out again!

Snowfall

We've had a few small snowfalls over the past week or so. Each time only about an inch or less has accumulated. I've been hoping for a good snow so Laine and I can go sledding. In the meantime we're enjoying the beauty even a little bit of snow brings to the outdoors.

Progress

Here's the latest outcome of my attempts to French braid Laine's hair. Believe it or not, I am making progress. About half way down her head I figured out a good way to hold her hair tighter. It's still not public-worthy, but I'm slowly getting better!