Life, and All That Surrounds It

Hannah has become quite the singer. She'll sing whatever pops into her head, sometimes nursery rhymes and sometimes she'll make up lyrics to go with the situation. It's really cute and fun to watch (although the twentieth verse of "Row, Row Your Boat" on a 2-hour drive gets a little old) and it's been fun to watch her become a little performer. She isn't always in the mood to sing (and dance) but it seems she's doing it more and more often recently. Here are two recent videos of her "singing" some of her favorites:

Singing the ABCs (with a few extra letters thrown in for good measure)

One quick verse of "No More Monkeys"

This past weekend we thought she'd be excited to meet Tyler, the newest member of our group of friends who was born on Friday (congratulations Andrew and Jess!). But it turns out that getting to take care of their dog for the night was even more exciting than a newborn who just sleeps. Hannah and Kiji (and I) shared a bed for half the night and Hannah loved having a little dog to boss around. Add to that, a fun visit with Annie and it was another exciting weekend in Quechee.

Photos from the weekend:

Posted by Pete at 8:50 PM | Comments (0)

Last weekend Hannah went ice skating for the first time. Or, as she calls it, "ice skiing". Jeanne and Nana took her to the small rink in Harvard Square where they all rented skates (and a helmet for Hannah). She was tentative at first, trying to walk on the skates before she started to get the concept of gliding. They grabbed some of the milk crates and pushed those around which allowed Hannah to stay on her feet and balance better. And when Jeanne helped her get going faster, she was ecstatic, shrieking "I'm doing it!"

We had thought about getting her on skis this winter, but we'll probably hold off until next year. But seeing her skating made us realize she has the balance and coordination to be able to try it. As long as she doesn't get inspired by the Olympics and take up freestyle aerials.

Her balance was on display again this past weekend when we went for a hike down to the Quechee Gorge. The trail is somewhat steep in parts, and was covered with more ice than snow (although this week's storm probably changed that). We brought the backpack for her to ride in when she got tired, but she was adamant she wanted to walk all the way down. We were amazed by her balance and fearlessness as she strutted right out onto the icy trail. The sides of the trail were clearer where she found solid footing and she was able to walk all the way down. Her ride back up in the backpack was well-earned.

Hannah the ice princess:

Playing in what passes for winter these days in Vermont:

Posted by Pete at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)

Hannah loves weddings. Getting dressed in her party dress, an open dance floor, music, dancing, and chocolate cake all add up to a great time for a kid. (Add in free alcohol and you know why adults love weddings too). Our friends Eric and Laura got married this past weekend in Vermont and Hannah did her best to steal the show at the party.

She had so much fun running around and playing with the other kids at the wedding (none of whom she had ever met before). They saw the dance floor as an open space just asking for kids to run around on it. I thought they would wear themselves out, but there were enough breaks for speeches, toasts, and cake cutting that they managed to keep going for hours.

Eventually the dance floor started to fill up with the rest of us, but the kids stayed out there and held their ground. This video came out a little dark but gives an idea of Hannah in the center of the circle showing off her moves:

Normally on a playground or somewhere with new kids she is shy and not quick to jump into new games. This time, the kids saw kindred spirits in a sea of big people and quickly started running and playing. We were struck later when we asked her what their names were that she had no idea - getting a new acquaintance's name is such an adult concept. They were just happy to run and play and dance.

Some photos from the evening:

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Recently we've been in a Mommy mood. And by recently I mean the past two months. Hannah wants Mommy to make her breakfast, Mommy to put on her jacket, Mommy to help with her boots, Mommy to do bedtime. Pretty much if there is any activity that requires parental help and we're both around, Mommy wins.

I don't take it personally. When it's just Hannah and me together she is perfectly happy letting me help with everything. But as soon as Mommy gets home, we immediately switch back into Mommy mode.

Tonight was very typical of this. The three of us met at Panera for dinner and then Jeanne had a meeting to go to. Hannah and I went to the grocery store where she got to push her own cart, we came home and put the groceries away, we played for half an hour, and we started bath time. We had a great time and she behaved wonderfully. But as soon as Mommy came home during bath time, Hannah immediately switched and wanted Jeanne to help get her a snack, brush her teeth, and do bedtime.

So I just try to enjoy the times she does let me help and I enjoy the downtime while Mommy has to do all the work. And I have a feeling that this phase will pass, and during her teenage years she and Mommy might not be quite such good friends.

Some photos from the past weeks:

Posted by Pete at 8:21 PM | Comments (0)