Hotel

My company put me up at the Liberty Hotel. It is undoubtedly the nicest place I have ever stayed. A cool fact about the Liberty is that it used to be the Charles Street Jail. The designers have still kept hints of a jail theme throughout the modern hotel. My picture of the lobby turned out terribly blurry so I unfortunately can't share it. It was, however, breathtaking. As you come up the escalator you see straight up into the tower a good seven stories above you.

Back from Boston

I am back from my business trip to Boston. It is such a beautiful city. I loved the time there-- except my last day which was marred by a miserable stomach flu. I've thought about it and I think I can confidently say that yesterday was the worst day of my life. I was in a haze of cold sweats, shivers, and nausea all day. I had to check out of my hotel room at 1pm but didn't have to leave for the airport until 3. So I was alone with the flu and luggage in a large city. Thankfully, my sweet friend Jill Richards lent me her room where I slept on her extra bed for two hours until I wandered down to get a cab to the airport. Whenever I had to speak to anyone at the airport it felt like an out-of-body experience. My voice was so weak I sounded like a shy eight-year-old girl. Unfortunately my flight from Boston to Denver was plagued by a strong headwind that left us in the air for much longer than anticipated. It also supplied extra turbulance. The full flight was so stuffy and my neighbor just wanted to chat endlessly. Couldn't he see I wanted to die? Towards the end of the flight, I was literally doing faint moans. It seemed like we were NEVER going to land. Once in Denver my next gate was at the other side of a huge terminal (probably a third of a mile away) so I had to stagger at a snail's pace to get there. When I reached Colorado Springs, I was sooo happy to see Chris. As we were walking to the car I was in tears. I think Chris thought it was because I felt so bad but it was really because I felt so happy to finally be with him. I slept straight through the night and am feeling much better today. I am still dealing with cold sweats and nausea. Oh joy! My mom and Chris were so sweet to listen to me bawling over the phone about how sick and sad I was. I know they both ached to be there and they both felt helpless.

This picture is of my work building in Boston.

A Crush on Uncle Mark

Giggle Fest

Cousins and Best Friends

Family Photos

These are casual photos that my dad took of us when we were in CA. I love the green in my parent's backyard. It looks so lush. Imagine how heart-wrenching it was to come back to the snow after that.

I have failed to mention so far how Hallie is an orange monster! She probably consumed 40 mandarin oranges from Dad's tree in the two weeks we were there. No joke-- she ate at least three a day. Every time she neared the backyard she would sign "more" and say it out loud over and over. Grandpa was so patient with her-- he would pick them off the tree and peel every one. Sometimes when she was overzealous she would try to eat the peel too! If Hallie was whiney Grandpa would ask her if she wanted an orange and for the most part she would stop and say "Moe?!" After we came home, we were talking to my dad on the web cam. He picked an orange for Hallie and peeled it. She kept trying to retrieve it from the computer screen. Her love for oranges knows no end. We should have let her hold oranges in these family pictures. Maybe then she would have actually smiled!

Chatter box

When we were at Laura's bridal shower on March 2nd, the thing that kept Hallie most entertained was herself. She loved the Fischer's floor-to-ceiling mirror (and she left the proof in one hundred handprints). Hallie's friend Brooklyn lent her this mega cool phone. Julie is always the super-stocked mommy.

18 months already?!

My baby is an eighteen-month-old. I got the dates mixed up so I kept thinking tomorrow was her half-birthday. But, lo and behold it is today! Happy 18 months sweet girl!

Hallie had a rough morning. She fell down and "bonked" her head so she has a nice purple bruise. No less than thirty minutes later she shoved her straw cup into her gums and was bleeding profusely. She seemed to think it was my fault because at first she cried the "hurt cry" but then she started yelling at me. This continued for five minutes. But, she had a nap that really helped her out. She awoke happy. We walked to a friend's house for a baby shower and Hallie was sweet and pleasant the entire time. Then, when we came home she went straight down for her nap.

Yesterday I took Hallie for a walk around the apartment complex. She yelled "Yay!" and squealed as she ran on the grass. She was furious with me for taking her inside. Later on she toddled over to our front door, got an excited look on her face, looked up at me sweetly and asked "side?" I was yet again proud of her for trying to say a word (this time it was "outside") without being formally taught.

I really do love this joyful journey called parenthood. Sometimes it can be challenging. Lately "sometimes" should be replaced with "often." But, it makes me appreciate my darling grandmothers and my own mom for raising all those children. I am honored to be a mother. It is just as joyful as being a wife (which for me has been so fulfilling these six-plus years).

Here is a quick journey through Hallie's birthdays and half-birthdays so far . . .

birthday 9-21-06

18 months photo to come upon waking up from nap!

I love you Hallie! I am so proud of you. You are a very social and sweet baby. You also have a very independent spirit. It looks like you will be outgoing like Mommy and sensitive to others like Daddy. You have your dad's hair and eyes and your mom's round face and smile. We couldn't ask for a more beautiful baby. Thanks for joining us. Daddy and I love our little team.

Little Miss Loquacious

I can't believe how fast she is learning to talk. She picks up at least three new words a day. And it isn't merely from repeating things back to me when I say them. She just says them! She was running through the house yesterday when she abruptly stopped, pointed to her ponytail and said "bow." When she was with Daddy shopping, Chris put his sunglasses on and she looked up at him and said "glass?" The phone rings and she squeals "phoe? phoe? phoe!" until I answer it.

She is starting to phrase things together too. For the last week when we ask her if she wants to do anything (drink, eat, sleep) she either says "No" or "Yeah, do" (for Yes, I do.) If we ask her if she wants to go somewhere she will either reply "No" or "Yeah, go" (for Yes, I want to go.) This morning as Chris left for work she said "Bye, Daddy!" and then said "See ya!" three times. Where did she learn "see ya?" Another favorite phrase is "all done" which she pronounces by saying "ah no." Whether it is a book, drinking from a cup, or sitting in her high chair-- when she is finished she politely says "ah no" repeatedly until you acknowledge it. Last night, Chris was holding her in the dark in her nursery and I overheard their conversation. Chris asked softly "Hallie, do you want to go to bed?" Her small raspy voice reponded "Yeah, do . . . night-night." Then he put her down and that was that.

I shouldn't be so surprised; I earned a minor in Child and Family Studies so I honestly had my fair share of child development classes. I learned about the language explosion several times so you think I wouldn't be shocked. But, I am. There is something so amazing when it is your own child. It sure is fun.

HOPPY Easter!

Check out our most recent photo shoot . . . Easter pictures! In case you haven't noticed I love doing photo shoots!

Some of my friends have made comments about previous photo shoots. They have said things like "I could never get my child to sit still that long," or "My baby just won't smile for the camera." I will tell you a secret-- neither does mine! The only reason why I end up with some decent photos is that I take 200! In most of them she is running away. Sometimes she is screaming or crying. Other times her eyes are closed. It helps that I have a newer camera that can almost take pictures one after the other. Hallie and I are usually taking pictures for at least 20 minutes. It is about 15 minutes into it that I sing a song or do something where she gets excited and starts singing along. That is why you often see her with her hands up-- she is doing hand actions to her favorite songs. As for the background-- I just use sheets over chairs and desks. The most important thing is to get a good source of natural light. I always take her photo shoots next to our sliding glass window. I know I don't have perfect lighting. But I do know that natural lighting turns out much better than when I use a flash. Sometimes we start shooting and Hallie just isn't cooperating so I let her take a nap and we come back to it later.

I give you my admittedly amateur tips in hopes that you can start a similar tradition. I know I am not a pro but I sure love to do it. Let me know if you have any questions or need some ideas. Also, let me know if you have a favorite photo.

Wow, do we have catching up to do . . .

I don't even know where to start. Hallie and I spent the last two weeks in sunny CA. Chris joined us for the last week. We had highs and lows.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Laura's bridal shower
• Laura's rehearsal dinner
• Laura's wedding breakfast
• Laura's weddding!
• spending time with my family and friends
• going to the beach
• Downtown Disney
• Hallie's language explosion!

Some of the lowlights:

• Chris' grandfather's death
• Hallie getting an ear infection
• Me getting sick
• Not sleeping the whole night
• being a single mom until Chris arrived (thank goodness for Dads)
• 12 hours of traveling yesterday!!!

I suppose that is life-- some bad sprinkled in with a lot of good. Weather was bad in Colorado Springs yesterday so our flight was diverted to Denver. We had to wait in the plane for two hours, then wait in the airport for another 3, and drive home in a bus for another 2! Thank goodness Chris was there with me and Hallie was a SUPER good girl. We are sooo happy to be home!

This picture of our little sweetheart sums it up. She admittedly looks a little haggard but she was still so happy to be home in her bedroom. I am so thankful for such great family and friends. My parents watched Hallie tirelessly for me so I could participate in Lauara's wedding and work my scheduled shifts for my job. Chris came to us and saved the day and the rest of the week. Then, I saw the spotless house that he worked so hard to get in shape after I left it a wreck. Let me emphasize that I got a great guy! He is handsome, hard-working, and utterly selfless. In addition, Hallie, who just wants to walk constantly, had to be couped up in a plane and airport and bus and she was still sweet. She seriously only whined a handful of times the entire day. Thank you everyone! I can't tell you how grateful I am to have such wonderful people in my life.

California girl

Hallie and I are in California! Poor Daddy is stuck back at home. We miss you and love you Daddy! This morning Hallie and I went to Seal Beach. She loved running around on the sand. I knew she was a California girl at heart. She also loved eating the sand. I could not convince her that it was disgusting. I don't know why! She loves being here with her "Ba-pa" and "Ma-ma." She talks about them all the time. We are thrilled to be here.