It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

It's actually ALMOND butter jelly time, but that's not how the song goes.

Don't Talk to Me, Don't EVEN Look at Me!

Hadley's not quite talking yet, but she lets me know when she'd prefer it if I weren't around. She'll take her truck and push it down the hall and wave "Bye! Bye!" to me then go into her room and shut the door. If I come in after her, she'll wave her arm as if to say, "Get out of here!" all the while scowling at me. Some people assume she's up to no good and that's why she wants to be by herself, but she's actually working very hard. The other day, Jesse was able to get a few pictures of her when she was in an extreme level of concentration:

As you can see, it is very important work she's doing. Her animals are depending on her to move them from place to place in our condo. One must be very skilled and full of concentration in order to move one's animals around without them toppling off the block.

We wonder where Hadley gets this trait of wanting to be by herself from. It couldn't be from me. Those closest to me know me to be the fun loving and highly outgoing person that I am. It must be from Jesse. We all know how much he likes his quiet time. And he's so shy!

Merry Christmas

I realize one of them is my child, but honestly, can you get any cuter than these two munchkins? This is Hadley's boyfriend Matthew. They met at Lap Sit and Rhyme Time at the library.

We were over at Matthew's house yesterday for a playdate and thought it'd be a good idea to get a picture of the two of them. Matthew's mommy was a little concerned that he kept putting his arm on Hadley's leg. She said, "Hadley's daddy isn't going to like that too much, Matthew!" However, as I look more closely at these pictures, I think it's Hadley's left arm we need to be concerned about......

First Snow

Yesterday about 2 - 3 inches of snow fell in the DC area. While Hadley was around for her first snow last year, she could've cared less. This year she was quite interested in it. Here are a few pictures: (By the way, this part of our condo is her favorite spot. Anyone in the Lewis family notice a resemblence to where Geoff and I would like to sit in the house?)

Along with the first snow is the reminder that people around these parts have no clue how to manage it. For example, on our front steps is a nice, thick layer of kitty litter. So not only do I get to step on an inch or two of ice, I get to step on kitty litter and carry it around all day. Walking down the steps with one hand tightly gripped around the banister and the other around Hadley I cursed myself for wearing heals (But can you blame me? It's my birthday for Pete's sake. I wanted to feel like the stylish young thing I once was). Hadley thought this was all very amusing since we were walking so slowly down the steps and sidewalk.

When the snow fell yesterday we didn't leave the house as Hadley and I both have colds. So Hadley and I greeted our snow covered car and I wondered why I always say I like the snow so much.

Grumbling about having to wipe off the ice and snow off the car, I kept my eye on Hadley who was mesmermized by what I was doing. I relaxed a little since she seemed to be content and remembered the first time I had to wipe snow off my car. It was in the parking lot of Covenant Christian School around 8 or 9 on a December night (Some of you know that I could say the exact date, but I won't). Laura, the teacher who I was to replace in January, was "showing me the ropes" that week and we were at school every day at 5 in the morning and didn't leave until late each night. Every night that week it snowed heavily. On this night, when we were getting ready to leave, I told Laura I was going to make a few copies before I left. She told me that she'd meet me outside. When I walked out of the school, I saw Laura wiping off my car.

Laura and I didn't always know how to interact with one another because of the circumstance we were in. I was walking into her classroom, teaching her kids, using some of her materials. Not only that, but we were both going through big transitions - she was moving and having a baby, and I was getting married and starting my first official job. Emotions were high when we talked to each other and sometimes we danced around hurting each other's feelings.

But in the end I was grateful for all Laura showed me about how she ran her classroom at CCS. She was very generous, and the night I walked out of the school overloaded with books and teaching materials in my hands I was overwhelmed at her gesture of wiping snow off my car.

So this morning when I wiped snow off our car and watched Hadley watching me, I remembered why I liked winter, snow, ice, hot chocolate with marshmellows, the red Starbucks coffee cups, the word "kick up", and walking down snow covered stairs in heels I shouldn't have worn. Despite the craziness of the season, if you look for it you see that it can bring out the best in people.

A Visit from Uncle Geoff

Hadley was happy to see, play, and dance with her Uncle Geoff over the weekend. We had a lot of fun with him, too. On Friday Hadley said she wanted to go out for sushi so we made our way to the Kentlands. Uncle Geoff showed her how to use chopsticks:Being the advanced child that she is, Hadley got the hang of them quite fast.

Here she is trying to show us how to do a Sake Bomb:

Here's what we ordered. Yes, it DOES look like a lot, but in the tradition of getting together with Geoff, we occasionally out-do ourselves.

On Saturday we went to the National Zoo and saw the birds, lions, tigers, apes, and sea lions (one of them was named Callie. I'm hoping that's where the resemblance stopped, although I did appreciate her willingness to do things for food). Hadley liked looking at the animals but she squealed the loudest at a bunch of sparrows that were on the path as we walked around. Here are some pictures:

All bundled up!

Taking a look at the apes.

Um, Mom? I can't bend my arms. And how come you're not wearing a hat and mittens and I have to?

Here's one more of Geoff and Hadley. Hadley wanted to know what You Tube is so he was showing her what it's all about.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here we are in our "Thanksgiving Best." You can't see this in the picture, but Hadley has on her second cousin's black "tappy shoes." These are her favorites although they are a bit big yet. I'll probably be using this picture for Christmas cards so don't look at it too much.

We had a nice time at our Thanksgiving dinner with friends. It was right during Hadley's naptime and she didn't want to take a nap so Jesse and I took turns following her around as she explored the new house she was in. She fell asleep on the way home (of course) and was ready for bed about an hour after we got home, which was fine with us.

Saturday we had two other couples over along with their baby boys. Hadley screamed with delight when the boys came into our condo and played with them until almost 9 o'clock. We had a great time with the other two couples. It's nice to have friends who are in the same stage of life as we are.

Sunday we went to church and listened to an excellent sermon that included one of Flannery O'Connor's short stories in it. You can't go wrong when the sermon includes Flannery O'Connor.

Tomorrow we're back to the "normal" schedule of the day to day stuff, but we're looking forward to a visit from Hadley's uncle!

Show me the Bubbles

Miss Independent

Here's Hadley sitting face forward in the carseat for the first time. She was pretty excited as you can see from the picture. We went to Costco and Trader Joe's today and she loved looking out the window as well as her new surroundings in the car.

Hadley didn't like it too much when I turned around to look at her. She would scowl and wave her arms at me to turn around. So I watched her from the side mirror instead as she smiled and kicked her legs. I think she was feeling like a big girl. It reminded me of the time I drove by myself for the first time. I screamed with glee as I drove down Gunderson and made my way to my best friend Celena's house. When I called my mom to tell her I got there safely, she said she heard me "let out a little yelp," but I denied it. How uncool is it to let your mom know you are excited about something? I guess I'm getting a taste of my own medicine now.

Donuts and Dates

For the past several Fridays now, Hadley and I make our way to Barnes and Noble to meet up with her two boyfriends and play while the mommies have some coffee and chat. However, today it was pretty cold (for DC standards) so I invited one mom over with her son (the other mom is on vacation), and we had some coffee and donuts while Hadley played with her buddy. The made quite a mess but had a good time. When they left, Hadley was not happy at all. She kept looking at the door waiting for her friend to come back.

Dinner at the Occidental Room

I'm sorry these pictures are all sideways!

Saturday night Hadley, Jesse and I got all dressed up and went down to DC to have dinner across the street from the White House. It was pretty fantastic! Jesse and I reminisced our way down Connecticut while Hadley sang and played in the backseat. I noticed Politics and Prose changed a bit since I'd last been there, there is a Starbucks at the Van Ness Metro stop where the Sirius coffeeshop used to be, and there is a Gap I'd never noticed around DuPont Circle (don't worry, World of Wines is still there).

We met up with lots of Greek relatives who seemed happy to see us. It's always fun to hear stories about my Grandparents and I feel lucky to have a family who is so interested in its heritage.

The dinner was delicious, and the room was quite impressive. The entire restaurant has pictures on the walls of famous people who have eaten there. Several presidents, Jay Leno, and of course, Hadley. Although she wasn't too happy that there wasn't a diaper changing station in the restroom. Neither was her mother.

Momma's Helper

Thursday is "Clean the house-do laundry-go grocery shopping day" at the Feyen household, and Hadley loves to be a part of the festivities. She likes to pick out meals:

She helps me sort the laundry:

She loves Whole Foods, especially since that is where Mommy buys her a snack (and something for herself) and they sit in the cafe area for awhile:

Yum, bananas and rice puffs. It doesn't get any better. She even insisted that she share some with me. I know I'm growing up when I take mushed up banana from my 1 year old daughter.

And because Hadley doesn't trust me with the grocery list OR the pen, she holds them while I get the things we need for the week.

All in all, an honest day's work.

Happy Halloween!

I wonder what she'll be next year....

Thank You, Sesame Street

It's pretty clear that the beloved morning nap is fading away, so now I'm left with what to do with Hadley until it's time for an afternoon nap. This morning, after playing in ALL the rooms of our condo she was clearly bored. I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so in hopes that I could actually sit and eat, I turned the TV on and there was Big Bird welcoming Hadley to Sesame Street. She sat and watched the show for about 20 minutes. She only moved when Grover came on to sing a song about a carrot in Spanish. She felt it was appropriate to dance along to the song; especially a song about food. Here are some pictures:

Do I feel at all guilty for setting my daughter in front of the TV while I enjoyed some delicious pumpkin bread? Not a bit. As Joey from "Friends" says, "I grew up watching TV and look at me - I turned out FINE!"

A little later we went to the library to meet one of Hadley's friends and her mommy. Hadley and Emerson played for a bit and then we went to Obee's for lunch. This must have tired Hadley out because she's been sleeping for almost 2 hours.

Waiting for 3:02pm

All day I told myself, "She's not 1 yet." At 5am when I woke up I thought, "Well, last year at this time we were just getting ready to go to the hospital." Then at 11am I thought, "This was the point when my contractions were really starting to get to me." At 2:30 today, when Hadley and I headed off to Barnes and Noble I thought, "This is the point when I looked at the clock and said, 'This baby is going to be born by 3 because I'm not doing this any longer.'" And then at 3:02pm, as we were sitting at the B&N cafe, and I was feeding Hadley her snack I got tears in my eyes because I couldn't hold it off any longer. Hadley is 1.

When Jesse got home we opened presents, played with all the new toys, and had cake. At first, Hadley was pretty grossed out with the cake, but once she tried it she started "mmming" and packing it in faster than we could believe." Here are some pictures:

My very own laptop!!! Thanks, Dad!

Hmmm. I could make a LOT of noise with these bad boys. What was Mom thinking?

Honestly Mom, don't you think you should learn how to feed yourself?

Let's Get Together! Yah! Yah! Yah!

I didn't mean to dress her up like the nerdy camp counselor from Parent Trap. Oh well.

The Week in Review

I am exhausted. Starting Monday, life has been nonstop and full of lots of eventful moments and times for a bit of reflection. Hadley's new trick is to show how old she is. As she holds up one finger it is hard to believe that a year ago this week I was preparing to go into the hospital to be induced. I kept thinking back on this week a year ago and how hard it was to walk or even tie my shoes. And now we have a little munchkin who can tell us how old she is.

Monday we went to Barnes and Noble in Bethesda for storytime. Hadley took it upon herself to be the greeting committee, and crawled her way through the crowd trying to touch each baby. Picture the crowd at an outdoor concert such as Dave Matthews or Peter, Paul, and Mary and then imagine me following Hadley through it as she "welcomes" each confused baby and annoyed mommy while I tread through the crowd. I finally had to put her in her stroller and distract her with food while the story was read (of course, Hadley's "mmming" with each bite didn't help the other babies hear the story). As I was feeding her, a mom asked me if she could get her stroller which was in front of Hadley's. A bit too enthusiastically I obliged and knocked all the rice puffs that I was feeding Hadley on the floor. Needless to say we were not the hit of storytime that day. However, I did manage to make a new friend who has a daughter two months older than Hadley. She and Hadley had the same shoes on and they thought that was pretty neat. Watching them grin at each other and their matching shoes made me remember my friend Sarah and our matching red shoes (one of which I lost on the way home from Kindergarten).

On Tuesday Hadley decided that naps weren't her thing, and I was in charge of bringing the snacks for Bible study the next day. She played on the kitchen floor for awhile and I got some baking done, but at one point she got hungry so I put her in her high chair and fed her some rice crispies. Jesse and I have been trying to give her "real people" food instead of the Gerber baby food, so I also cut up part of banana. Hadley had a few pieces and liked it, so I proceeded to cut up some more. As I was doing this Hadley took the banana from me and bit off an enormous bite. As she chewed it she looked at me as if to say, "What else ya got?" I took a picture of her with some remnants of banana on her chair for proof that I actually picked that mush up with my bare hands and lived to tell about it.
I was actually able to make three batches of muffins for Bible Study the next morning: apple walnut, blueberry, and my personal favorite donut muffins! Here is a picture of the donut muffins:

Wednesday Hadley surprised me by staying in the nursery throughout the entire Bible study. I couldn't believe it. I kept getting up from the study and checking on her (and I got plenty of scolding for doing it), but she was fine. I was very impressed and it was nice to be a part of a grown up discussion. Plus, Hadley is making some friends, too!
And here she is on Wednesday night eating from an apple!

On Thursday we went to the Washingtonian Center to hang out and as I was putting Hadley in the stroller I smelled a poopy diaper. I can usually anticipate these things so I can change Hadley in my sanitary home but Hadley pulled a fast one on me. I changed her in the restroom of the Barnes and Noble and as we were finishing up a little girl and her mom walked in. I heard her say, "Mommy, poo poo!" Her mom said, "I know, I know. Mommy forgot her diaper bag." I swung open the stall door and asked, "Do you need a diaper?" The mom, who looked as exhausted, as me said, "Yes!" I said, "Come on in!" and opened the stall door open as if to welcome her into my home. "What else do you need?" I asked offering her sanitizer and wipes. As she was getting ready to change a dirty diaper, I took a look at her daughter and said, "You have very pretty hair!" She looked at me and said, "Poo! Poo!" I shrugged my shoulders, pointed at Hadley and said, "I know, so did she. It happens to the best of us." Hadley and I left the bathroom and went to the cafe to have some coffee and a snack.

Look What I Did Mom!

I put one load of laundry in the machine and turned around to find this:

Hadley was extremely proud of herself. As she should be.
This afternoon Hadley and I went over to a friends house in the Kentlands for a playdate. We both had a great time. Hadley played with the other two babies - one is 7 months old and the other is about 2 weeks younger than Hadley - for almost 2 hours! I couldn't believe it. It gave me a chance to relax and talk with the girls.

Lose Yourself in the Music

Today was "Lap Sit and Ryhme Time" at the library. Hadley as always, had a great time, although she'd prefer to sit in the CENTER of the circle instead of on mommy's lap. Here she is getting ready to perform:

Note how close the other babies are to their mothers. About two minutes after I took this picture, the storytime lady got the musical eggs out and Hadley lost her mind. She was so excited. The lady put the music on and Hadley shook her egg with one hand, and waved the other one up and down. Some other moms starting chanting "Go Hadley! Go Hadley!" I wanted to take a picture, but I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold the camera. My girl is not shy, and she loves music. I wonder what would've happened if the lady had any Justin Timberlake...

Here is Hadley after her performance:

Hadley also made a few friends this morning once she realized that it was OK to share the eggs with other friendly babies. After the storytime was over, the lady said we could hang out for a bit so Hadley went directly to the basket of eggs. Several mothers commented on Hadley's "organizational skills" because she would take each egg out of the basket and line them up nice and straight. Here are some pictures of her playing with some friends:

She must have worn herself out at the library today because she's been asleep now for over two hours!

It's Good!

This past weekend Hadley showed us that she is a football fan. Not only is she a fan, but she likes to referee the games. She throws her arms way up in the air everytime the ref calls a touchdown. Granted, she may be telling him that she is "so big" but we like to think she's learning the game.

Hadley is also learning to nod her head "no" and "yes" and has used it quite frequently these past few days to tell us what she wants to do. For example, when we shake our heads "no" in reference to her climbing up the bookshelves or turning the DVD player on and off (while we're watching a show), she'll look at us and shake her head "yes" and then proceed to act.

Today Hadley and I went to the Washingtonian Center to walk around. We found a bench to sit down on while I had some coffee and Hadley drank her juice. After awhile the geese started swimming our way in hopes we would have some food for them, then the sparrows came around. At that point I decided to continue our walk because I knew it was only a matter of time before the bees showed up. I'm really not an outdoors person. Or, as I once said after a seagull pooped on my water bottle at the beach, "I hate nature." I guess I better put that attitude in check so I don't pass it on to my little munchkin.

No pictures from today, but here's a couple of the family at Hadley's baptism: