This weekend Tanner was in Vegas for his brother's bachelor party.  Friday and Saturday night were the first two nights I have ever spent alone with Hannah, which seems so weird.  I loved spending the whole weekend with her, and all the quality time was much needed after I missed her like crazy when I was in DC last week.

She is so sweet and such a joy to be around right now.  She constantly has me laughing and pulling out my phone to document her antics.  Here are some low-quality iphone pictures of what she has been up to over the last few weeks.

Playing in the rain last weekend

Fussing because mean Mommy made her come inside

Getting her 4th haircut

Playing with Will at the Children's Museum (courtesy of Grandjackie)

Reading with daddy

Creative play at the Y

Engaging in her current favorite activity - find small box/container to sit in game

Ready for Gameday - Saturday Outfit #1

Loving the duck pond - Saturday Outfit #2

Pouting because mommy wouldn't let her swim with the ducks

Adam and Claire - Hannah would not cooperate and stay in the frame

Reading with Poppy - Saturday Outfit #3

Diving for toys

Another Lazy Sunday - In Photos

After a last minute trip to DC at the end of last week, it was nice to have a low key weekend.  Yesterday we did not even leave the house until it was time to go to church at 4:30.

Hannah is obsessed with her magnetic letters right now.  She carries them around with her all over the house.  Then she will hand one of them to Tanner and me, eager for us to identify it for her.  Yesterday she even developed an affinity for the box that they are stored in (or should be, right now they are pretty much strewn all over our house).

Double Fisting

Sometimes one sippy cup just isn't enough, a girl needs water to chase her milk.

And sometimes, you just have to wear Vilma's visor upside down...

I took Tuesday off to take Hannah to her first dentist appointment.  At first, the dentist's office was a big hit (pardon the blurry iphone pics).

It went downhill quickly when she had to stop playing with her toys.  Her picture for her dentist chart, that the office sweetly emailed later in the day, is probably not going to win her any modeling gigs.

After that we went and had her blood taken to be tested for lead and some other things the doctor mentioned that I have since forgotten.  How much fun can two people have when a mommy takes the day off, you must be asking yourself.  I was curious how they draw blood from a one year old.  After seriously using every bit of strength I had holding one Hannah hand and arm down and the other out of the way, while the nurse pricked her inner elbow and she screamed as if she was being held down against her will and stabbed with a sharp object, I now know.

By the end of these fun excursions, we were exhausted.  One of us got to take a nap afterwards.  It was not me.

How Hannah spent her Sunday

Hannah was really into her books this evening...literally.

Perhaps it was because she had so much fun reading with Poppy.  Apparently she said "book" repeatedly this afternoon.  I missed it because I spent my Sunday afternoon at the office.  So excited that book is one of her early words.

She also ate, and made a mess, and for some reason I chose to document it.  Things are pretty exciting around these parts.

Before Bedtime

After a 3.5 week hiatus, tonight I pulled out the camera to snap a few shots before bedtime. 

Back to the Grind

I have been dreading this week for most of the summer.  For me, back to school marks a return to more chaotic days...ones that begin with a 5 am alarm clock, making lunches while downing coffee and contemplating the logistics of a caffeine drip, simultaneously applying makeup and entertaining a one year old, followed by starting work days at 9 am and finally coming home at night to an equally exhausted husband and an overwhelmingly energetic one year old.

But I have had some pleasant surprises so far this week.  When school ended last June Hannah generally woke up around the time we did.  I would put her in her high chair and feed her bites of food while simultaneously making lunches, straightening up etc.  This seems to be considerably easier this fall.  Hannah has been sleeping until 7 or so, then I toss a waffle in the toaster, cut up a "nanana" and some strawberries and she self-feeds, while I work around the kitchen and "visit" with her.  This also means that I have had a whole hour to myself between the time that Tanner leaves for school and Hannah wakes up...such a luxury.  After a quick morning shower, this week I have had time to write thank you notes, address baby shower invitations, get a bit of work in, and today...I am blogging.

Other things are a bit more complicated.  I miss the days of being able to drop her in exersaucer in the hall while I put my makeup on and dried my hair.  Now, unless I can get her to play in her ball pit for 10 minutes or so, it is almost impossible to finish getting ready while she is running around the house like a banshee.  I suppose I should push these tasks up into my newfound hour of freedom, but I am always afraid to turn on the hairdryer, for fear of waking her.  Makeup is a bit less of an issue, as something about it being August and 110 degrees means that I have decided some moisturizer with sunscreen, powder, mascara and a bit of lip gloss does the job.  The entire process takes about 45 seconds, the same amount of time it takes a one year old to unroll a roll of toilet paper, coincidentally.

We seem to have fallen into a pretty decent schedule at night as well.  Hannah has been going to bed pretty consistently between 8 and 830.  We read with her, give her a bottle (I know, I know, it is going away in a week...or so), rock her for a bit and then put her into her crib awake.  Most nights she does not cry, and if she does it does not last long.  She has really been sleeping well.  I am so grateful for this.

I am not sure we have taken a picture of her on our good camera since her birthday.  Here are a few pictures from the iphone on Saturday.  Hannah had a blast at Paige's first birthday party.

On the Road Again

I wrote this yesterday intending to post it last night, but due to lack of wireless internet in my hotel room, it did not get posted until this morning.  I am in a much less whiny mood today, and am super-excited about seeing Miss Hannah and her father tonight.

I miss Hannah.

Melissa flew to Midland last Thursday morning, with Hannah, to spend the weekend.  Hannah stayed in Midland, then rode to Austin with my parents yesterday.  They are bringing her to Houston tomorrow afternoon.

This worked out great for Tanner and me.  I am in DC this week for work and he has had inservice all week starting at 7 am.  I am so lucky that my parents are able to provide us with so much help, I do not know how we would manage without them.

I have spent a lot of nights away from Hannah since she was about five months old.  Friends have asked how I do it, or other mothers in music class have commented that they have not even spent a night away from their 18-month old.  Reality is, I do it because I don't really have a choice, most of the time.  My job involves travel, and I really don't mind it for the most part.  The more I am traveling, the higher the likelihood is that I am working on something interesting and exciting.  I am also blessed with saints of a mother and a sister that make it manageable for us, Hannah has spent almost every night away from us with one of them, and I know that she could not be in better hands.

This is my seventh day away from Hannah.  It is not even the first time that I have spent more than a week apart from her.  About a month ago, Tanner and I spent eight days in Hong Kong.  I missed her like crazy, but was working constantly and experiencing a new city, so the time flew by.

This time it has dragged.  Tanner and I had a great date night Saturday night and enjoyed some much need down time, but spent a lot of the weekend at home, where she was noticeably absent.  Then this trip to DC has been fairly slow.  I worked until 730 or so last night, then headed back to the hotel, ordered room service and watched a depressing movie in my tiny hotel room.  I just look at the pictures and videos my parents have sent me over and over again, assured that she is happy and doing well, but all the same missing her and wondering if she wonders where I am.  I hear about all of the new words that she is saying, and hate that I am missing hearing them.  And I know that it is irrational, but I feel like whenever I am gone she has these huge language advancements and I worry that I am not talking to her enough or stimulating her enough or in the best way...that in some way she is better off when I am not her primary caregiver.

Anyway, enough about me...  Here is what Hannah has been up to with her grandparents this week (thanks to GrandJackie, Granddaddy and Aunt Melissa for all the iphone photos and videos):

With Nana at airport

Mom's "child-proofing" of the coffee table

Reading with Nana

More reading with Nana

Eating breakfast

Playing hide and seek

Not going to bed

Playing with Landry

At Keene's Birthday Party

Jumping on the trampoline

Headed to church

Playing at the Park

Must be hard to walk in the sand

And more eating

And laughing

Enjoying her play kitchen

At Chuck E Cheese with Landry and Lucas

Eating ice cream

Helping with the close of Aunt Melissa's house

Sleeping on the car ride to Austin 

Singing on the car ride to Austin

Exploring the condo

Enjoying the Austin Children's Museum