Holiday Night Lights

Hannah's first night in Chicago was graced with a serene and hushed bed-time viewing of Memaw and Boppa's Christmas Tree. While not apparent in this picture, the kaleidoscope of colors and branches did not have a calming effect. In fact, it inspired quite the opposite! One can only imagine what this beautiful light show did to fire up those little Hannah Wollan Lacey neurons and synapses! Amazingly, Hannah seemed to understand instructions the next morning "to be gentle" with the tree and all its decorations, and she did not mistreat a single branch, light or ornament during her entire 15 day visit. She spent plenty of time pointing and touching, but she was very respectful of the many strange wonders hanging from the tree... this picture was taken the same day of Hannah's flight from San Francisco to Chicago, and was a fitting finale to a long and rewarding day of travel. Good night, Chicago...

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah Banana, happy first birthday. You have brought so much laughter and joy into the world, it has been but a blink-of-the-eye that this first year has passed. As I write this, you are with Kristina, Memaw and Boppa in Chicago while I am in San Francisco. I will join you on Christmas Eve after my work day is done. I miss you, and the awesome little details involved in your days. The wonder that is you has been made up of so many cool little characteristics, and I will try and highlight some of the little miracles you have brought this year. Your first-and-favorite word is button. You love to point out all the buttons that fasten various parts of our world together, and you get laughy and excited when you find a belly-button on mommy, daddy, or your huge fuzzy buddy Curious George. You love to drag, crawl, slide or walk into the little corner that has your bookshelf and look at your books. You pull them out, and turn the pages, and point to all the things that you recognize, and you love to shake, sputter, smile and shriek when you see a kitty-cat or a doggy (pant pant) within the pages. You love to ROA-AAAAAR with daddy when we point at a lion. You close your eyes and open your maw like a queen of the jungle and hurl out your best hisss. It is the cutest jungle sound ever. You don't always like to eat your dinner, but lately, when daddy asks you "can I have some?" you look for a nice tasty cheerio and hold it up for me to eat from your fingers. You smile and laugh when I eat your cheerio and then you give me another one, and so on and so forth... You love pushing buttons on the radio and stereo, and if you are standing or sitting, you shake your little body to the imaginary rhythm in anticipation of the music.... and when the music comes forth, you dance even more, and look around with a huge smile to see if mommy and daddy are watching.... you love clapping. If you see a phone being used, you have to acquire it from its host and press all the buttons at once while eating it and grunting in cave-mannish approval... you love piggy backs and sinking your fingers into daddy's hair, you love to rough-house wrestle and attack pillows and bean bags. You love playing "hide and seek" so much that you forget to hide and instead you just freeze to a stand still in whatever cute pose you had until mommy or daddy finds you with a surprised "OH THERE YOU ARE!!!!!" You love clambering up to the second floor in our condo, and peering down through the banisters at the world below. You love pointing to ceiling fans and lights.. and when ever a light goes "on" you look up and say "DA!" and keep pointing. You love to chase dad around the house, and you love to be chased... and you absolutely LOVE to be startled and tickled, but only when you know you are going to be startled and tickled... You love to splash water in your bath - you pound the water with fury and get as much water as possible out of the tub, and you think it is fun to stick your face in the soapy foam to see what happens. You are often hailed as the "fastest crawler" in the park when other adults watch you fly over the sand and the asphalt... you are not afraid of big kids but you are equally comfortable playing by yourself. You love sand. You absolutely LOVE daddy's baseball hat, and think it is hilarious when he puts it on. We have no idea why, but you love that. When you see one of us putting on the Bjorn, you drop what you are playing with or looking at and start waving your arms to be picked up because you know it means you are going for a walk and you LOVE walking around! You like to be held once in a while every night, and you cry in such earnest at times that we wonder if babies have nightmares... but then you curl your head up against mommy's neck and the peacefulness slides back over you as you slumber... just the cuddle-connection is what you want. My favorite thing about you though, is when I ask for a "bonky-bonk" and you crawl up to me, close your eyes, and give my forehead a deliberately soft and loving head butt. It makes my world. I adore you and am grateful for all the moments like this - and all the others that I neglected to mention in this note - that have added up to you. I hope you have a wonderful Chicagowy birthday and I can't wait to see what new things you'll be up to next... hugs, kisses and a bonky-bonk head-butt. Love, Dad.

December Birthdays - Happy Birthday Stephanie!

Stephanie Einstein writes,

Dear Jon and Kristina,

Tom, Liz, and I wish Hannah a very happy "first" birthday on this day, the 21st of December, 2008. I am listening to Christmas carols as I write this; I"m sure my mother was doing the same thing while wrapping birthday presents for me when I was young. My birthday is the 20th, and I must say I never felt that my birthday was wrapped into Christmas. We always had a birthday cake and presents after supper on my special day, while my two younger siblings looked on. My mother had a lot of energy to do all these things at once, I have to give her credit for doing it all at such a busy time of year. We wish you a very Merry and Joyous Christmas with Hannah and your family, Kristina. Much Love from all of us in snowy Vermont (15 inches and counting)!

Stephanie, Happy belated birthday, and thank you for your kind words. Kristina went out of her way to make a memorable first birthday for Hannah with her Chicago friends & family. While I have no pictures to download yet, I know she went to great lengths to ensure Hannah's special day was distinctly hers to celebrate. Much Love, Jon

First Steps!

Hannah took her very first solo steps (or step really) at the park a couple days ago, and has been making modified attempts ever since between various pieces of furniture. However, this clip shows her first real multi-step walk, which I was lucky enough to capture just this afternoon. Of course, having the camera attached to your body (do they make camera holsters??) at all times, which is our rather ridiculous addiction, comes in handy during these little breakthrough moments.

Memaw and Boppa will be blown away when they see her strutting down the jetway (donning her cozy Cruella deVille sweater of course) when we arrive in frigid Chicago this Sunday... Merry Christmas!

What's in the Fridge!?!

Hannah really gets extra hyper for her favorite song, What's In The Fridge? by the Imagination Movers. Now that she has two front teeth and has started chewing, this song has taken on a deeper meaning. Nothing will ever be the same. Now Hannah can chew her own solid foods. This development is not trivial. Here is a link to Hannah's favorite soundtrack...

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=7706493

At recent meals, Hannah is quick to reject the incoming hand that seeks to nourish, as well as the dubious spoonful of food in said guiding hand. She will turn her head aside and wave her hands in protest. The battle for control, and the basic human urge to do things for herself is already manifest.

Seeking to support our daughter's innate drive to assert herself, yet not wanting her to starve, we have found detente. I chop the food, and leave it for her. She happily asserts her independence, picking up and eating her meal all by herself, macerating her shackles of reliance one little chunk at a time. Here is the human saga of a meal-time battle played out in seven scenes... first baked yam, then turkey, avocado, cheese, dried apricot, cheerios... and finally grapes... Witness the infant epic that is echoed billions of times over in high-chairs and place mats across the world... where the first bites equal nothing less than the tangible first steps towards freedom and self... given the stakes in the fight, the food didn't ever stand a chance...

Slip Sliding Away

Thanksgiving weekend we headed over to Julius Kahn park in the Presidio. Even though Hannah was a bit off-kilter after gorging on turkey (not really) and staying up way past her bedtime (really), she perked up once she got to hit the slide.

Again!

Brusha Brusha

With only two teeth, we can't afford to have bad hygiene! Fortunately, like everything, Hannah loves chewing on her new toothbrush.

Happy Birthday Grandmom

Happy Birthday Grandmom! I love you!