I can’t think of a more appropriate day to do an update than Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I have a healthy thriving 11 month old, we have a warm home, and our bellies are full.  The best part about 2020 has certainly been given so much time with Hattie.  The downfall is she hasn’t been able to feel all of the love from our family and friends.  There will be plenty of time to do that in the coming years! 

The Andrews household has been quite busy these past couple of months! 

After 17 years of having my name attached to a desk at Huntington, I moved out to permanently work virtual.  It was surreal to pack up my desk.  It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I’m still able to work and see my colleagues in a virtual setting.  It’s also great to know I’m just minutes away from Hattie’s day care…

O yeah, Hattie started day care when she was about 9.5 months old.  It has been a good change for both of us.  It was getting to the point where I felt guilty all day about something: ignoring work or ignoring my daughter.  It took a couple of weeks for her to get used to the caregivers.  Now, she’s excited to go play with her friends.  I have been able to adjust my work schedule so when I pick her up in the afternoon, I’m done with my work day…most of the time.  I’m blessed to have a day care so close and so awesome to take her to.

Hattie was an Ewok for her first Halloween and even got to do a little party with her day care friends.  We put candy on sticks and allowed the neighborhood kids to choose what they wanted.  It worked out so well, I’ll be building on that theme for next year.

Today is Thanksgiving.  Last year’s Thanksgiving was the last holiday I had as just myself.  A lot has happened in a year.  There have been ups and downs.  I have felt love throughout the year. 

Our wish is to see everyone around the table next year!

Cheers!  C

As I reflect on the last 9 months of Hattie being in my life, I always go back to how I’m so lucky to have a happy healthy baby.  I hit the kid jackpot!  I couldn’t have asked for a more curious perceptive mind.  She studies everything I do.  I know as she starts to speak and interact with other kiddos, I will need to keenly watch how I behave and react in situations.  Whenever I introduce her to a new toy or concept, she soaks it all in, studies it, and studies me interacting with the toy.  Then, she tests her ability and practices. 

Hattie is now bigger than both of the kitties combined. She weighs 19 lbs. 2 oz. and is 28 inches tall. Just a couple weeks ago, she started to crawl a couple feet.  Now, she travels across the room and explores as she goes.  Occasionally, she’ll crawl a couple of feet, stop, wave to those in the room, then continue on.  The house is getting more baby proofed every day!  Hattie loves feeling different textures and seeing what noise it makes.  We do bang on the drum all day! 

We start each morning by waving out the front and back doors saying good morning to all of the flowers, birds, sun or rain, and good morning day.  It’s the best way to start the day with a fresh slate. 

At 9 months old, Hattie likes playing in the water, swinging at the park, being thrown in the air, and seeing herself on meetings.  Hattie is also on a food exploration.  Of the foods she’s tried so far, she loves plums, prunes, and spinach.  She has not enjoyed yellow squash or chicken.  She dislikes the pain from her teeth coming in; she will like the outcome! 

Throughout the start of the pandemic, I’ve kept the bubble extremely small.  I have started to open it up a little caution and precautions in place.  In the past week, we have run a couple of errands ourselves.  She loves looking at everything! 

Hugs, C

P.S. Here are a couple more pictures!

So, here’s the deal…it’s not like nothing has been happening.  What I’ve noticed living through a pandemic is that when you go nowhere and you’re in a small bubble, the days pass.  Some pass quicker than others.  I have embraced the work from home and be a new mom.  Like the days passing, some are easier than others. 

Hattie and I have found a nice rhythm.  I’ll wake up about 7:30 and take a shower.  I usually have time to get my work going.  She’ll wake up and eat.  Not all at once.  Hattie enjoys her courses.  Eat a little, play a little.  Once she’s been up for 2ish hours, she’ll take about an hour nap.  I get about a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.  We try to go on daily walks.  Then, we’ll start to wind down the day about 6.  Off to bed, then start it all over again. 

Let me catch you up on some things…

Activity: Shortly after her 6 month, she was able to sit confidently on her own.  Then, we worked on sitting up.  Since I had no clue what I was doing, I taught her the more difficult way.  She picked up on it quickly.  That was just about the 7 month mark.  As she was approaching the 8 month mark, she decided that she had enough of being in one place and decided that she wanted to crawl.  Since then, I’ve been child proofing the house.  Inevitably this was going to happen.  A little while back, I started to prepare my office upstairs.  This allows me to set the baby gate and Hattie will be able to go from her bedroom to my office.  She has been exploring her new surroundings and playing with lots of new toys. 

Sleeping and Napping: The transition to sleep up in her room has been taking place too.  Up until now, she has been in my room 100% of the time.  About a month ago, I started to put her in her room to take naps.  She has learned that it’s a fun place to be.  She’ll play a little before and after her naps now.  Hattie hasn’t taken a nap in my room for about a month now.  Once I can get her into a small streak of no middle of the night feedings, I’ll transition the night time up stairs too.  Which leads us into eating…

Eating: She was up to about 36ish ounces a day which caused her to sleep much longer at night.  The last couple of weeks, there has been a small food regression…formula wise.  Including today, Hattie has now tried 21 different foods.  I am focusing on having her eat the rainbow.  So far, purples, blues, and greens are her favorite.  Blueberries were the first food that she enthusiastically ate.  Then, it was eggplant and plums.  Spinach wasn’t that far behind.  Tonight, she ate prunes and couldn’t get enough.  In just the last 2 days, I’ve given her large chunks of watermelon to feed herself.  She loves to be in control of the situation.  I think transitioning to small chunks will be something we’ll both enjoy.  Ok…maybe not the clean up.  Ha!  Looking back, maybe I should have gotten a dog. 

That’s a pretty good catch up for now.  In the next couple of days, I’ll post a lot of pictures to see how the little one has been growing. 

I really hit the jackpot!  Best decision I ever made!

Hugs, C

My spunky little Hattie is growing right before my eyes.  Looking back over the months, her progress is so wonderful.  Hattie can confidently roll from back to front and is working on front to back.  That one still surprises her a little and her face is priceless!  We are currently working on sitting up.  She enjoys sitting with support, being alert, and looking around.  Hattie can also sit by herself for a couple of seconds at a time.

During her 6 month check-up, the doctor said to start working on using a sippy cup and working in cereal.  Since the vaccines, she’s been a little “off”.  For now, we’re working on the sippy cup and will start the cereal once she’s back up to eating like she used to.  The first little tooth has popped through and it feels like more are on the way.  The pain she’s feeling isn’t helping with the decline in appetite.  We have all kinds of teething items.  She does enjoy gnawing on all of them. 

Her likes have been pretty similar over the past 2 months.  They are: Sophie the Giraffe, the color red, dancing & singing, and playing with her feet.  She thinks its super funny when someone else plays with her feet and because she is so flexible, she can “kick” herself in the tummy and face.  Hattie’s laughs are the best sounds one can hear right now.  It warms my heart so much.

Over this past weekend, we also celebrated Father’s Day.  For Hattie, it was really celebrating Grandpa and Uncle Bart.  We will likely rename it to Grandpa’s and Uncle’s Day.  We have so many wonderful male figures in her life that will share all kinds of advice as she grows up.  I’m so thankful for every one of them!

Hugs, C

I know I haven’t posted in a while. Sometimes it’s hard to come up with something to write when every day is about the same. (For documentation purposes, as I was coming out of maternity leave, the pandemic of Covid-19 hit. While I did go back to work, I was directed to work virtually. So, I went from maternity leave to Covid leave.)

Each morning starts with a big smile. Usually the smile is so big, her tongue sticks out a little.  We play in the thunder dome, then go to the command center, to the floor, and keep rotating.

I’ve been working from home for 10 weeks now. It isn’t always easy and sometimes I’m running around to take care of Hattie before or during a meeting. I am very fortunate to work for kind caring people that don’t seem to mind.

I missed posting for Hattie’s 5th month. I did remember to get her a special outfit and take pictures. Since she found her giggle, it is fun to get her going. That giggle is the best sound in the world. She loves to snuggle!  Napa and Sonoma have been getting braver in allowing Hattie to pet them. Hattie’s face lights up whenever she sees them. She is rolling over now and can sometimes continue the roll. Crawling seems to be right around the corner.

Every day I think of how lucky I am to have such a happy and healthy baby. She lights up my world!! I do love her so much!

Hugs, C

I have the spunkiest 4 month old.  Hattie smiles and giggles so much.  She is working on her laugh.  It is the most wonderful sound I could hope to hear!

Her favorite color is red and is trying to understand why everyone is on a screen instead of in person. 

The Easter Bunny dropped off some special treats for her.  The little brown bunny (Bun Bun) is one of her favorite things to fall asleep with while rocking. 

Hattie is starting to get a little more activity in her day.  In addition to the thunder dome, she now has a command center.  Feeling the carpet with her feet is intriguing. 

Every day, I think about how I’m so lucky to get some extra time with her while I’m working from home.  So far, I’ve gotten an extra 4 weeks…and counting. 

Hugs! C

Hattie is now 3 months old.  Her tummy is starting to feel better and her schedule is getting more consistent.  It also means that she naps better throughout the day and is much happier when she is awake.  She is starting to grab her toys and blankets.  Hattie’s face lights up when the kitties come near and she gets to touch them.  If Hattie sees an item that is red, she is fixated on it.  So, I’m going to go out on a limb and say red is her favorite color.

On St. Patrick’s day, we did some tummy time on a pillow and watched the fireplace. 

Later in the week during tummy time, we rolled from the front to the back.  It will only be a matter of time before Hattie is rolling all over the house.

We have been going on lots of walks.  We enjoy the fresh air and listening to the sounds of spring.  The other day, Hattie broke in her shades. 

Last week was my last week of maternity leave.  After Governor DeWine decided to keep students home for 3 weeks, I decided to keep Hattie home while I transition back to work.  I already took extra time off to make the transition smooth.  To be honest, it takes about a week to get all access back with work items.  Fast forward to this week, Hattie will now be home at least through the end of April as all daycares are closed.  So far, the transition back to work has been going well.  It’s nice to hear familiar voices and get caught up with my colleagues. 

Hugs, C

As I sit here, getting baby snuggles as she naps, I’m reminded of how I need to cherish and remember these moments.

This past weekend, Hattie’s nursery was finished. In no time at all, she will have grown enough to be in her nursery full time. Right now, I take her up there for naps and to look around.

The kitties also seem to enjoy the changes I’ve made to the room.

Since the pediatrician appointment, I tried to help her tummy issues with apple juice. That didn’t seem to work. I started her on approved probiotics. We do that in the morning and a little bit of apple juice in the afternoon. That has helped the tummy issues and she enjoys the taste difference of the apple juice.

Hugs! C

Hattie is now 2 months old, 10 pounds 9 ounces, and 21.5 inches long. She also had her first round of vaccinations and took them like a champ. She is snuggling now. Both kitties are close by. Either because Hattie and I haven’t moved in a long time and they see it as their opportunity for a snuggle or they know they need to comfort their little sister.

It’s been three weeks since Hattie has been on the soy formula. It seems to be agreeing with her more than the non-soy. Her bowels are still getting used to the change. Warm baths help and the doctor said we could introduce small amounts of apple juice to help things settle. I was expecting a weird face when she first tried it. She slowed her suckle for a second, then powered thru. Guess she enjoyed it.

Hattie has been mimicking facial movements and loves to show off her skills. She is also following objects and reaching for toys when presented. Still hasn’t figured out that she has hands that can grab items.

I love seeing how excited she gets when experiencing something for the first time. Like the ceiling fan above my bed moving. She looked like the mind blown emoji.

Hugs! C

As I sit here in a quite house, I realize how quickly we can adapt to the world changing around us.

Then, everyone woke up. Life happens!

Hugs, C