Eight Months

This little one is growing leaps and bounds. Hanna is popping teeth out at a fast pace and has added 3 teeth on top with the 4th visible through her gums, to bring her tooth count to 6. She spends a lot of time gnawing on anything firm she can get her hands on. She isn't really drooling at all and we have basically stopped using bibs. Hanna also brings her bottom jaw forward and clenches her jaw, making a funny face that reminds me of a toothless old man.

Hanna is starting to organize her movements into a coordinated effort to mobility. When we put her on the floor she gets right to her hands and knees. She wiggles herself a few feet this way or that and has begun rocking back and forth on all fours. The movements don't quite qualify as crawling yet but she is on the verge. When she is motivated by a specific thing out of reach she works at getting herself to her goal but it is a concerted effort and every few minutes she takes a breaks, lays on her belly and rest her head on the floor, then she is up again. Johanna has also begun to get from laying down to sitting again. It is such a gift to get to watch her gain these skills.

See the pretty teeth?

We have been giving Hanna baby food on a daily basis and have recently increased it to twice a day. She hasn't met a food she didn't like the taste of yet. In addition to the prepared baby food we have been giving her chunks of food in a mesh holder that lets her participate in the process without getting pieces that are too big. With all of these new teeth though finger foods are in the near future.

At the beginning of the month we had her appointment at John's Hopkins with the pediatric cardiologist. He examined her and has no concerns. He said the murmur was very minor and was normal and that it was probably caused by the normal flaps in the heart walls and not a hole. He said we could come back when she was 3 if we still suspected a hole she needed an echo-cardiogram.

All done with the EKG

I am happy to say that Hanna is sleeping much better, for longer periods and on a more consistent schedule. She cries sometimes when we lay her down at night but most of the time now she is falling asleep without much protest. Some nights she will chat in her crib before rolling to her tummy and falling asleep. Hanna usually holds a burp cloth to her face and sucks on it as she nods off. I think this self-soothing technique has made a huge difference in her ability to fall asleep. It has been such a relief to get regular sleep and to have a well-rested baby.

Hanna is a joy.

Hiking with Momma at Cascade Falls

Shenandoah: Skyline Drive

We planned a whole day to enjoy Shenandoah National Park and we began it at the southern most part of Skyline Drive. Skyline drive is 105 miles and the speed limit is 35 mph so we expected that with 2 long stops and a leisurely pace it would take 5-6 hours. We had breakfast at our hotel and got on the road pretty efficiently and in high spirits.

We pulled into a few overlooks and everyone pulled out cameras. Megan and Rachael have their own cameras so they got tons of shots. Emma doesn't have a camera so I let her use my phone to take pictures. As we made our way along the drive they enjoyed the varied scenic views and plants. Hanna got hungry so we stopped for lunch at one of the picnic areas. Jim made everyone sandwiches while I fed Johanna. By the time we had all used the bathroom and cleaned up all of our crumbs it was an hour later. We continued our drive, this time though, we stayed in the car at overlooks so that Hanna could get a decent nap.

 

When we arrived at Big Meadows Visitor Center we all got out to explore. They had a nice exhibit about the creation of the park, the CCC, and it's history. We also watched 2 short films on the park. The girls were struck by the people who had to leave their homes. Hanna was squirmy so we put a blanket on the floor and let her stretch her arms and legs while we enjoyed the films. As we got back on Skyline Drive we saw a number of deer by the side of the road. Then a short later we saw something black cross the road and an on coming car come to a stop. It was a black bear and 2 cubs. That was a thrill. We all tried to get a few pictures but the bears were moving among the trees so we only got blurry pictures. Still it was a thrill.

I had researched hikes that were good for children and we stopped to hike the Limberlost Trail. It was a crushed gravel path that would have accommodated the stroller easily, but instead we out Hanna in the backpack and Jim carried her. Hanna almost immediately fell asleep. The gravel path was pretty loud under foot so regularly we would all stop to listen to a sound in the underbrush. Everyone was convinced there was an animal right out of sight so there was lots of stopping. We did see lots of birds, 2 deer (one that was right off the path), a few chipmunk, and a bunny. It was a beautiful hike. We got to a crossroads and Jim stayed on the gravel path while I took the girls on the dirt path that met back up after a few minutes. It was much quieter and had more of an adventuring feel that the girls were looking for. It was after 5 by the time we all got back to the van and we were all hungry.  A short way on I spotted a large black bear by the side of the road, so I slowed and pulled over. Again everyone grabbed cameras and those that could got up to the window to see the amazing animal, who was watching us in turn. Again we didn't get great pictures but Jim did get a video.

We moved on again. The sky got very overcast and low clouds hung along the hilltops. The girls declared we needed to play the Misty Mountain song. Jim had burned a CD full of road trip music and had included the Dwarf's song from the Hobbit movie. We turned it on and baritone voices accompanied our trek. We had intended to be out of Skyline Dr. by this time and just have fast food for dinner, but since we still had 40 miles to go we stopped at the Skyland rest stop restaurant for dinner. We were all so thoroughly enjoying the Park. We had released our pre-conceived timeline hours ago. It would be a late night.

The sun was losing it's strength when we pulled back onto Skyline Drive and Emma thrilled at the possibility of catching the sunset. They had been longing to climb on rocks but we hadn't come across any that were friendly to the climbing proposition yet. And then there the were right apart of the overlook. The girls climbed out and then up and over. We let them climb until Hanna had enough of her lonely car seat. Contented they climbed back in. We stopped one last time for a bathroom break and the chance to feed Hanna and put her in her PJ's. This stop gave the girls time to enjoy the sunset and soak in the beauty more fully.

 

The day was a long one, a long beautiful memorable one through land that was set aside for us. We headed out onto the highway to make our way home, full of appreciation.

Shenandoah Crossing and Monticello

This summer a big vacation was not in the budget because of the expense of Disney and the addition on the house. So when we were approached with a timeshare promotion in the fall, Jim signed us up for a 2 night package in Shenandoah. We planned the itinerary of the trip and packing at the last minute but we got off at a good time on Monday morning. We had gotten very good at packing over the past few years and everything fit easily in the back of the van. But this time even though it was only a 3 night trip the van was stuffed. Traveling with a baby adds so much stuff from the pack in play, stroller, hiking backpack, and booster highchair seat; it was ridiculous. But Jim got it all in.

It was a manageable and pleasant drive through the Virginia countryside and we arrived at the resort in good time. We were given a Yurt, that is a round, canvas covered, fancy 2 bedroom tent. The interior walls did not go all the way up. It had a large living area with a full kitchen, nice bathroom, and a deck that wrapped around the exterior. We all thought it looked pretty cool. Megan and Bridget had fun in one bedroom together and Emma and Rachael enjoyed being able to stay up a little later but weren't thrilled with the fold out sofa bed. It was too small for 2 so one used Jim's cot.  The resort was in a beautiful country setting with a horse stable and lake along with the resort pools and mini-golf.  We attended a historical presentation about the local civil war history of the area and then went on a guided hike with about 20 other guests. It was interesting and the girls all participated in the questions. Hanna participated a bit less as she conked out for a nap on Jim's back for most of the hike. We made use of the resort amenities including taking a boat out on the water. Bridget didn't like the idea at first but discovered that when we were out on the water that it was a lot of fun. The yurts turned out to be difficult to sleep in as the canvas sides made all of the sounds of our neighbors very distracting at bedtime and it had a skylight in the center which shared the morning sun well before we wanted to wake up. Luckily Hanna slept in our room and I was able to respond to her early morning stirrings without waking the entire resort.

We checked out on Wednesday and headed down to Monticello to tour Jefferson's home. I was surprised by the woodedness of the area since I always think of it as a farm/plantation but 200 years is a long time for woods to grow in. The visitor center had a new and well-kept feel and the shuttle ride up held a joy of anticipation. I was not disappointed as the woods opened and the hilltop home came into view. Jim thoughtfully took over Hanna and the stroller so I could fully enjoy the tour as well.This was my kind of place- old buildings, historical significance and interesting characters. We had a great tour guide, who was very engaging. He kept every one's attention and the girls asked good questions at appropriate times. All 3 of the big girls had some knowledge to draw from so it made the tour even more interesting for them.  After the tour we took pictures and then walked through the lower level. It was amazingly cool and inspired respect for the design. Everyone got hungry so we went back down to the center with the intention of returning for 2 more tours after lunch. After lunch we saw a short movie and enjoyed the AC of the gift shop. We discussed going back up as a strong rain began and quickly realized heading out was the right call. I would love to go back some day and experience the rest it has to offer. I am so grateful people recognized it as something worth preserving and that I get to be the beneficiary of their recognition.

Next we would head to another area preserved for our benefit: Shenandoah National Park.

Camps Part 1

Summer started with camps right out of the gate. It prevented the lazy, cranky lull from taking hold and instead put us into an active but relaxed mode. It's been pretty nice so far. The first week Emma headed off for Base Camp which is a service camp for highschoolers. I dropped her off during our Father's Day crab feast with all of her gear at a local church. She spent the week unloading trucks for a food kitchen, clearing inner city lots and goofing off with new friends. She was so tired when she came home at the end of the week that I found her asleep on her floor next to the laundry she was supposed to be putting away. Emma said that she really enjoyed the week and would love to do it again next year. That same week Rachael, Megan and Bridget all had evening swim lessons. We went to the pool together some nights but since we were getting Hanna on a sleeping schedule I frequently stayed back at the house with her and Jim kept an eye on our swimmers. On the days we did all go Hanna loved splashing in the pool.

Bridget with her swim class

The second week of summer the 3 oldest went to girl scout day camp. Our camp angel again picked them up and drove them each day. We had no drama this year and they all wound up with great groups. This camp is in Howard County so most of the campers know each other and my girls do not.  Rachael was in the Program Aid Training (PAT) program so she was in a very large group but really bonded with a lot of girls, who she will probably be working with next year. Emma has been a PA for 2 years and is very comfortable with the regular volunteers. Megan was all smiles, all week. The camp names this year were Pascal for Megan (he's the chameleon from Tangled), Rachael was Seamus Finnigan from Harry Potter and she had a blast doing a costume that included the effect of having had a wand explode in her face. Emma was again Narwhal and reused her impressive horn from the prior year. They are still singing the camp songs. It is a great bonding experience for the 3 of them.

While the big 3 were gone, Bridget had vacation bible school in the afternoons at St. Wills. They really embrace the theme and make a wonderful experience. Bridget was a little worried without sisters but her cousins were there and she came home singing the Kingdom Rock themed songs. They sent home a CD so I was able to sing along. She made crafts, sang and learned bible verses.

It was a great start to the summer.