Wishing Time Would Stand Still...

It's Saturday!  And this one happens to be Hope's 41st Saturday with us.  

She's still crawling, but pulls up onto everything and loves to walk in her walker and jump in her jumperoo.  We think she'll walk before her first birthday - if not sooner!  She is constantly on the move and wants to be involved in everything.  It's so fun to watch her!  

But...it's very challenging to capture photos of her anymore.  She's rarely still!

Hope has started giving kisses - especially to her little dolls or stuffed animals.  They're the best kind of slobbery, open mouth kisses that babies give.  And she sometimes will snuggle her doll to her neck when you tell her to give hugs!

With Brian in school all day, we have much more time to spend together and we're really enjoying it!

Her diet is expanding and so far she loves everything that she eats with her two little bottom teeth!

She is still breastfeeding, but is doing great with finger foods like peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, hard boiled eggs, avocados, mangoes, green and yellow squash and greek yogurt.  She also LOVES drinking small amounts of water out of a sippy cup!  I still do the glass jar/back massage treatment before I introduce her to any new foods.  

Her skin is like porcelain and she hasn't had any more eczema patches since July!

Ed and I would often talk about how things would be once Hope arrived.  We purchased the same breast pump that I used successfully with Gavin and Brian - assuming I would use it with Hope.  I'm pretty confident that I only used it once... but I could be wrong.  I may not have used it at all. 

We also assumed we'd be back in the kitchen making purees!  We had become a good team making Gavin's food for years... and Brian's, too, when he was a baby!  But Hope skipped right past purees and onto finger foods.  We did not expect that!

Hope keeps us busy...keeps us guessing...keeps us smiling and laughing.

She has a strong and unique personality of her own...along with some similarities to her brothers' as well!  Ed and I will sneak a knowing - and sometimes tearful - look at each other when she does something small that reminds us of the boys.  She'll hang her cup over the side of her highchair tray and swing it around - just like Gavin did.  Or she'll blow raspberries and smile when you catch her - just as Brian used to do.

It is so much fun for us to watch her change day by day.  Everything seems to be happening so quickly, though!  I sometimes wish time would stand still.

But mostly... I wish SHE would stand still when I pull out my camera!!  

Happy 41st Saturday, Hope!

We are so happy you are here!!