Hallie and I did a photo shoot for Valentine's Day today. Here are some of the highlights . . .
Don't worry! These sad bits lasted about 3 seconds. We actually got lots of sweet pictures. (I am waiting to reveal them at a later date). I took 277 total! Only half of them were salvagable because she moved so much the rest were blurry! Things were much easier at our Valentine's photo shoot last year. Then, all I had to do was prop her up and she sat there looking like a cherub.
I organized Hallie's closet last week. I needed to box lots of items that were too small. So, I neatly folded her clothing and placed them in a box. Then, Tornado Hal came along and tore through the box. It was a game to her. She was on a mission to help me out by pulling absolutely everything from the box. She even checked to make sure everything was gone. She loves to do the same thing to her bookshelves.
I love you Tornado Hal! You may be messy but you sure are fun!
P.S. I am winded because I dashed down the hall and back to get the camera.
Hallie and Daddy have a special bond. The love to sing and dance together. In fact, Hallie gets jealous if Mom and Dad slow dance. One activity Daddy and Hallie love to do is have snack time. Each evening before dinner they crawl over to the kitchen hutch and feast on Craisins.
"low rider" baby
So, apparently Hal can use a spoon; she simply chooses not to. She lasts about four bites before she throws it down and plunges in her hand.
This is Hallie's new favorite song, I call it "Five Little Monkeys." My friend Shanda (a former preschool teacher) taught Hallie and I this fun song along with the actions. Hallie loves the "monkey" song. She tries to do the actions along with it. When I ask her if she wants to sing she always says "Ya!" and starts to motion for this song.
Other Hallie developments . . .
Mom approaches Hallie with a Ritz cracker. "Hallie do you want a cracker?"
Hallie inhales sharply, squeals, and exclaims "Yay!"
Mom places the cracker on Hallie's tray as Hallie claps her hands, grabs for the cracker while giving an exuberant and friendly "Hiiiii!"
I got my hair cut Thursday. My hair is so thick that it is much more manageable this way. So here is my spoiled, decadent birthday weekend re-cap:
After videos filled with silence and stoic looks, Chris finally figured out how to capture Hallie's expressiveness the way we normally see her. He placed her in front of the mirror. The result-- two minutes and forty-six seconds of jibber-jabber just for you.
I hope this doesn't bore you to tears. But, since you don't get to see her everyday like I do I thought you might enjoy simple footage of Hallie. Here she is playing with her blocks from Laura.
We went to a cute toy store downtown this morning. We love it because it has lots of classic toys, puppets, and books (as opposed to just fancy lights, levers, and music). Hallie found a walker and took right to it. After about two steps she congratulated herself by proclaiming "Yay!" as she pushed across the floor. Then, she insisted on walking across the room seven more times.
Hallie took her first three independent steps last night. We were practicing again between Mommy and Grandma Judy and Daddy. When Mommy got excited for Hallie, she squealed. Subsequently, Hallie got so excited everytime she started to walk she would scream with delight. It's only three steps and she is fifteen-months-old but it is still fun nonetheless.