Milestone photos!

November 30, 2011

Because Moira and Hannah are essentially 2.5 years apart in age, our annual trip to portrait innovations for Moira was delayed by a couple weeks so that we could have 3-year portraits and 6-month portraits taken. Alan ventured out with me this time, and it was quite an adventure. You'd never guess it from the photos, as you will see below, but both Hannah and Moira were cranky! Nonetheless, we all survived, and I think these photos of our baby girls are beautiful. They're growing up so fast!

At 3 years old, Moira is an absolute delight...most of the time. She talks in full sentences and says such wonderfully sweet things (mostly thanks to her daddy) like: "The sun's taking a nap right now (when it's dark outside)," and "I'd like a cuddle please," and "It's getting a little bit chilly now, isn't it? I need my mittens." She is so fascinated by our world. She is a definite observer of all that goes on around her, and she doesn't miss a beat. She zones into whatever it is she is doing--whether she is playing with dolls, watching a bit of telly, or reading books.

Moira enjoys going to school. Just today she told her dad that he needed to line up on the red line (which is what they do in preschool before reading stories). She is learning so much, and I've enjoyed talking to her at dinner about all of the artwork, the children, the stories, the songs, and the fun that she is having. We hope to enroll her in swimming and either gymnastics or soccer in the spring.

Moira does have a dark side of course, as is the case with most 3-year-olds, but her stubborn moments are generally short-lived. And what warms my heart more than anything is watching her with Hannah. She is so sweet with Hannah and mimics everything I do with Hannah with her own baby doll. But I love it that Hannah is getting old enough that she reacts to Moira. Moira can make her giggle so hard that it makes all of us laugh.

Now, moving on to Hannah...I cannot believe she is already 6 months old. She's 17 lbs, and although I can't remember her height or head circumference, what I can tell you is that she is around the 50th percentile for both weight and height, but her head is the 90th percentile! Her head is huge and so perfectly round.

Hannah is just starting to move around a bit. I would say that she began smiling roughly at 6 weeks, and now she's been laughing since 4 months or so. But it has taken her a long time to roll over and start moving. The doctor even checked to make sure she can hold weight on her legs (which she can). Hannah is just a laidback little girl. She's in no hurry, whatsoever, which we all really appreciate.

As you can see, Hannah loves touching her toes and looking intently at her hands. She's eating pureed foods now, and she seems to fit right into our family because she has no problem with finishing her meals. She just started sleeping through the night...for three nights...once I finally built up the courage to put he in the same room as Moira. But then...she started teething! She drools everywhere and has for a while, but it looks like her first tooth is coming in as I write this blog.

Hannah plays with toys now--rattles, soft books, rings, balls, and more. She can keep herself entertained for a nice amount of time. I wish she would stay in this stage for a while (not moving much but big enough to sit up and entertain herself), but I know she will grow out of this stage soon!