45 minutes until we must pack-up the car with our mound of baby gear and leave the embrace of Arizona Sun’s AND Grandma and Grandpa Vail’s spoiling.  Why does time speed when you’re on vacation?

What a lovely week of hiking, swimming, running and golfing – Alaire participated enthusiastically in the first three!  The borrowed baby-walker seems to have zapped my little baby into an ambitious toddler.  But it’s so fun.

Alaire experienced several firsts this week including hiking up steep desert trails riding along in her Osprey hiking backpack on Daddy’s back.  Sometimes snoozing, sometimes watching the scenery, and sometimes pulling Daddy’s ear!  At one point along the trail Graham commented on her need to yank on his ear, Grandma Rita replied , “isn’t that how they steer elephants???”  I laughed hard at this symbolic statement.  Indeed, in this lifetime, Graham and I will likely be Alaire’s giant elephants…hopefully we can maintain some control.

Another first was swimming in the big swimming pool.  Her arms and legs moved and kicked naturally, a born swimmer!  She loved moter-boating and was enthralled with the bigger kids (who all wanted to touch her).  I decided it was time to give her an under-water head dunk – though surprised, she seemed  exhilarated by the new activity.

“UH-HO” is going down as her first recognizable and intentional word.  The new game of the moment is throwing toys, food and pacifier and then calling out, “uh-ho!”  This morning, she woke me up by quietly saying uh-ho from her bedroom next door.

It was also a big week for mobility!  Though her movement was tentative in her walker the first  few days of vacation, now she cruises around Grandma’s kitchen and dining room, lap after lap.  On Wednesday, Alaire took her first 3 unassisted first steps.  Though wobbly, they were indeed baby steps.  Grandpa Art served as witness.

Finally, Alaire got to meet new family!  Uncle George, Aunt Nanci and Cousin/Aunt Renee came to play while we golfed and then we enjoyed a family hike and picnic up at Madera Cannon and Friday night homemade pizza.

A million thank yous to Grandma and Grandpa for spoiling us all, thinking of all the little things and for lots of babysitting!

Mommy and Alaire played while Daddy snoozed this morning.

Well, it took several introductions to “puffs” before Alaire realized they are more fun to eat than to collect in our fists, drop in the seat of our high-chair or feed to Kenzie.

Because of this, Puffs and “mum-mums” are currently my and Graham’s new best friends! Almost as coveted as the Binky.

 

 

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Nothing shocks me more than when I stop and realize how quickly Alaire’s first 9 months have passed.  I am often asked at work, how I am enjoying motherhood and about Alaire’s personality.  I always give the same answer, “she is just so much fun.”  She brings me a thousand smiles and giggles everyday.  And, though life was pretty amazingly fun for Graham & I before Alaire, I love the changes she induces in my own personality: patience, efficiency, a readjustment of what constitutes as “crisis,” balance, joy, an over-powering desire to protect any and all children…

Anyway, here are a few of the everyday moments that I never want to forget:

-Every morning when I get Alaire out of bed, before we head for the diaper change, she snuggles her head into my shoulder and stays still as I cuddle her for a few minutes.  Alaire has always been a snuggler…

-Most mornings, she cries in her high-chair because I can’t make her breakfast fast enough!  She is all-business when it comes to her food (always has been).  In fact, when nursing at daycare, she would cry because I couldn’t get things unbuttoned fast enough for her liking – to the amusement of me and her teachers.

-Before turning on NPR for our morning commute, I always sing, “You are my sunshine.”  Every day, the moment the song begins, she rewards me with a big grin.

-When we arrive at the parking garage, it takes me a few moments to set up the stroller and grab our bags.  When I open Alaire’s door, she greets me with a wide open smile – seriously, every morning.  It always makes me giggle.

-In the evening, when I pick her up and we ride the parking garage elevator, I speak and sign, “Let’s go home and see Daddy & Kenzie!”  She gets so excited and gives a big wide open grin and kicks her legs and wiggles her arms!

-At night, after a quick song, I lay her down in bed and give her the “I Love You” sign, she always grabs my hand in sign and smiles.

Now, some of the highlights of the last month:

-On the morning of Friday Jan 18, I walked into her room to get her out of bed and squealed! For the first time, my little baby was standing up in her crib! And, quite proud of herself!  I ran for the camera…

-She is now eating “real food!”  Her first non jar-baby-food (other than homemade applesauce) was pureed pulled-pork, butternut squash and cauliflower!  She gagged her way through this first session, so we got creative and mixed in some of her baby food.  Now, she eats like a champ! She also snacked on her first “mum-mum” rice cracker…

She LOVES tickle torture!

She’s a mighty jungle bouncer!

Coming soon!  First swimming lessons start on February 11th!

Today while eating breakfast, Alaire insisted on rubbing the excess cereal all over her face before I could scrape it off with the spoon.  After three times, Alaire got the hand sign, NO!  She thought it was hilarious!

This was Grandma Sally’s 42nd year hosting Christmas at the Ranch.  It’s pretty amazing to stop and reflect on how our family has changed over these years.  Thinking of those we’ll never stop missing even though time supposedly heals.  Celebrating the babies born – every grandchild and great grandchild has a place of honor hanging in the family room.  My siblings, cousins and I were once the babies and now we bring our own…I cherish these moments now more than ever and love sharing this life-long tradition with my husband and baby girl.

Some day I would love to share Gramma Sally’s story: raising four children, starting and running two businesses with my grandfather, losing my uncle to cancer, finding true love at 58.  Through it all, she displayed only grace, strength and fierce love for those she cares about, all traits I hope to discover in Alaire.

But I digress…Christmas was a wonderful day!  Alaire got TWO versions of the Night Before Christmas! One, a bear that recites the poem from Grammy Sally & Hank, and two, a book with a tape-recording of F.A. & U.G reading her the poem.  Grammy & Grampa Z got her much needed clothes (thanks Mom & Don, practical is good).

First Christmas outfit purchased in Prairie City, OR by F.A.

Oh, by the way, Alaire has developed an alarming habit of sticking a lizard-like tongue…it was hard to get a photo without that crazy tongue!