It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The First Of Times!!

Since Easter weekend, our schedule has been packed.  We have been fortunate enough to spend quality time with family and friends and to experience some new firsts with L'ie Bear!

In April, the Shafer Family came to visit.  Their daughter, Elizabeth, had a softball tournament nearby and we were excited to spend the weekend with them.  After watching E play softball, we headed over to the nearby playground with their son, Matthew.  It was great to have him there, because L'ie is a playground novice.  She had previously enjoyed swinging in the baby swings, but that was the extent of her experience.  Matthew quickly showed us around and then demonstrated how to properly go down a slide.  Then is was L'ie Bear's turn.  She was very hesitant at first, but it was not long before she realized how fun a slide can be.

                                       

Unfortunately, that particular weekend ended with another first for the Bear...a stomach bug!  (I promise that I will not post any photos of this milestone)  Over a period of 24 hours, L'ie had a fever of 103-104, she could not keep anything down, we had multiple outfit changes, along with multiple carpet cleanings, and all she wanted to do was sleep in our arms.  Watching her go through that was horrible, but I have to admit that the cuddles were very nice.  

Also, in the past month, L'ie has mastered the art of pulling herself up to standing.  One afternoon she was playing by the coffee table.  I went to put her bottle in the kitchen and when I got back into the living room, she was standing up.  I couldn't believe it!   She refused to do it again for another week or so.  But now she can pull herself up with anything.  She particularly likes to use our legs for support.

Of course, with all of this mobility, we have discovered another new development.  L'ie enjoys being on the move and does not want to remain still.  Especially during diaper changes.  And boy is she strong!!  On a regular basis, we wrestle to get a diaper on the her and if we are not quick enough, a naked Bear escapes!!

Those milestones were great, but two of my favorite moments from the past month occurred in May.  First, we took L'ie to Glen Echo Park to ride a carousel horse!!  Once it was our turn, I placed her on the horse, strapped her in, and waited for the ride to start.  As the horse began to move, L'ie seemed very uncertain and scared.  Her lower lip began to quiver and she was on the verge of crying.  But then she suddenly relaxed, unclenched her hands and enjoyed the rest of the ride.  It was very fun to watch!

And this past weekend, we met up with the Ackermanns and the Bloughs in Washington DC for a picnic/playdate.  The National Mall was a perfect backdrop, the weather was gorgeous, and the kids all seemed to have a great time.  L'ie enjoyed seeing Baby Jack, ate a ton of Ritz crackers and loved Sophie's kite.  I look forward to many future get-togethers as the kids get older.

   








This has been a busy, exhausting and wonderful month!  To sum it all up...These were far, far better things we did, that we have never done before; and it is a far, far better future that we look forward to, than we have ever known!!

Don't Put All Of L'ie Bear's Eggs In One Basket!

Although last weekend marked L'ie Bear's second Easter, it was the first year she was able to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt.  And boy did she participate!

On Saturday, we made an appearance at the Rockawalkin United Methodist Church Easter Egg Hunt!  We were shown the '3 and under' section, placed L'ie on the ground, and off she went.  She immediately crawled to one of MANY brightly colored eggs and picked it up.  With some encouragement from Mee-maw and Granny, the eggs quickly found their proper home in her little basket and she enjoyed all of the attention.  At the end of the hunt, everyone assembled back in the community hall and the kids were able to go through all of their loot...there were many happy children!  We were pleasantly surprised that L'ie Bear managed to pick up some eggs during her first Easter Egg hunt and I was thrilled that most of the candy was not appropriate for a 1 year old.  More chocolate for mommy!

All waiting to hunt & no play makes L'ie Bear a basket case!

Group shot in front of the Easter Bunny Car!

The next day, we headed back to the church for Easter service.  L'ie Bear was well behaved, thanks to a seemingly endless supply of Puffs, and we had fun watching her enjoy the music and all of the people sitting around us.  She especially loved it when Pastor Patty delivered her sermon and when Grandpa performed in the choir! 

Bear sitting in the pew

After church, we headed back to Grandpa and Mee-maw's house to continue our Easter celebration.  While L'ie Bear napped, Aunt Sarah and Mike filled plastic eggs and hid them in the front yard.  Once they were done, Aunt Sarah went upstairs to check on L'ie Bear and "accidentally" woke her up from her nap.  Since the Bear was suddenly awake, it seemed like a good idea to head down to see what the Easter Bunny left and then go outside for a second Easter Egg hunt.  

By this point, the Bear was already a seasoned egg hunter and knew that the eggs opened to reveal a treat.  Each time she she found an egg, she would open it and spend the next five minutes eating the goldfish, puffs, or dehydrated apples pieces inside.  I believe she found a whopping 3 eggs that time around.  

Easter Loot

Hunting for eggs with Aunt Sarah and Mike

ELMO!

Since there were still quite a few eggs left in the front yard, we took L'ie Bear back outside for a third Easter Egg hunt after a delicious meal!

And we got some great photos!

Say "Easter Bunny"!

With Granny & Grumpa

With Uncle Ryan

With Mee-maw and Grandpa

Family Photo!

All in all, it was a great Easter and we even learned a few good lessons...




1.  Three Easter Egg Hunts can really wear a girl out!

2.  Good things do come in colored plastic eggs!

    
3.  And we did not put all of L'ie Bear's eggs in one basket.  But only because they wouldn't all fit!

But I Don't Want To Sleep!

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, L'ie Bear learned how to sit up and play whenever we placed her in the crib.  And this has been a very challenging milestone for Chad and I, because she simply refused to go to sleep.  A typical nightly routine would go as follows:

7:30 - Place L'ie Bear in her crib

7:31 - L'ie Bear sits up and begins playing with her toys as we listen 

to her happy babbling on the baby montior

7:45 - L'ie Bear begins to cry

7:55 - Chad and I go upstairs and lay her back down

7:56 - L'ie Bear sits up and begin playing with her toys again.

8:05 - L'ie Bear begins to cry again

8:15 - Chad and I go upstairs and lay her back down again

8:16 - ....

You get the idea.  The process was constantly repeated for an hour or so each night!  And each night, Chad and I would wonder what happened to our baby who normally went to bed with no problem at all.  

"But I don't want to go to sleep"

After speaking with her pediatrician and some other moms, we realized that this was a very normal setback in L'ie Bear's sleep routine.  She was so proud to discover this new skill, that she wanted to keep sitting up whenever we put her down.  Unfortunately, she wasn't quite sure how to lie back down and would cry out for help.  Everyone assured us that this stage would not last long and her pediatrician recommended that we do whatever possible to wear her out in the meantime. 

So, "Operation Wear Bear Out" began!  

We tried wearing her out from playtime...

We let her crawl all over the main floor of the house and even let her play in Wrigley's water bowl...

Spilled water

We played a lot of games...

PEEK-A-BOO!

She played in and took long baths...

1st big girl bath without her baby tub!

We took her on her first Metro ride...

1st Metro Ride

We tried to exhaust her with all of the excitement a Caps game brings..

"These are great seats"

 We took her out on the ice for the 1st time...

"Go faster Dad!"

Chad even let her play in the penalty box...

Like Father Like Daughter!

And finally we tried to wear her out by keeping her up past her bedtime...

Right before leaving the Caps game around 9:00 pm

So after all of that, Chad and I were certainly exhausted, but did we actually wear out L'ie Bear?!?!

YES, YES we did!!

SUCCESS!!

 

Springing Forward Into A Second Year!

Happy Birthday L'ie Bear!

Approximately a year ago, we met L'ie Bear for the first time.  It is hard to believe an entire year has passed, and I think it is safe to say that this has been the most event filled and joyous year Chad and I have ever experienced.  So we decided to celebrate the end of this first year with a birthday party for the Bear.  We asked many of our friends and family to join us, and it was perfect!  L'ie was able to play with some other kids her age and she even enjoyed her cake.

Surrounded by balloons

Some of the guests

Cupcakes by Aunt Sarah

Food tables

Enjoying her party

Playing nicely with Noah & Sophie

Posing before the party

Playing in the bubbles           

Enjoying her giant cupcake!

The birthday party was a great way to mark the end of enjoying "baby" L'ie and start getting to know "toddler" L'ie.  As you all know, L'ie Bear began crawling a few weeks ago, so it hasn't come as a surprise that she is anxious to explore her small world.  Every morning she enjoys crawling from one side of the living room to the other, and once she has opened every drawer and pulled all of the dvds out of the entertainment center, she moves on to the dining room.  Chad and I are happy to let her discover all of the surprises our main living area has to offer, especially since we have closed off her access to the basement steps and have moved all of the chemicals down to the storage area.

We were starting to feel fairly confident with our "baby-proofing" until last night, when we discovered L'ie Bear pulling herself up in her crib.  I realize that many babies pull up in the their cribs much earlier than 12 months of age, so we are very lucky to have made it this far, but it still freaked us out.  And by freaked out, I mean that it scared us for a few seconds before I grabbed a camera to mark the occasion.

As a result of L'ie Bear's new skill, Chad moved the mattress to a lower position and it seems so strange.  It is going to be much harder to kiss L'ie goodnight.  But thankfully, it should take a little more effort for the Bear to get out of the crib on her own and we will be able to sleep much better knowing that she is safe.

Finally pulling herself up in the crib.

Despite the additional baby-proofing we need to do and the future scares we are sure to experience, I cannot wait to start enjoying the next year with L'ie Bear.  In an effort to spring forward into the second year, she and I decided to stop and visit with the Easter Bunny while shopping this morning.  There was no line, and the Bear was in such a good mood that I could not resist.  Happily, this picture turned out great.    

The Easter Bunny!

The Bear Is On The Move!

Watch out world!  Last night, L'ie Bear joined the mobile world and began crawling.  Of course, she did not get too far and it is clear that she was not quite sure what is happening yet, but you better believe I am putting down February 28, 2012 as the date she "First started crawling" in her baby book.

For the past few weeks, L'ie has been teasing us.  She was quite comfortable on her hands and knees and often times looked as if she were going to start moving forward.  But, it never quite happened.  She would either push herself backwards or she would straighten out a leg for balance and then sit back down.

As a first time parent, my biggest fear was that she would begin crawling while Chad and I were away on vacation earlier this month, but obviously she understood how important it was that I get to see her move for the first time because she waited!

Suddenly, a few days ago, L'ie began to move her hands further out in front of her and we realized it was just a matter of time before the knees followed.  And yesterday, while Chad was napping, those knees began keeping up with the hands.  I couldn't believe it, and I think I might have scared her a bit with my cheering and clapping.  As soon as Chad was awake, she moved a short distance again!  And this time she did not seem to mind when we cheered and clapped!

Shockingly, I was so caught up and thrilled with this new milestone, that I completely forgot to take photos or videotape any of those first uncertain crawls.  But, we quickly remedied that problem.  I hope you enjoy watching the Bear crawl as much as I have

(Note: this video was taken earlier this evening and the Bear already seems a little more confident in her crawling skills)

L'ie Bear turns 11 Months Old!!

It seems like I just finished writing up a 10 month blog post for L'ie Bear, and here I am writing an 11 month post!  Time really is moving too fast, but we did manage to have some fun and new experiences this month.

At the end of January, Chad, Li'e Bear and I decided to take advantage of the fact that we live close to DC and we headed in for a walk around the National Mall.  Things were going smoothly.  There was no traffic on the way in and we found the perfect parking spot a block away from the Capital building.  But then we realized that the wind had really picked up, and of course, we forgot to bring a blanket or coat for L'ie.  So our planned walk around the mall quickly turned into a walk through the Botanical Gardens.  It was nice and warm in there, the flowers were beautiful and all three of us still managed to have a great time!

But the highlight of that day was when L'ie Bear rode in her new big girl car seat!  Chad installed it that morning and we crossed our fingers that she would like the change.  I even made sure to keep LuLu, a yellow duck on her infant car seat, within reach, but she had no interest in toys.  All she wanted to do was stare out the window, which is something she really couldn't do before!  She still seems to be a bit tall for the seat and has had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep, but all in all, she seem to enjoy the change.

A few days later, the Bear experienced something new when she helped her dad brew another batch of beer.  In honor of her upcoming birthday, Chad decided it was time to start working on getting some beer ready for her party.  So, he chose a Dunkelweizen and plans to name it "Bear's Paw Brew"!  There are many steps and it takes most of an afternoon to make, but L'ie was more than happy to help.  She certainly handled that spoon like a pro!

Finally, last weekend we took the Bear up to Pennsylvania to visit her Fisher/Medlin family.  We spent the day at Chad's Aunt Kathy and Uncle Brad's house.  While we were there, L'ie got to see her Great Granny, quite a few 1st cousins, and even two of her 2nd cousins, Macy & Roxy!

It was really fun visiting with so many family members, and I especially loved watching the Bear interact with her little cousins. Macy is a few years older, and doted on L'ie.  Roxy is two months younger, and is almost walking, so it was great to see L'ie watching her move!  Hopefully she took good notes!

After a delicious dinner and another MGM photo session, we packed everything back up to head home.  It is amazing how much stuff you need to take an 11 month old out for the day.  But before we left, Chad, L'ie Bear, Chad's Grandmother, and Chad's Uncle Brad got together and posed for a photo.  What a wonderful moment!  

4 Generations of Fishers!

With one month to go before we celebrate L'ie Bear's first birthday, I cannot help looking back at the past eleven months and it is a little overwhelming to think about all of things that have happened.  Chad and I have been very fortunate to be able to introduce the Bear to so many of our family and friends and also to go through so many experiences with her in our arms.  Part of me is sad to see this first year quickly come to an end, but the other part says "Bring on year #2!"