Happy Birthday, Sweet Hannah

"When a baby is born, it's a mother's instinct to protect their baby. When a baby dies, it's the mother's instinct to protect their memory." - author unknown 

(I found this quote and it definitely spoke to me, but I know a father's instinct is just as great as the mother's.)

 Our tree planted in Hannah's memory

Today Hannah would have been 3. Hannah would have told me what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. Hannah would be learning to ride a bike. But mostly, if Hannah were here with us, I know how much joy she would bring to our family.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of our little girl.

March 30th will always be a day filled with so much emotion. It's a day of sorrow. It's a day of celebration, that we got to spend the nine months with her we did. It's a day of reflection, how her little life changed ours in such a powerful way. It's a day of what-ifs. But most important, it's a day that's all about Hannah and that's what I love most about it.

To remember Hannah today, on her 3rd birthday, we released three balloons into the sky. Jackson was a big help and of course wanted the balloons back, which is just how we feel about our little girl. We baked a cake for her. It was really great this year to have Jackson's help in celebrating her short, but cherished life. I can see the relationship he is developing with her and it feels so wonderful. I know he will always have a special connection to her.

We will miss you forever, our Hannah Bear.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

During Jackson's naptime, Griffin and I usually try and do a "big boy" activity. He was so proud of himself, completing the puzzle!

Our 18 Month (Really?!?!) Old Little Man

It is so hard to believe this little man is 18 months old! He's changing so much, we can hardly keep up!

But here are the latest stats:
Height: 33 inches
Weight: 24 pounds
Words: Mama (for Mommy and Magnus), Gaga (Daddy), Go, Bye
Potties on the Potty: 1!!!!! Mom was definitely waaaaay more excited about this than he was.

He doesn't say NO yet, but his standard answer to any question is shaking his head NO.

The doctor said he looks great, right where he's supposed to be! Right on his way to refusing to eat vegetables, throwing himself on the floor and crying big crocodile tears when you tell him NO. I think we're on the fast track to the terrible two's!!

And probably our newest and biggest change has been from eating in our highchair to eating at the table in a booster with Mom and Dad. He definitely likes eating up at the table. He wants to use a plate and a fork and he's doing a pretty good job with it. He loves the booster so much, he even wants to eat all of his snacks at the table.

Our next hurdle, fazing out the binky...... (we said when we gave it to him when he was born, it would be gone by 8 months. And here we are at eighteen months. Oops!)

Really though, his little personality shines through more and more each day. I find myself constantly smiling, sure that he can't get any cuter. But then he does!

Wordless(ish) Wednesday

Workin' for the Man

Jackson's first slumber party

Well, not really. But we did have a couple of buddies stay the night last Friday. Our good friends, Heidi and Kenny headed out for a night on the town and we kept their kids, Ryeike (7) and Kya (4). So much fun was had, it did feel like a slumber party. In this case though, we didn't stay up until all hours, we got up at all hours, 6:30am to be exact. That's early.

But, Ryeike and Kya were so good with Jackson. And he had a blast! We built forts, made multicolored pancakes with sprinkles and candy hearts, and went for a swing on the monkey bars. Oh, and Magnus wasn't complaining either.