This site is moving! Head on over to www.newhancocks.wordpress.com to continue following this blog. It was time to move upward and onward, and so I made the decision to move to another blog host.
Have you seen the video of Kellen's first steps yet? No? Then follow the link above!
Thanks for reading!
Julie
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Hoe Down
It's hard to see in this pic, but Kellen is dancing to his Grandpa Wally's mandolin music. My dad just up and decided to learn how to play the mandolin, how cool is that? And Kellen gets to reap the benefits with a little booty shakin'. Yeehaw.
Ferry Ride
Sleeping while on the ferry up to Whidbey Island. He had an exciting morning at co-op, a new group we've joined where we spend time each week with other parents and babies. Our first class was today, and while he clung to me, rarely venturing far enough to let go of my finger, he also smiled and giggled the whole time while watching the other babies. He loved the singing too (soooo much singing), something that didn't surprise me, as we spend lots of our day singing and dancing in the living room at home.
Kellen is a shy, cautious baby, and I look forward to seeing how he adjusts to being around so many new parents and kids each week.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Zoo
Yesterday K and I met with some friends and their babies at the Woodland Park Zoo. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, and the kids all got a chance to spy a few of the animals. They aren't quite to the point where we can tell them to look at the tree and they'll actually do it and actually see something, so I think a lot of the animal-viewing-enjoyment was on the moms' behalf. The penguins were a favorite with the kids though - have you been to this part of the park? It's fabulous! There are half walls made of glass so little hands and faces can press up against them and eagerly watch the penguins zoom by. Lots of fun.
My uncle Mike used to be a zookeeper at Woodland Park, and anytime I return there I can't help but think of the awesome opportunities he afforded us while he worked there. My brother and I were able to do some wonderful things because of him, like feed the giraffes and visit the zoo after hours to see the nocturnal animals. We also got to enjoy his "zoo" at home, with a wall of reptiles and about a zillion dogs.
Because of my uncle's attachment with the zoo, my grandmother, who has since passed, became incredibly involved with Woodland Park. She was a long time kindergarten teacher who loved teaching and learning and supporting the zoo, and when she died a bench across from the zoo's education center was dedicated to her. I took Kellen there to sit on the bench and reflect a little on my grandmother. She never met Kellen, but she would have loved him fiercely.
Our morning was thoroughly enjoyed by both Kellen and I, as well as by the women and children we were with. These women I met either through our childbirth class that we took while I was pregnant, or through my PEPS group that I started meeting with when K was just 5 weeks old. I am so very appreciative of their friendship, and feel they have come to be more than just situational friends. Aw. Love you ladies!
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| Kellen and Daniel, checking out the penguins |
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| Jean Luc helping Katie push the stroller |
Because of my uncle's attachment with the zoo, my grandmother, who has since passed, became incredibly involved with Woodland Park. She was a long time kindergarten teacher who loved teaching and learning and supporting the zoo, and when she died a bench across from the zoo's education center was dedicated to her. I took Kellen there to sit on the bench and reflect a little on my grandmother. She never met Kellen, but she would have loved him fiercely.
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| "In honor of Lucile Teller who loved her family, her students and the zoo" |
All in all, a great trip to the zoo.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Mess
This is what happens when I don't watch him for 2 seconds. I think he was halfway through Twilight when I caught him.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Confessions of a First Time Mom
This post was written when Kellen was 6 weeks old, and for some reason I never published it. Perhaps it was all still too fresh, maybe I felt too embarrassed after writing it, who knows. But when I found it today and re-read it, I found myself chuckling at the Julie that was writing this with such little baby experience. I love this post, and hope you do too. Sorry about any swearing.
I know that this blog is about Kellen. But over the past 6 weeks I have found myself thinking about all of these new lessons and experiences that keep popping up now that I have a son. Along with these collective gems of wisdom, I have found that I have some small secrets about how I am conducting myself as a parent, and for some reason I feel the need to confess them on this here blog (after all, isn't sharing your secrets with everyone what the internet is about?). Some were harder than others to write, and some came from a deeper place, but all are weighing on me equally. I need to spill the proverbial beans.
Join me in my shame!
I invite and encourage all you parents out there to share your confessions below. Let me know I'm not alone, and that there are others who take shortcuts and do gross things in the name of parenthood. You know you've been dying inside, keeping those confessions locked up! Time to release the demons.
I know that this blog is about Kellen. But over the past 6 weeks I have found myself thinking about all of these new lessons and experiences that keep popping up now that I have a son. Along with these collective gems of wisdom, I have found that I have some small secrets about how I am conducting myself as a parent, and for some reason I feel the need to confess them on this here blog (after all, isn't sharing your secrets with everyone what the internet is about?). Some were harder than others to write, and some came from a deeper place, but all are weighing on me equally. I need to spill the proverbial beans.
Confession #1: I am not an ambi-burper.
I can't burp Kellen on my right shoulder. Can't do it. He slides right off the side and I clammer not to drop him. Spit up ends up on his face, the floor, my arm, the wall across the room. I feel like this is something I should work on - Gasp! What kind of a mother am I?! - but honestly, whenever I raise the burp cloth I hover ever so slightly above the right shoulder, only to chicken out and just put the damn thing on my left side. Can't do it.
Confession #2: If you smell pee, it's probably my child.
If I peed my pants, and some of it got on my clothes, I would definitely change. I mean, ewwwww, right? And yet somehow this idea doesn't seem to apply when it comes to my kid. If it's 3 in the afternoon, I have already changed four thousand diapers, and upon changing the four thousand and first diaper I notice one side of his onesie is all wet, well, he just has to deal with it. Gross, I know, but I would put money on the fact that I am not the only parent out there to pretend their kid didn't just relieve themselves...on themselves...
...right?
Confession #3: Sometimes when I really want Kellen to sleep, I pull his hat over his eyes and hope he thinks it's nighttime.
No, this has never worked for me. But I am not a quitter.
Confession #4: I hated being pregnant.
I said these confessions were about things I have done in the past 6 weeks, but the reality is it is only in the past 6 weeks that I have been able to admit this to myself. Because of the pregnancies I lost in the past, I pushed any thoughts of "Wow, this sucks" out of my mind while pregnant, afraid that my body would betray me and say "Fine, screw you, you don't get to keep this baby after all". Once Kellen came though, I was able to really reflect on the prior 9 months and accept the fact that I was miserable. It seems that all women "just loooooved being pregnant!!!" (at least this is what they told me while accosting me in the grocery store line with asinine questions and stories of their own pregnancy). Not once did someone say to me "Congratulations! But it's the shits, isn't it?" And I suppose I can understand this - who likes a Debbie Downer? Of course I was ecstatic to have my future son growing inside of me, I honestly was. But it was so damn uncomfortable, painful, and exhausting, and it seemed like every time I went to the doctor there was some new issue I was dealing with, something that I had never heard of another woman having (hernia, anyone?).
I know that it could have been much worse, and I am so thankful that Kellen came into our lives healthy and full-term. I also know that I did have some fun with my little bump (while it was still little), and that I loved patting it and pushing his tiny butt around and waking him up just to feel his angry little kick. Please don't take this confession as ingratitude, and I really hope anyone reading who has yet to get pregnant won't be upset or deterred. Pregnancy is a truly wonderful thing, and it is so different for every woman that my experience can be easily dismissed when trying to figure out what it may be like for you. I just needed to get it off my chest, because now that he's here I can finally say it:
Those 9 months? MISERABLE.
Confession #5: Sometimes I blame my farts on Kellen.
This is why people have children, right?
Confession #6: I don't always wash my hands after changing a diaper.
Really, who has the time?! I remember watching a stupid game show with Matt pre-baby, and somehow a statistic was brought up that something like 80% of people don't wash their hands after a diaper change. Of course we decided those 80% were disgusting slobs, and I want to apologize to all those parents for passing judgement so hastily. I too am a disgusting slob. And apparently I don't give a damn who knows it.
Confession #7: I am falling in love again.
And no, I am not going to say with Kellen, although it is completely true that I am totally in love with my son (aaawwwww!). But he's not who I am talking about. Over the past weeks, I have found myself falling in love with Matt all over again (AAWWWWW!). If you've watched the videos I posted last week, you can see that he is an amazing dad. And who doesn't love a handsome man with an adorable baby? Matt has had to return to work and yet is still an involved, loving father who somehow also manages to be the best husband and friend I could ask for.
AAAAAAAAWWWWW!
Confession #5: Sometimes I blame my farts on Kellen.
This is why people have children, right?
Confession #6: I don't always wash my hands after changing a diaper.
Really, who has the time?! I remember watching a stupid game show with Matt pre-baby, and somehow a statistic was brought up that something like 80% of people don't wash their hands after a diaper change. Of course we decided those 80% were disgusting slobs, and I want to apologize to all those parents for passing judgement so hastily. I too am a disgusting slob. And apparently I don't give a damn who knows it.
Confession #7: I am falling in love again.
And no, I am not going to say with Kellen, although it is completely true that I am totally in love with my son (aaawwwww!). But he's not who I am talking about. Over the past weeks, I have found myself falling in love with Matt all over again (AAWWWWW!). If you've watched the videos I posted last week, you can see that he is an amazing dad. And who doesn't love a handsome man with an adorable baby? Matt has had to return to work and yet is still an involved, loving father who somehow also manages to be the best husband and friend I could ask for.
AAAAAAAAWWWWW!
Join me in my shame!
I invite and encourage all you parents out there to share your confessions below. Let me know I'm not alone, and that there are others who take shortcuts and do gross things in the name of parenthood. You know you've been dying inside, keeping those confessions locked up! Time to release the demons.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Walla Walla
We made an impromptu trip to Walla Walla to visit Uncle David and Aunt Tillie. Kellen was sick most of the time with a bad cold and a fever. This meant that he didn't sleep or nap well, and he was suuuuuuuper fussy. We had a good time regardless! We ate dinner at the restaurant David works at, visited the county fair and played lots of games. I didn't take many photos, but here are some from the trip.
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| Keeping K busy at David's restaurant. He was very vocal this night, which we are not used to! |
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| Much needed wine after an especially fussy evening. D&T have an amazing outdoor deck! |
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| Checking out the piggies at the fair |
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| Gettin' crazy with Uncle D |
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| Oh Kellen, these guys love you so much |
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Pants-off Dance-off in the parking lot |
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ten Months
Dear Kellen,
Today you are ten months old. Your first birthday is not-so-slowly approaching, and every day I see more and more what a little boy you are becoming.
I don't know if I will keep up with these monthly letters after your first birthday - until now, I have been able to plop you on a mat and command you to "STAY." And you would. And I was able to write about you while gazing lovingly in your floor-bound direction. These days however, I set you on your mat, command you to "STAY", then type three words before I hear you slapping the bathtub. How do you do that? How do you manage to move so fast, when you have only been moving a short time? We were convinced that you would never crawl "for reals", hands and knees crawl, because you have been army crawling so well. People talk about how skipping crawling is a bad thing, that you would have to be taught how to crawl on all fours because otherwise your brain wouldn't develop correctly. Once you started pulling yourself to a standing position and cruising, we figured you would just be one of those kids who skips the crawling step and goes straight to walking and never learns to read because he never learned to crawl. But ta-daa! You've proved us wrong, you are crawling all over on all fours in addition to army crawling and cruising. Congratulations! You're a real baby! You get to learn to read!
And yes, I said I heard you slapping the bathtub. This is because the bathroom is still your favorite room in the house. Ew.
You love practicing your stair climbing. With us holding your hands, you will go up and down stairs and curbs, lifting your right leg up as high as it will go, following with your left. Once heft your whole body up, you will promptly walk a tight circle and go down, only to turn around and do it again. And again. And again. I have found you try to walk up stairs even when there isn't a stair in front of you - you will just lift your right leg and try to place it somewhere that might allow you to hoist yourself up. Too cute.
Dancing has become a love of yours. Whenever you hear music, you will stop what you are doing and start doing the baby equivalent of dancing, which basically means you hip thrust with a huge smile on your face (I guess not just babies do this, I have seen grown men try to pull this off). You actually seem to have rhythm and can sometimes hip thrust to the beat. There are times, much like your non-stair stair climbing, where you will dance to a sound that is not music. The other day you started dancing to the sound of a fire truck's siren. Perhaps this was a nod to Grandpa Wally, but our friend Claire pointed out that you might just be into techno when you get older.
Kellen, I am exhausted. Even though you are a great sleeper (10-12 hours a night!) my sleep is interrupted by the sound of you grunting in your sleep. I am constantly chasing you around. My back is killing me from being bent over in order to hold your hands while you walk everywhere your little legs will carry you. You don't always nap and give me time to do things I need to do, you have started loudly protesting things you don't like, etc. etc. etc. I have never been so tired.
But I have never been so happy, either. You are such a joy, such a JOY, and even when I breathe a sigh of relief as I set you in your crib at night and head to the kitchen for ashot of tequila glass of warm milk, I find myself looking forward to seeing your puffy-sleepy face in the morning. Because you are the very best thing in my world.
Love,
Mama
Today you are ten months old. Your first birthday is not-so-slowly approaching, and every day I see more and more what a little boy you are becoming.
I don't know if I will keep up with these monthly letters after your first birthday - until now, I have been able to plop you on a mat and command you to "STAY." And you would. And I was able to write about you while gazing lovingly in your floor-bound direction. These days however, I set you on your mat, command you to "STAY", then type three words before I hear you slapping the bathtub. How do you do that? How do you manage to move so fast, when you have only been moving a short time? We were convinced that you would never crawl "for reals", hands and knees crawl, because you have been army crawling so well. People talk about how skipping crawling is a bad thing, that you would have to be taught how to crawl on all fours because otherwise your brain wouldn't develop correctly. Once you started pulling yourself to a standing position and cruising, we figured you would just be one of those kids who skips the crawling step and goes straight to walking and never learns to read because he never learned to crawl. But ta-daa! You've proved us wrong, you are crawling all over on all fours in addition to army crawling and cruising. Congratulations! You're a real baby! You get to learn to read!
And yes, I said I heard you slapping the bathtub. This is because the bathroom is still your favorite room in the house. Ew.
You love practicing your stair climbing. With us holding your hands, you will go up and down stairs and curbs, lifting your right leg up as high as it will go, following with your left. Once heft your whole body up, you will promptly walk a tight circle and go down, only to turn around and do it again. And again. And again. I have found you try to walk up stairs even when there isn't a stair in front of you - you will just lift your right leg and try to place it somewhere that might allow you to hoist yourself up. Too cute.
Dancing has become a love of yours. Whenever you hear music, you will stop what you are doing and start doing the baby equivalent of dancing, which basically means you hip thrust with a huge smile on your face (I guess not just babies do this, I have seen grown men try to pull this off). You actually seem to have rhythm and can sometimes hip thrust to the beat. There are times, much like your non-stair stair climbing, where you will dance to a sound that is not music. The other day you started dancing to the sound of a fire truck's siren. Perhaps this was a nod to Grandpa Wally, but our friend Claire pointed out that you might just be into techno when you get older.
Kellen, I am exhausted. Even though you are a great sleeper (10-12 hours a night!) my sleep is interrupted by the sound of you grunting in your sleep. I am constantly chasing you around. My back is killing me from being bent over in order to hold your hands while you walk everywhere your little legs will carry you. You don't always nap and give me time to do things I need to do, you have started loudly protesting things you don't like, etc. etc. etc. I have never been so tired.
But I have never been so happy, either. You are such a joy, such a JOY, and even when I breathe a sigh of relief as I set you in your crib at night and head to the kitchen for a
Love,
Mama
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| Photo by Carol Hagstrom |
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Uncle Drew
Drew patiently walked K up and down the beach, and all over Kari and Ken's yard. Multiple people have told me that Kellen reminds them of Drew when he was a baby. What a lucky kid!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Hiking
Went on an afternoon hike. Exhausting, obviously, especially for those of us who were being carried.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Big Kids
We had dinner with our friends tonight who have 3 sons; the two seen here and their older brother. At first K was so shy that he would burst into tears whenever one tried to give him a hug. By the end he was "running" around the garden with the twins (using Matt for support) and giggling while watching all 3 boys play soccer. Good fun.
He also stood unassisted for the first time! Long enough for me to yell "He's standing! You're standing! Look! Look, he's standing! LOOOOOK! HE'S STANDING!" It was exciting, let me tell you.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Shoes
Can you believe we get to live in the same house as the adorable little creature that wears these?! I'm still in shock.
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