New Home for The New Hancocks

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

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.

Food Fight

He got in a food fight...with himself. He won.

KAAAAW!

Hawks jersey party!

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.

Kellen and Daniel, checking out the penguins

Jean Luc helping Katie push the stroller

 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.

"In honor of Lucile Teller who loved her family, her students and the zoo"

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!

All in all, a great trip to the zoo.

Important Work

Helping Dada work from home.

Learning to Stand

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Keeping K busy at David's restaurant.
He was very vocal this night, which we are not used to!

Much needed wine after an especially fussy evening.
D&T have an amazing outdoor deck!

Checking out the piggies at the fair

Gettin' crazy with Uncle D

Oh Kellen, these guys love you so much

Pants-off Dance-off in the parking lot