"But I don't speak Greek!"

So, we're in the midst of end of the year, standardized, testing at school.  A necessary evil and one that is dreaded by students and teachers alike.  

At my school, we participate in our state's standardized test in the fall, but we also take another round of standardized tests three times a year - in the fall, winter, and spring. This is a computerized test that gives us a result immediately (unlike the state test), and let's us see a student's growth over a year.

Anyway, during the reading portion of the test, I was wandering around the computer lab, reminding students that I couldn't help them, I couldn't read anything to them (what with it being a reading test and all), and that they just needed to do their best.

One of my students raised his hand and as I walked over to him, I noticed he had a very concerned look on his face. 

Him: "I don't know what the answer is to this question."

*What is the Greek root for the word, city?" 

Of course it had 4 choices, one of which being "-polis."

Me: "Well, just take your best guess."

Him: "But I don't know how to speak Greek!"

Yup - I didn't know what to say either! :)

Oh, by the way, be sure to say thanks to your teachers next week. May 4-8 is National Teacher Appreciation Week!!

Growing up

Has half of a year really past since Hannah was born? Really? Are you sure? Yikes! Where has the time gone?

It's been a busy month but a fun month. We have finally had some beautiful weather outside, which has meant going for walks and trying to get Hannah to enjoy the sunshine. Right now she's not a big fan of its brightness, so our walks outside are short. She's getting better though and the sun doesn't freak her out as much as it used to. 

Hannah has been eating more "food," which is an entertaining time for Jeremy and me. I'm amazed at all of the places food can end up. I think Hannah is trying to grow a garden in her nose, because I'm constantly wiping food out of her nostrils. So far we've tried applesauce, sweet potatoes, pears, bananas, and peas. She's still a HUGE fan of the applesauce and I think she would eat it all day long if we would let her. She definitely enjoys the sweet potatoes more than I do, which is a good thing. I can't stand them, but I'm glad she likes them. Just today we tried the peas and, well, let's just say we're going to keep trying, but so far, Hannah is not impressed by them.

She is starting to figure out how to make herself move towards things. Right now, she flips (quite quickly) from her back to her front and a few times she has gone from her front to her back. She is also getting really good at scooting across the floor on her back, almost in a modified crab-walk. This has, once again, heightened our level of security around the house. I spent my spring break doing lots of cleaning and lots of baby-proofing. I know that it's just a matter of time before she figures out how to scoot on her belly.  Yikes!

Molly is still doing a fantastic job with having a baby around. Hannah has certainly gotten more comfortable with petting Molly and grabbing at her. Molly is so patient with her and 

never snaps at her or growls or anything like that. In fact, most of the time, Molly just lays there and does absolutely nothing.

Jeremy and I are absolutely loving this age with Hannah. She's so vocal and so much fun. She is really developing her own personality, which I'm loving. I truly can't imagine life without her and am just so thankful for all that she has brought to my life.

6 Months -- Kind of!

Okay, I really don't have a lot of time tonight, so I'm going to have to save my 6-month post until this weekend. However, let me at least give you  the 6-month stats:

Weight - 17lbs. 5oz. (75th%)

Height - 25.75" (50th%)

Head - 43.75cm (80th%)

And of course, a cute picture!

5 Months and Counting...

Today is the 5 month anniversary of Hannah being born. Time has just flown by. She is growing and changing so much, Jeremy and I are really just enjoying watching her grow up.  Her newest "trick" is rolling over. For the past month, she's been working and working on going from back to front, but she never could seem to figure out what to do with her arm. Finally, last week she figured it out and now that's all she wants to do. As soon as you lay her down, she flips herself over.

Of course this means we have a heightened level of security around here. She has come close to flipping herself off the changing table and has rolled towards the wall several times and bonked her head. Sometimes this brings tears, sometimes she doesn't seem to realize that she has done anything out of the ordinary.

This past month we also survived our first real sickness with Hannah. She caught a really nasty cold/cough/fever/congestion bug that lasted for quite awhile. In fact we still have her mattress raised to help her breathe at night.  The raised mattress has also led to some pretty interesting sleeping positions. For a few nights, she would cough so bad that it would cause her to sort of "roll/slide" down her mattress and we'd find her at the other end and have to pull her back up to the top.  She certainly is keeping us on our toes.

Here's a video of her newest trick:

I know that from this point forward, things will only continue to get more exciting. Especially as the rolling leads to more action on Hannah's part.

Hannah continues to "talk" and "talk" all the time.  Her most "talkative" times are early in the morning and again in the late afternoon.  She just has so much on her mind, she has to get it out.  She has also discovered that she can shriek at painfully high volumes.  So far this doesn't seem to be bothering the dog, so that's a good thing, right? 

We're just having so much fun watching her learn and grow. She has figured out how to put her pacifier back in her mouth and take it out and fling it, along with how to suck her thumb.  And when she gets upset, she cries the most enormous tears, which just break my heart! Most anything she grabs eventually ends up in her mouth, this includes my hair, Jeremy's hands, etc. 

We also started her on rice cereal this month. She's not exactly thrilled with it, but she does a little bit better when we mix in a little Gerber applesauce.  She definitely does know how to make a mess though. I think it would be great to have two sets of arms/hands when trying to feed a baby. This whole one set is for the birds. 

All in all, we had a great 5th month with Hannah. She is such a good little baby, always smiling and laughing. She sleeps all night and her fussy days are limited. We just feel so blessed by her.

Happy 5 Months, Hannah!!

Hannah's Enemy

I think she's beginning to sense that it is coming. She might even know when Jeremy and I are talking about it. I think sometimes she begins to scream just out of anticipation, sort of to try and prepare herself for its arrival.

I'm talking about the dreaded blue bulb syringe. Hannah has had a cold for the past few days and the amount of snot in her nose is out of control. Sadly for Hannah, the only way Jeremy and I can get it out, is to use the bulb syringe - otherwise known as the instrument of torture. Oh, the screaming that ensues while we are "sucking her brains out." Not literally (duh!), but that's sort of what it feels like. The snot just keeps coming and coming and Hannah just screams and screams, which of course just breaks my heart. I feel like when I'm using it, she is looking at me with a look that says, "Mama, why are you doing this to me? I thought you love me?" 

It's just downright terrible. I hope this cold doesn't last too much longer - none of us are having any fun. 

4 Months

Here we are again, celebrating the passing of another month in the life of Hannah.  Before we go too far, let's just get the specifics out of the way. She had her 4-month appointment yesterday and now weighs 15lbs, 7.5oz. This puts her in the 90th%, up from the 50th%, which is where she was, at her 2-month appointment. She is now 24 inches long, which keeps her in the 25th%.

This month has certainly brought with it A LOT of talking.  Hannah has certainly discovered her voice and loves to use it.  She often wakes up just "talking" away in her crib. She's pretty chatty in the morning and again in the afternoon.  I can only imagine all of the fun things she is trying to tell me. Sometimes she gets this look on her face and I can imagine her saying, "This is very serious, mom." It's so cute!

She has become a little more independent this month.  For example she is definitely holding on to her bottle during feedings and not wanting to let go. I usually have to pry her fingers off of it when it's time to burp. Burping is still not a favorite pastime of her and I'm not sure it ever will be.

Her sleeping positions have taken on a whole new personality as well. She's beginning to squirm around and we are often straightening her out. There are times when I really don't know how she can be comfortable.

We were able to enjoy a warm day this past month and it was nice to be able to take Hannah out in the sunshine. You can tell she was born in the late fall, because the sun really bothered her at first. It was this foreign object up in the sky that was making her world brighter than it had been in months.

All in all, it's been a good month. It's still surreal at times to think that she is mine. She is such a precious little girl and now that her personality is starting to come out, I know that we're in for some fun times.

Happy 4 months, Hannah!