{26/52}

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Everdeen Kate: Playing chase with your mama.  I think it's your all time favorite thing to do :)

   

 Linking up with Jodi :)

Climb Every Mountain...

We officially have a climber in our household!  I like to blame all of the packed boxes and our very agile cats that have created this new and profound skill.  Today, I created pillow stairs so Everdeen could independently climb up and down the couch all day long.  She's so brave...always trying new things even if it means her mother has a constant heart attack :)  

It's been almost a year since I started my new role as a mama...and I still have so much to learn. Lately it's been learning how to let Everdeen go and explore so that she can learn about this world all around us. Some days I can let go, but other days...most days, I need my little girl right beside me.  She's much to little to leave the nest and besides I have 18 years until that happens right? :) 

Lately, I've been having the hardest time transitioning Everdeen to eat finger foods. I'm in constant panic that she's going to choke. Life was simple when she only drank milk. Last night I gave her tiny pieces of beef. She took one little piece and made the gaggiest face you ever saw and proceeded to take ten minutes to chew her pea sized bite. It was a face all too familiar one that I had made a million times to my own mother. I found myself wanting to tell her, "It's okay! You don't have to eat that if you don't like it!" But I stopped myself.  That's not what I'm supposed to say to her.  So instead I smiled really big and said "YUMMY!" in an overly loud and happy voice. If she could roll her eyes she probably would have :)    

I want Everdeen to always be brave, to try new things.  I want her to have confidence and believe in herself.  I know that it's my job to help instill these things in her and some days I wonder how to do this when I don't really feel those things.  Maybe it will just have to be something that we learn together.  She's already taught me to be more brave than I ever thought possible...I mean I carried and birthed a baby, I'd say that's pretty brave. 

Kauai {in pictures}

We had an amazing vacation with Martin's family and are now back to Colorado with its dry hot air filled with wildfire smoke.  We are dreaming of the cool sea breeze and turquoise waters filled with sea turtles with nothing to do but put your feet in the sand and stare at the white wispy clouds moving quickly across the sky.  

I had such a hard time sorting through the hundreds of pictures I took. Sorry in advance for the picture overload :) 

We spent our time on the north part of the island in Princeville- where the beaches are pristine and very quiet. You are surrounded by tropical rainforest on one side and blue waters on the other. Everdeen loved the ocean...and the sand. We told her the last time she had heard the ocean was at her Auntie Kate's wedding and she was still in my belly.  She seemed to have remembered it well :)    

It was a little hard to relax with an almost eleven month old on the go every second of every day.  But we loved showing her the beautiful surroundings.  After a day or two we had a new routine in place. Every morning we brought Everdeen into the giant king sized bed and snoozed a little longer until the roosters woke us up again. We ate breakfast on our porch that overlooked the ocean and in the afternoon we opened the windows so Everdeen could hear the waves as she took her nap.  I don't think it could have gotten much better than that! 

 

It had been almost four years since we had been on the island for our honeymoon.  It was fun going to the same beaches and sights a little more grown-up and with a baby in tow. 

eleven months

Wow...Everdeen you are eleven months old today!! This month it seemed like you were turning into a little lady, except when you crawl around the apartment growling :) It's amazing to watch you as you are learning so many new things.  You love to have us walk you around, but you don't want to try it with just one hand yet.  You won't walk until we are holding both of your hands and you'll wait and wave your arm impatiently at us until we hold on :)  And just last week you got three new teeth! Now you're really starting to look like a little lady! 

I know I say it every month, but we are so blessed. I feel a little bit sad this month like we're saying goodbye to your babyhood and saying hello to you being a toddler. I know time can't stand still, but we are cherishing these moments more than ever.