swimming lessons & crawling.

So yesterday was a very big day here. Hartley had her first swimming lesson.

Of course she wouldn't let me get a picture of her in her bathing suit so I settled for an "on our way to class" picture. And, seriously, doesn't my baby look so grown up? Ok, maybe it's just me ;)

And yeah, I'm letting her carry her Halloween purse before its October. 

Of course I left 30 minutes before class started even though the community center is probably less than 5 miles away. We got lost though and ended up being 5 minutes late. I am pretty much never late so I felt thoroughly embarrassed. I felt like such a slacker mom but the instructor was truly as sweet as could be and repeated the intro for Hartley and I. 

Hartley took to the water so naturally. I think the fact that it's a heated indoor pool just made it feel like a big bath tub. We sang songs that incorporated using the water like the "this is the way we wash our face" song. We played Ring Around The Rosie and did The Hokie Pokie. All the while we got water safety tips. We had the babies go across the pool while we held them on their tummies in a football type hold and on their backs with their heads resting on our chest. Hartley was one of only two babies that actually did some kicking which of course I was totally impressed by. She splashed a ton so sometimes we gave ourselves a little extra space from her classmates. 

Apparently 30 minutes of pool exercise was a lot because she took a 3 hour nap after class! 

I really liked the class. It was tough getting us ready to go and even tougher getting us dressed in the locker room afterward but still so worth it. 

In other news, my baby "crawled" today. The reason I'm using the quotes? She got up on all fours and purposely traveled in a forward trajectory two feet using arms and legs. That will be the Page Crane definition of crawling. Pre-motherhood I always thought milestones were cut and dry. Well I'm here to say, I was totally wrong. I'm always trying to balance giving credit where it's due but not "cheat". I keep a calendar of her milestones so it's always a big deal to me to get them as accurate as possible, even if she doesn't walk until 16 months like her mom ;)

I am oddly exhausted today so if you have extra energy vibes, please send them my way. We need to go to Target to look for a plastic swim diaper (and possibly a hot pink baby bikini as Hartley was mistakenly referred to as a "he" all class long). And the fact that I have no energy for Target is almost scary ;) 

Life Lately.

I always wish I had more time so I could come on here and write things down. I wish I could use it to chronicle everything and to vent when the proverbial (and literal) shit hits the fan. I feel like so many things have happened since I last logged on to talk about my 7 month old girl.

Somehow there's all this time we have to fill in the 11 hours a day Hartley and I are on our own, and yet time ends up managing to escape us. How does that work?

I don't really know where to begin this entry or where to focus. 

I'll start by saying we took our first overnight trip away from Hartley since she was born. We went to Annapolis to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. It was amazing. As much as I truly love my little girl it was so rejuvenating and refreshing to have 24 hours where my mind wasn't keeping track of food intake and poop. I told myself I'd take a bunch of pictures and write a blog about it but the truth is I didn't take my phone out much. That was much better than getting a ton of pictures. 

I loved that overnight so much that I asked my parents to take Hartley for a night in November so Brian and I could do an overnight to celebrate his 30th birthday. I booked a room at Landsdowne, and I might already be counting down ;)

On the day of our anniversary I actually went to the doctor to talk about my lady part issues. I was frustrated because they decided not to do a follow up sonogram. They said it sounded like the provera did it's job (essentially a chemical D&C), so if they did a follow up sonogram things would look normal. I would prefer for them to have checked to make sure but I guess I need to trust them. They started me on birth control. 

Honestly, taking birth control right now is just plain weird. God knows we don't know the future but Brian and I are pretty decided that there will be a 2nd baby crane someday (if the universe allows) so it feels bizarre to be preventing pregnancy. I'm not looking to be pregnant right now; my body and mind don't feel ready. But it's really weird to prevent natural pregnancy because if by some miracle I could achieve a natural pregnancy, I'd view it as a welcome miracle. 

That's enough about me. On the Hartley front, she is growing up so freaking fast. I have been on a picture taking binge because she looks less like a baby and more like a toddler with each passing day. Brian even said over the weekend, "she looks like a toddler now". Maybe it's because she's starting to wear 18 month clothes (though her 12 month stuff still fits) or maybe it's because of her size. She seems so tall now. I used to hate that people kept saying "she looks skinnier". Ugh, she's my baby, I don't want her to be skinny. Babies aren't supposed to be "skinny". But I think they just mean she's thinning out due the extra moving she's doing, and that makes her look older, too.

She continues to be on the cusp of crawling. She rocks back and forth. She has managed 1 coordinated arm and knee forward motion but I'm not counting it. 

Our new family thing is sitting on the floor just watching that sweet diapered butt pop up as she tries to figure things out. 

Over the weekend we went to Barrel Oak Winery. It was her second winery trip since birth and needless to say, it was a thousand times better than the first. It was a beautiful day for it, and she really loves being outside. 

She also tried out the baby swing at the playground for the first time this weekend. The first few minutes she was unsure but she was smiling and laughing in no time as her dad pushed her. I kept track of big sis Winnie. And all four of us got to go down the slides: Hartley in Brian's lap and Winnie in mine. 

We finished off the weekend with a family Target run. Hartley loves Target. She's always babbling and laughing as we stroll all the aisles. Yeah, she's my child for sure! 

We continue to work on the nap schedule. We're starting swimming lessons tomorrow. Basically, H's first fall is off to a fabulous start. I'm really going to try to get better about documenting it on here. 

Hoping everyone else is loving the nice weather and start of fall! Let's soak it up because Winter will be here before we know it! 

7 months.

Dear Hartley,

Today you are 7 months old! You get more wild and fun by the day! You are always smiling and laughing. You are just the epitome of a ham baby. I'm frequently told that you have the best disposition.

I wish I could bottle this stage up and keep it forever. You tire me out like no other but you are just the happiest, sweetest, giggliest little girl lately! 

This past month was a big month for you. You started eating solid foods. You totally hated the first couple weeks of it. But you're starting to come around. Here are the foods you've tried from your favorite to least favorite: sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, butternut squash, banana, avocado, peas. You love to play with your food and attempt to get the spoon in your mouth. 

You still love your bouncer. And dad and I love it because it can handle your energy level better than we can! Dad bought you a fisher price remote a few weeks ago, and it's a current favorite toy. Though you also love brushes, balls and books. You are obsessed with iPhones, which simultaneously cracks me up and drives me nuts. You love baths. 

You love being sung to and listening to music. Dad is always playing oldie type music for you but I stick  with pop stuff and occasionally gangster rap. 

You love being naked and hate having clothes put on you! Your dad has likened diaper changes to wrestling a wild boar, and I'd have to agree. 

This past weekend your dad and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by going out of town to Annapolis for the night. It was our first night away from you, and nana and poppy took care of you. They said you did great! And I know you had fun because you love nana and poppy so much. Poppy has taught you a new trick: ripping up magazines. You think it's a blast, and I think he thinks it's funny to watch you do it. This past weekend he saved a family handyman magazine for you to trash. We are quickly learning "not toys" are far more fun than toys. Especially jewelry - the most fun "not toy" toy! 

You continue to look like you will crawl any day. You mastered backwards crawling this month. It is absolutely hysterical. Between backwards crawling and rolling everywhere, we decided put up a play yard in the living room. You don't mind it but your best friend Winnie hates being separated from you so we usually have to put her in there with you. 

You are big into bouncing. You are the only baby I've ever seen that bounces herself when she's in someone's lap. You much prefer to be moving around on your own than being snuggled. You kind of feel like a toddler before your time! 

I think our current favorite thing is your laugh. It's adorable, and usually very loud. 

The toughest part of this past month was you boycotting naps. You really hate to nap! 

As always, I'm amazed at how our bond grows. We couldn't love you more if we tried.

Happy 7 month birthday, Hartley Glenn! You are so loved now and always. 

5 years of marriage.

Writing my cheesey anniversary post early because I'm not wasting a family Friday blogging :)

Dedicated to my hubby, Brian the Rad Dad Crane (my most loyal blog reader) 

5 years of marriage. How the hell did that happen? Weren't we just 24 years old in our leaky shoebox of a condo dreaming up what it'd be like to be grown ups someday? 

Now we've been married for half a decade, we live in a family friendly neighborhood in the burbs, and we're parents. Your age is going to start with a 3 pretty damn soon. I guess we might be grown ups now. 

Year five has taken a little more work than other years, and I guess that's to be expected when you add a member to your family. We're still figuring out how to be mom and dad while staying Page and Brian. And I'll openly admit, we're not all that used to having to put much effort into this thing so it's tough some days. But hands down, there's not a person I'd rather be figuring adulthood and parenthood with. 

And as cliche as it sounds, I'm loving where we are. Yeah, the mystery thing is officially dead after you saw me bring our daughter into this world but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in our relationship. I amazingly love you more than I ever knew I could on our wedding day. I'm so lucky to have you as my husband, the father to my baby, and my favorite: my friend. 

5 years in. A lifetime to go.

And I hope in 50 years we're still badass (actually, nerdy) enough to watch cheeseball horror movies and drink pumpking together. Your the only person I love enough to share my peanut butter m&m's with.