Two posts back I revealed a very cluttered kitchen. I finally got around to cleaning it and then I decided to make some changes. I rolled up the rug (easier to keep clean with baby) & put chair covers on the chairs to soften up the room. I also moved a new table onto this wall. It was green and I decided to paint it cream. I bought some new glass jars to hold goodies and bought a new wall clock. It wasn't much but I feel so much better about it. It's always so nice to have a change! The table is set in this picture because I had a lovely lunch today with two friends and their kiddos. Happy Friday everyone!

The Moment:

January 25

10 a.m.

After putting the baby to sleep I found Magnolia like this in the bathroom. She had taken off her dress and put on her black patent leather shoes. She had gotten into her jewelry box and taken out the necklace Nana brought her back from Italy only to wear it on her head. She was busy brushing her teeth and filling her cup with water. I really love moments like these and have decided to stay focused on capturing as many of them as I can.

::: I'm attempting to participate in my friend, Lisa's, project of posting a black and white photograph every Wednesday. After missing it for two weeks, I've set my camera on manual and started to shoot. It should be a lot of fun! You can read more about the project here.

I love to capture the moments of my day.

I don't do it often but I love when I do.

Dinner time. Table loaded with Christmas ornaments from our "New Year Tree," a tub of my new favorite thing; coconut oil, crafts for making a tiger mask for our Chinese New Year parade. Babydoll "sleeping" under table. Magnolia starting a meltdown because she can't find her rolling pin to roll out her pizza dough.

Every Friday night Magnolia rolls out her own pizza dough, spreads pesto, chooses mushrooms, onions & loads with cheese.

Morning play.

Teeth revealed.

Magnolia wipes baby's face after dinner.

Last week we put George's crib mattress down all of the way. We loaded up his bottom shelf with board books. We brought the rocker from our bedroom into his. And while I sat there rocking and reading to him, he fell asleep in my arms. And suddenly it all came back to me. Suddenly everything felt like it did when we first had Magnolia. Suddenly I was in familiar territory. Magnolia was 9 and half months when we met her in China. George is 9 and a half months now.

George - 9.5 mos.

Mags -9.5 mos., China

George turned 9 months last week. I can hardly believe it. He started to crawl on Christmas Day. He doesn't like to do it and doesn't go very far. Here he is not happy about having to come and get me.And here's the head smack. He drops it either from sheer exhaustion or just for effect...not sure which.
And finally doing what he wants to really be doing, standing. Soon after he took off crawling, he started to pull himself up. He will pull himself up on anything he can and stand for long periods of time. This also means he falls a lot too. In these photos he has a bruise on his forehead and a bruise on his cheek. With these big falls his crying never lasts long. He can be such a tough cookie!
In other news George cut his fifth tooth by the new year. The teething has made him so unbelievably miserable. So much so that I was convinced something else was wrong with him. I took him to the doctor to make sure ears were clear only to be reassured that they were, that I have, in fact, a healthy baby. Good news for sure but I had no idea teething could be this horrible. He's had a reprieve for a week now making him a very sweet and content baby. Also giving way to much more exploration, crawling and climbing. I seem to spend my days sweeping the floor searching for choking hazards. He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.

He's a funny and sweet baby. He loves to wrestle and climb all over me. He loves tickling and rough housing. He loves to conk foreheads with me. With all of his miserable teething we've only been hearing whining and whimpering sounds along with a lot of crying. We've been trying to get him to say mama/dada for a while now. Yesterday we heard him say "ma!" and look towards the kitchen for me. This morning he held his arms up for me and said, "maaaa!" Whether he's figured it out or not, I'm taking it as his first word being for me! :)

We're up to reading 4 books before nap, he used to only sit for two. One of them he's reading above. His Nani made it for him for Christmas. He is able to turn the pages. It is a definite favorite.

Here he is in the hotel in Chicago were I got a good shot of his top two teeth, finally.

Magnolia continues to be George's biggest fan. These two play and laugh together beautifully. Anything she does delights him!

Happy 9 months George!

xoxo

I'm so excited to start a new decade. While the past decade was bookended with two of the most glorious times of my life; my wedding and the arrival of my children, it was mostly sandwiched with a whole lot of heartache. I look forward to the next year and ten with my family. It was all I ever wanted and now I feel so blessed to have it. We sat down together on January 1 and wrote down our goals and wishes for the new year. I took our brightly colored pieces of paper and hung them on the branches of our apple tree in our backyard. That way we can see them from the kitchen window and be reminded of our thoughts. They also look pretty flying around in the wind. It was the start of a new tradition and we'll see if it's one that sticks...

Best wishes to you for a Happy & Healthy New Year!

***if you look closely, you can see one of Magnolia's wishes,"learn to swim." Among that, there was "run fast and not fall down" and "be a really good listener to mommy & daddy."