Jane Walked Today!

Jane took her first steps today! She was walking around my legs holding on to my pants, as she often does, but holding on lightly.  I said "it's almost like she could let go and walk," which she then proceeded to do! She stood by herself for a few seconds and then took a couple of wobbly steps. Then she fell to her knees and cried because she was a bit scared.  Michael had just come into the room so he saw it too!  She already loves walking around while holding on to furniture with one hand, and sometimes she lets go with both hands, just resting her belly against the coffee table.  In no time she'll be walking everywhere! 

Yay Janie! 

Jane Waking Up

Jane is always so happy when she wakes up...it's the best.

Janie's First Birthday Party

I wish I could find more opportunities for Jane to wear this dress.  Jane seems to find it hard to move in, though.

Michael's whole family was able to come because they had Spring Break, too

I finally got my own!

This is the pile before the guests arrived

we had the party two days before St. Patrick's day, so it was Irish-themed--I made bangers & mash, brown bread, green blueberry cake, and Brenda made green punch

enjoying bangers & mash later

Jane's birthday party was well-attended: the Crewses, my mom and Pete, and many friends from Baylor all graced our home! Jane loved it, although she got a bit overwhelmed at times.  She shoved an entire piece of green cake in her mouth all at once, which was very enjoyable for her but seemed to prevent her from napping that afternoon. She got so many cute outfits and toys--we are all stocked up with age-appropriate goodies, just like we were last year from her showers! 

I can't believe it's been a year since she was born.  I really can't believe it.  She is so big and alert, talking, smiling, laughing, and dancing up a storm lately.  The past year has been a very rewarding daze.  We really are completely in awe of this amazing baby God has given us.  We still don't know what we're doing half the time, and still feel a bit sleep-deprived, but it's amazing how you learn to make it up as you go and develop  a kind of parenting confidence.  Janie really is pure sweetness--so beautiful.  How did this baby not exist on the earth before last year?

Spring Break: Mama Peggy & Pete's Visit

Daddy loves showing Jane the world

This is Jane's first time seeing Baylor's beautiful Armstrong Browning Library, and she loved it

A whole library about poetry?

We went to a Baylor Baseball game, which is special for us as a Baylor baseball game was the beginning of our courtship almost three years ago

At Waco's Cameron Park Zoo, which is full of bamboo

So much to see!

Christmas card shot?

Say "cat," Jane

Giraffes?!  How great is this world!

Pete pushing Janie

Awww

Ain't Daddy great?

Jaguar!

The Jaguar paces back and forth right in front of the window--so cool

We also went to Homestead Heritage, a community that makes traditional arts and crafts and yummy from-scratch food. You can see Janie trying to emerge from her stroller!  She will not be held down. 

Bryan's Birthday

Here is Janie with her sweet cousin Lara, who loves taking care of her

Jane with Nana and Uncle Bryan

Jane favors the monochromatic look

Finger Foods

Jane is doing so great with eating lately.  She seems to prefer feeding herself, which is just fine with us, and supposedly a predictor of future health (although who knows with all the studies you hear about--seems like a stretch sometime).  Anyway, for a while we were feeding her a lot of oatmeal, yogurt, mashed bananas, mashed sweet potatoes, and store-bought baby food.  She ate canned pumpkin for a bit, too.  I did not do the whole make-fabulous-homemade-creative-organic-baby-purees thing--that is admirable but I can barely get it together to make dinner lately!  And getting out the blender is stressful and noisy.  I am reluctant to use noisy appliances because they make Jane burst into tears (like the coffee grinder I used this morning).  Which means I really need to vacuum.

The first adult food (read: with salt & butter) Jane had was mashed potatoes at Christmas time, which she loved (duh, who wouldn't), and now she is almost completely self-feeding and no longer restricted to purees, which means she can pick up chunks of food herself!  She eats really slow, which is also fine, because it gives us time to eat along with her, or do the dishes, or sweep the floor, or whatever.  When she's full she begins to throw the food on the floor or bang the tray to watch it jump in the air.  I keep the broom out at all times, and there is some food crusted on the floor that I am still trying to remove.

Her favorites right now are blueberries, cinnamon bread, banana bread, waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs, peas, meat when it is warm--and her ultimate favorite, Cheerios, which never fail.  She still loves bananas (her favorite food in the mashed stage), but they are slippery to get in her mouth.  She also has enjoyed diced sweet potatoes, and when I make the effort to feed her, she still likes yogurt, oatmeal, etc.  I still hold out hope that she'll grow to love avocados.  I think her love of fruit and vegetables has made her very regular--we are changing a lot of full diapers. It is adorable to watch her eat and stuff a handful of food in her mouth.  She's doing great with chewing, even with only four teeth (two on top, two on bottom), and it is great when she can eat our meal along with us.  Another nice thing about feeding a baby is that you don't have to come up with a perfectly nuanced combination of flavors. You can do avocados and waffles, for example. 

ready to eat, at our favorite diner, Cafe Cappucino

I guess restaurants understand babies--they brought this egg out in under two minutes

the best way to get it all in

I see you, Mom!

You better believe we got a hard time from compassionate old ladies that passed about Jane's "tootsies"--it was warm, I swear. Also, it is hard to put and keep shoes on.

Eating is great!  I love this leather bib (I got the idea from my friend Rachel).  It is so easy to rinse off and re-use at every meal.  Also love the cheap Ikea high chair--nice and simple, easy to clean.

I heard that my sister's mother-in-law used to put oatmeal right on the tray, so I tried it here.  I made it kind of dry. Jane didn't really take to it, but I could try it again. 

Valentine's Day--& a doggie

On Valentine's weekend, we were at George and Brenda's so Michael and I could do research at Texas State and UT-Austin, both of which have archives of manuscripts by our dissertation authors (awesome). We also went out to eat at a fabulous Argentinian restaurant (I learned that Argentinian food means delicious empanadas, raisins in everything, really succulent, well-prepared meat, an amazing array of desserts made with dulce de leche, and chimichurri sauce, which is a delicious, tangy, herbal pesto/salsa kind of thing).  Janie had fun meeting her cousins' doggie, Peaches. She wasn't scared at all!

Sword-fighting with a big rose--yeah!  Fighting for love?

Lara!

Shannon!

the queen

Peaches!

pet the doggie

kiss the doggie!

Lara is so good at entertaining Janie