Pictures as promised!

There are so many pictures that I decided to put a link to my album rather than spend hours posting them all on the blog. Hope you enjoy!

November/December

I'm a better mom for not spending so much time blogging

Sorry... I realize I have not updated the blog in quite a while. We have been very busy over the last month. November brought Thanksgiving and the Iron Bowl (ROLL TIDE!), and Hannah turning 10 months, and December has been Mara's Wedding, Hannukah, Christmas, and in a few days New Years! My computer just returned from being fixed, so I have not had a chance to download pictures yet. I will do that tomorrow if Jason remembers to bring home my camera. Tomorrow Hannah will be 11 months old... here are 11 things you should know about Hannah:

1. She is walking all over the place! She walks more than she crawls now and is into everything!
2. She still only has 2 teeth. I am dreading the arrival of the next ones.
3. She said ducky tonight for the first time... as in rubber ducky in the bathtub. she talks to herself constantly. Mostly it is babble, but there are a few words mixed in there for good measure.
4. She has started pointing and saying "eh" to get what she wants (sound familiar Robert?)
5. She understands "no ma'am," but thinks it is funny when I say it and, therefore, doesn't always stop what she is not supposed to be doing.
6. We visited the zoo for the first time this past Saturday. She had the most fun on the carousel. She also rode the train, petted a sheep, and called every animal we saw a doggy.
7. She has moved up to size 4 diapers, but can still wear her 9 month clothing.
8. She finally pays attention to her baby Huggums doll. We introduced her to the baby a few nights ago and she hugged her. She also will kiss her on command, but watch out... Hannah only gives open mouth kisses!
9. Her hair is finally growing! When it is wet it looks really long in the back. When it is dry the back is starting to curl up.
10. She talks on her play telephone. If you hold it up to your ear, then say that the person (usually Nana or Gigi when we are playing) wants to talk to her she grabs the phone, puts it up to her ear and squeals "Hey (Gigi or Daddy)."
11. She will bring things to you if you ask for them. For example, if she is holding something and you say, "bring that to mommy," or "give that to Uncle Scott," she will take whatever she is holding to that person.

I could go on and on about how wonderful Hannah is. She makes us laugh every day, and never ceases to amaze me. She is the happiest baby I have ever seen (for those of you at Mara's wedding- that weekend was an exception!), and is just so much fun.

From the lost files

A few very cute pictures that I forgot about!

These boots are made for WALKing

Well, almost... Hannah took her first steps this past Sunday! We did manage to capture it on video tape; however I haven't figured out how to get that video up here. She first took just a few steps, and got that funny look on her face like she had done something fun. Then she just stood up and walked a good 4 feet! She has one of those toys that you can ride or push at her Gigi and Pops house, so she spent all day Monday pushing it around the room! She still prefers crawling at this point, but pretty soon she will be fully mobile!

Some new foods that Hannah has tried lately are ground beef, turkey, mandarin oranges, biscuits, toast, and macaroni noodles. We are always looking for ideas for new foods, so if you have any suggestions please feel free to let us know!

Halloween

UPDATE:




Last week we celebrated Hannah's first Halloween! Unfortunately, it was not much of a celebration, but we had fun watching her play in her costume. Jason went to New Orleans for Phillip's bachelor party, so Hannah and I went to GiGi and Pops' house to help pass out candy. Hannah dressed as a monkey, and had a monogrammed banana candy bag for all of her treats (thanks Aunt Mara and Nana).

This past weekend we headed to Atlanta for the night. We got to stay with Noah and Lara, and had a great time visiting with them. Bryan and Katie met us for dinner at Six Feet Under, which was really yummy until I spilled drawn butter all over my favorite jeans (yes, it stained). On Sunday I went to a shower for Marla, while Hannah and Jason spent more time with the fam. It was a short trip, but we really enjoyed seeing everyone.

For some reason blogger is not letting me upload pictures, so I will try to get the Halloween pictures up later!

Hannah is 9 Months!

It is unbelievable how time flies. I look at Hannah every day, and it just amazes me how much she has grown, and how smart, funny, and adorable she is. We have spent the last two days together, and this was the first time that we have been by ourselves and without Jason. I can't think of anyone I'd rather spend my weekend with! Hannah's 9 month appointment was Thursday, and unfortunately, it was not a pleasant one. Not only did she have to get three shots, but she has a double ear infection and is anemic. I felt so sorry for her, but she did ok. You would never even know she was sick. The pictures above are a small preview from our portrait session a few weeks ago. We have the most beautiful pictures of Hannah. There are too many to share, but if you are expecting a gift from me anytime soon you can bet that it will probably be a picture of Hannah!

Here are 9 things you should know about Hannah:
1. She can now say doggie, and identify a dog! She say da-gee anytime a dog (or cat, as I found out yesterday) comes anywhere near her.

2. She can also say/wave bye bye (but not always on command), and say ma ma and da da

3. Her new favorite thing is the light switch. Our old bathtime routine always ended with her laughing at herself in the mirror, but now she turns off the light!

4. She can now start eating some table foods such as well cooked vegetables, scrambled egg yolks, and potatoes. We tried diced peaches and bananas yesterday, but neither of them went over very well. Today we tried a mixture of corn, carrots, and green beans, and she seemed to like them a little better (most of them ended up in her seat. I have a feeling our dogs are about to get fatter!).

5. She can almost stand on her own. She is standing up and will let go, but usually only lasts a few seconds before she falls or has to grab onto something.

6. She dressed as a monkey for Halloween! (pictures to follow soon)

7. She is still wearing 9 months clothes, and they are a little too big, but she is now in the 50 -75th percentile in height and weight instead of just the 50th.

8. She is 19 lbs and 28 inches, which we thought meant she could move into her new carseat. However, Dr. Farr (or Dr. Uncle Phillip as we affectionatley call him- he looks a lot like Phillip) said that we have to stay rear-facing for the entire first year. Dr. Farr also said that we need to be completely off the bottle and using sippy cups by 12 months... yikes!

9. Hannah can high five and give kisses... again, not always on command, but we are working on it!!

Roadtrips, Fever, and JOB... oh my!

Last weekend we piled all of our gear into Jason's truck and headed down south for Mara's Bachelorette weekend. We left Thursday and drove down to Mobile to get Hannah set up at Nana and Papa's house. We had a nice lunch with Mamaw on Friday, and then went to Gulf Distributing to pick up a few necessary items. WOW... does it look awesome! There is a tiny bit, and I mean tiny, that I recognize, and everything else is brand new. The upstairs offices are nicer than my house (so I might be moving in up there), and the warehouse has a fan that has 40 ft. long blades (I might be exaggerating, but it was HUGE)! Jason and I then drove over to New Orleans where we got to spend a little time with Scott before they dropped me off at the hotel. Mara did not have the easiest travels, so we surprised her with a drink, some cheese (which proved to be a good call later that evening), and some decorations courtesy of Katie and Ellen. When everyone got into town we went to dinner at NOLA. I could write an entire post about how amazing this dinner was. I'm salivating right now thinking about it. After dinner we went out in the quarter and all had a great time. The picture above is from our trip to Pat O's. Saturday we had brunch at Bacco, and then had a limo take us to several bars uptown. That night we had a great dinner at a new place called Meaux, and then I retired back to the hotel while everyone else hung out at the bar right nextdoor. Sunday we headed home, and of course picked up Hannah on the way! This week was semi-normal, until Hannah came down with a fever on Tuesday. Poor baby... it is so hard because they just can't tell you where it hurts. This is the first time Hannah has had a fever, so we just didn't really know what to do. The highest it got was 101.5, which was last night, and she was just fussy and generally unhappy. We let her sleep with us, and then she went to spend the day with her Gigi and Pops so they could nurse her back to health. We're not sure if the fever is gone, but she is a happy little girl today. I couldn't stay home with her because I started my new JOB today! YEA! I'm going to be working for Norton's Florist, and I'm training to be the manager of the Gift Basket division, as well as do some corporate sales. I'm really excited, and I think it is going to be exactly what I've been looking for. I will keep you posted!

Roadtrips, Fever, and JOB... oh my!

Ouch!

Hannah has cut her first tooth (finally)! We thought it was never going to happen, but as of Tuesday you can feel something a little sharp on her bottom gum. You can't really see anything yet, but you can definitely feel it! Hannah has not really been unusually cranky, but she has had a runny nose, which I hear is a symptom of teething. She is drooling a lot and chewing everything (including the grocery cart, gross!), but neither of these are unusual for Hannah. We do have Orajel and Tylenol on hand just in case! The pictures above are from this past Sunday. The Touchton family, minus Dooley, went to Veteran's Park to visit Pops at his car show. Hannah got to swing and slide, and was again called a boy several times. I think I'm going to throw away the overalls (not really, because I love them, I don't care if you think my baby girl is a boy!). On Monday we had family portraits taken and Hannah was a star. You would think that she was born to be photographed. She was smiling and laughing, and doing everything you would hope your baby would do for family pictures. Unfortunately, it was 100% humidity outside, so my hair was HUGE, and for that reason you may never see the wonderful pictures of Hannah! I haven't seen them yet, so maybe they aren't so bad, but it does make me a little nauseous thinking about it. Let's hope my big hair didn't block Hannah's pretty smile!

PS- I almost forgot to thank all of you for your support and comments in my fight against mean people who call Hannah a boy! I have been putting her in dresses more often, but until she can walk we will still have to wear pants!

Is it really that hard to tell she's a girl?

I know Hannah has no hair, but seriously, isn't she too pretty to be a boy? Lately, we have encountered a lot of people who think our pretty little girl is a sweet baby boy! I don't dress her in boys clothes, although I don't always put her in a dress. She doesn't have enough hair for a bow, and I'm kind of anti headbands. She can't wear dresses all of the time because it hinders her crawling, so what is the answer? The picture below is an example of an outfit she was wearing when someone called her a boy. They also laughed and said, "I bet your Daddy dressed you today!" Actually, I dressed her... it was cold outside, and who are these people that make comments like that?

Hannah is 8 Months!

So, I'm a few days late on this one, but Hannah is now 8 months old! She and I just returned from a trip to Mobile. She had fun visiting everyone, and she got to meet her new friend Peyton Rudolph! Sorry,only one picture with this post, my camera had to be shipped off to be fixed, but I do have new computer, so those old problems should go away!

Eight things you should know about Hannah (in no particular order):

1. She has several nicknames including, but not limited to: Hannah Banana, Hannah B., Little, Sweet Sweet

2. Hannah has started eating Saltine crackers. She doesn't really eat them as much as she gums them, but it is still a milestone.

3. She can drink from a sippy cup, but still prefers her bottle.

4. She is starting to wave bye bye. Not really on command, but we are trying!

5. She has baby eczema on her elbows and knees, boo. It doesn't seem to bother her at all, but I sure do hate it for her.

6. Hannah is going to be a monkey for Halloween. Aunt Mara suggested that Dooley be a banana... we'll see.

7. She is starting to get separation anxiety. She cries for a just a minute when we leave her at daycare, and when we are together she looks at me for approval before going to another person.

8. She is starting to hold her bottle. Yay!

Busy weekend!

We have a had a busy weekend! On Friday, Hannah and I went over to the Aldridge's house for a playdate with Jill and Bradley. It was the first time we have gotten the two together, and we had such a great time! It was nice to catch up with Jill, and talk baby to another new mom. We have so much to learn, and it is great to see how other moms do the same things we do day in and day out. Jill took the beautiful pictures that you see above, and convinced me that I REALLY need a new camera! Friday night Hannah, Jason and I went to the Greek Festival for some yummy food! We love Greek food, and look forward to this every year. Saturday morning Hannah and I met Mandy (her teacher from daycare) and her little boy Daniel to go to Babypalooza. It is a booth type show that was at Brookwood Mall. They had booths from baby stores, hospitals, and everything in between. It was great for Mandy because she is expecting number 2! Hannah and I got some information about the new carseat we want, and I think I'm going to go buy that today. I just have to decide what color I want. They come in Red & Black (which would be my first choice, but Jason already said no), Pink & Black (which is not practical if we are going to be using this again in the future), Gray & Black and Khaki & Black (the two I'm choosing between). After that Hannah and I will be going to another playdate with Jill and Bradley, but this time at Jessica Garrison's house. She has just moved back to Birmingham, and has invited us all over to see her new house, and to play with her and Moseley. I'm sure there will be pictures to follow!

I left out Sunday! Yesterday, we had a lazy day watching football and napping, and then met cousins Gary, Evan, Ryn, and Aunt Irma for dinner at Haciendas. The food was pretty good, and there was a Mariachi band! Hannah loved meeting her cousins/great-great aunt, and dancing to the music!

PICTURES...finally!

So, Jason let me upload all of my pictures to his external harddrive, and I can now share them with you! There are a lot since my computer has not been working lately. I hope you enjoy!!





Jason and I on our cruise. Sorry, forgot to rotate the picture before I uploaded!





The first time I walked in to get Hannah and she was standing!


Hannah and her doggie, Dooley.


No, I did not pose this picture. She looks so studious!














Hannah and her doggie, Rupert.





This is what she looks like when she wakes up in the morning.


these are the letters that GiGi made for Hannah's nursery.

Hannah is Seven Months!

No, we are not Auburn fans, but Daddy, Gigi and Pops are, so they got Hannah this cheerleading uniform. I think the colors are really ugly, but I must admit, she looks really cute!


That's right, little Hannah Martin is seven months old! She continues to amaze us every day. She spends her days playing and laughing, and we get so much joy from watching her discover the world around her. The last few weeks have been busy and fun-filled, while I have been jobless and getting to spend more time with Hannah and Jason. Last week Jason and I went on a cruise to Cozumel! It was the perfect vacation. We were on the ship for a day and a half before docking in Cozumel. On the ship we layed by the pool, played bingo, read (yes, Mara, I do read books), and caught up on some much needed rest. Once we were in Cozumel we shopped a little before heading to the all-inclusive resort that we had day passes to. At the resort they had snorkeling in the crystal blue water, pool and hot tub, full open bar, all you can eat Mexican cuisine, and massages in a tiki hut overlooking the water (these were not included, but Jason and I indulged!). We were in Cozumel for about 8 hours before the ship headed back to Mobile. While we were gone Hannah was on her own vacation in Mobile. She stayed the long weekend at her Nana and Papa's house and had so much fun! She got to play with Uncle Robert, who she loves, and Buster, who she loves even more! She had a lot of visitors, and got a lot of new toys. She didn't want to leave!!

This week I really got a taste of what is like to be a stay at home mom. Although I did have a few interviews in the beginning of the week (all unsuccessful), I spent most of the week with my sweet baby. We have been attempting to get Hannah accustomed to her playpen, so most of my free time this week has been watching her play in the playpen. She resisted at first, but now she seems to really like it. She loves the netting on the sides, and is even known to smush her face and tongue against it! It is the funniest thing you have ever seen (think fat cheeked child blowing on a car window). She has also started squealing with delight. Anything that makes her happy or smile she squeals just to make sure you know how excited she is. Right now she is sitting in her playpen watching me type and squealing nonstop! Hannah and I have also gone to the pool, visited Daddy, Gigi and Pops at work, and gone to the grocery store. We plan on going to the pool again today, and maybe going to Oak Mountain tomorrow for a picnic and hike. And, I have just learned from her blog that Jess Garrison and family are now officially moved back to Birmingham, so maybe while I'm still unemployed we can get our two little ones together!

At seven months Hannah is speed racer crawling, standing up, using anything and everything to balance so that she can stand up, putting anything and everything in her mouth, chasing the dogs, laughing, squealing, jumping, bouncing, saying ba ba and da da (we don't assume she is saying daddy), resisting eating/napping because she would much rather be playing, and starting to pay attention to the tv (we have begun only putting it on Nickelodeon or Wee Sing when she is in the room).

My computer still sucks, and will not talk to my camera (a screw just fell out of the bottom of my computer, and this happens often), so the only pictures that I have are courtesy of Gigi and Pops. If anyone wants to help me with my crappy computer please feel free to offer advice!

Growing so fast

Our sweet Hannah is growing so quickly! She is fully crawling now, and loves to chase Dooley, Rupert and Lucy. She is trying so hard to stand up, and can do it with support. Any day now!! Friday she moves up to her new class at daycare. She will be in the 6mos - 1yr class, so she will be with most of the same babies that she is already with, plus a few new ones. I'll be going to Vegas this weekend for a bachelorette party, so Jason and Hannah will be on their own! Wish them luck!

Hannah is Six Months!

Hannah helping with the laundry

Hannah at the doctor's office. She loved the sound of the paper on the table and just wanted to play with it.

I can't believe it, but today Hannah turned six months old! She is growing so fast... I'm scared to blink. We went for her six month appointment yesterday. Dr. Farr gave her a good report. She is 16 1/4 pounds and 25 1/2 inches long. Hannah is now bigger than Dooley! We were given the ok to feed her two solid meals per day (instead of one), so she now gets lunch and dinner. Tonight she had chicken and brown rice, and just could not get enough of it! This weekend we are heading to Mobile for her grandfather's birthday. We can't wait to see everyone down there!

Unemployed... again

That's right, I have resigned from my position with Morrison Management Specialists. Unfortunately, it was not quite the opportunity that I was looking for, so I am now on the hunt for a new job. It's too bad I can't get paid to watch tv or surf the internet, because I've really gotten to be a professional at those two things. I am still working right now, but as of August 15th I will be officially unemployed. PLEASE, if you know of anyone hiring in Birmingham let me know! Tommorrow is Hannah's 6 month check-up, so look for another update then!

Sit Happens

No, that is not a typo. Hannah is sitting up on her own! And... Hannah is CRAWLING!!! That's right, our prodigy of a child is ahead of the game and can now sit up, crawl, and pull up to her knees with the support of her crib or a large toy. On deck, playing the piano.

The Blog gets a facelift

So, as you can see, our blog has been redesigned (thanks to EBS Designs )! With my new desire to be a better blogger I decided we needed a better looking blog. My computer sucks, so my camera is still not able to upload pictures, but below are a few pictures courtesy of Hannah's Pops.

So, I recently have discovered...

that my blog is really not that great! I spent an hour this morning looking at other blogs, and was blown away. Now granted, I'm not a stay at home mom, or SAHM as some bloggers refer to themselves, but the amount of time and creativity put into some of these pages is unbelievable. There are custom designs, family logos, signatures and the like. Not only are their pages more creative than mine, but the blog postings are so much more interesting to read. Is this because we naturally think everyone else's life is more interesting than our own, or am I just a really bad writer? I think that there is a fine line when it comes to blogging. You can easily share too much information, and who wants the intimate details of their lives posted on the internet for all the world to see? And how appropriate is that anyway? I guess the beauty of this blogging is that you are in control of what, and how much, is shared with the rest of humanity. So, I'm going to try to do better at sharing, and try to make my postings more entertaining! I know most of you don't even read the text and just want to see the pictures of Hannah. For those of you who do take the time to read, I hope that my new found efforts will give you a glimpse into the daily happenings of the Touchtons!

Here goes:

Some funny/cute/sweet things that Hannah is doing these days:
1. "swimming," no not in the pool, but on the bed! She is trying really hard to crawl, but she has quite figured out that she has to pick herself up on her knees. So, she lays on her tummy and moves her arms and legs. Or, she just pulls herself towards whatever she is trying to get by grabbing a handful of sheets. We haven't tried this on the floor yet.

2. "talking," in her own language. She talks to the tv, to Dooley, to herself in the mirror... pretty much to anything/anyone who will listen. Her language mostly consists of "da," "gi," "ga," and that funny noise you make when you blow air through your closed lips. (picture drool or dinner flying across the room)

3. holds her own bottle- she's been doing this for a few weeks now, but she is getting better every day. Of course, we do still have to support it, but she will hold onto to it with one or both hands. She also pulls the bottle out when she needs a break.

4. playing with the dogs. Hannah LOVES Dooley (who doesn't?). She laughs at both dogs, but she loves to pet Dooley. Sometimes she pets softly, but most of the time she grabs a handful of fur or ear, and pulls. Dooley is growing more patient, and has yet to snap at her, but you can tell he would much rather be left alone. Poor Rupert would love for Hannah to pet him, but I won't really let him near her. He is much sweeter and gentler than Dooley, so why don't I want him near her? HE STINKS!!! And, he licks her face, which Dooley does too, but Rupert kisses are much grosser than Dooley kisses.

5. trying to sit up. She hasn't quite mastered this yet, but she sure is trying hard. If you sit her up she will stay for about 15 seconds before she either falls forward or to one side. Again, we have not tried this on the floor, yet. The bed seems to be the safest place to try all things baby. I'm not ready for sweeping the floor everyday (sorry Momma), or any trips to the emergency room.

6. She is a tee tee monster. She pees constantly. As soon as you change her diaper she pees again. Often times she will pee while you are changing her diaper (I thought this was just a boy thing). We have started a new trick at bathtime to avoid getting baby tee tee in the clean bathwater. We fill her baby tub inside the big tub with warm water. Before sitting her in the tub we stick her foot in the warm water with her body hanging over the side of the baby tub. That way she tee tees into the big tub, rather than into her clean water. If I didn't learn anything in middle school I went to enough slumber parties to learn that dipping a hand or foot into warm water usually lead to urination. I know, gross, but at least I'm bathing my baby in clean water.

A few things that I love about Hannah:
1. When you feed her a bottle she wraps her arm around you and tickles your side.
2. When she wakes up in the morning or from a nap she smiles when she sees you like you have rescued her from her crib.
3. Hannah is 9.5 times out of 10 friendly to strangers. She will almost always smile, but the cutest is when she gets bashful and smiles, but then hides her face.


Ok, so enough for now, or I won't have anything to write in my next very interesting blog post.

Yay America

Over the past four days Hannah, Jason and I have had a nice break from the real world. We went to the pool on Thursday, a BBQ on Friday, and spent a lot of time playing and watching Hannah try to crawl!