Back to School and to daycare

I started back to school on Tuesday (after a 2 week workshop - but this time we're in our own schools/rooms). So that meant Regan was going back to the sitter's. Regan was quite unsure about what was going on at first. She was hesitant to go to Jackie or to go and play. She hung at my feet for a while and then gradually walked around. I began to tell her goodbye....no tears....I walked out and she waved me goodbye....I got in my car and looked back at her as she stood at the door waving me on. I was the one in tears (well, almost). When I went to go and pick her up, she didn't want anything to do with me and didn't want to go home. I had to force her out the door - picked her up as she screamed. As soon as we walked down the steps, she was fine. She had a great day and played with old and new friends but DID NOT take a nap. She was too excited to do so. She slept on the way home, put her in her crib when we got home, slept some more...woke up and went to Justin and fell back asleep. It was 6:15 before she would wake up. She ate and played for a while and finally cried her self to sleep around 9:00 or so. Poor kid. The days have gotten better but naps are still few and far between and she still doesn't want to go home...she LOVES it at the sitter's, so I guess all is right in the world according to her. She also eats new and interesting foods there that she won't do for me....but I guess that is the way things go.
This year will certainly be full of new and exciting things for all of us and our families as Caitlin and Ryan both go off to college - our parents' have the "empty nest" now. Hard to believe that. Regan is walking more and more and has pretty much written off crawling (except for those lazy moments) and talks ALL DAY! :) I have a new 5th grade teacher to work with that is from Michigan and we get along great - hope she stays down here. This year will be a challenging one with more responsibilities and added tasks to complete but will be good - just really busy. Justin is still the assistant manager and things are looking quite promising too.
We hope all of you are doing well and we love and miss you!

Ear infection, Bronchitis, new teeth...

So, within the last 2 weeks Regan has acquired another ear infection, bronchitis, and has had 4 OR 5 new teeth start to come in. Can you say "OUCH!". So, we have been to the doctor and Regan is on a steroid, antibiotic, and we had to get a nebulizer for her to have breathing treatments (as needed). I feel so sorry for her!!! She has been gradually getting better and last night she actually slept ALL NIGHT LONG until about 6:45 a.m. I was so proud of her. She hasn't done that in a very long time. So, I guess you can say the meds are working very well.

More to come later....

Walking...

Regan has begun to really take off within the last few days. She was taking 2-3 steps and then would fall down. Now she is up to 6-7 or more and then plops down. It is great to see her confidence grow and of course, we encourage her to no end! :) Here are a few videos of her effort.

One Year Pictures

We took Regan to get her one year pictures last Saturday and here are two of my favorite poses. I wasn't as pleased with them as I was at 3 months, but these turned out okay. I'll just do more of my own sometime - I get what I want that way!! :) Enjoy!

Life with a 13 month old

So, life with Regan has changed so much in the just the last few months. Of course, the last few months have been quite busy with a trip to Illinois and Indiana (within 3 weeks of each other), her first birthday, a trip to Atlantic Beach, and now home. Home...finally and with few interruptions.

However, it is not dull in our house at all....

She is into EVERYTHING (and yes, I knew this would happen). She loves pictures, so she is into looking at all of our pictures, those in and out of frames/books. She also LOVES books....being a teacher, I'm very thrilled about this, but we've read the same 15 books for the last 2 weeks...it gets a little boring. I would love to switch books with her but she ruins paperback books by either tearing the pages or chewing on them, so we stick with board books. Besides, she can turn those pages herself and that is so cute to watch. Oh, she also likes to chew on electrical cords...nice, huh. Needless to say, we have very few items plugged in at her level or where she can get into them.

She also has gotten quite attached to me, so much so, that I can't even go into the bathroom by myself (sigh). I also can't leave the house without her crying. I can only hope that this is continuing only because she is dealing with an ear infection and a nasty cough...I can't have this last for the next 3 weeks, as school will be starting soon. So, this phase really needs to move on.

Now, she isn't always this way but I see and deal with this "stuff" every day/all day. We do have our great moments though...

Yesterday, she and I played in her kiddie pool and sprinkler mat. Regan was having a ball. We were relaxing while Justin put together a patio set. During that time, Regan kept screaming "Hey...Hey Dad" while he was working. It was the cutest thing.

She also has a thing about pushing furniture and toys around. It was so cute to see her push a chair from the dining room table into the kitchen and back....no idea why, but she did it. I guess she is just practicing her walking or showing us how strong she is.

She isn't walking yet, but she is cruising the furniture and takes the occasional step or two, but then gets tired and just plops on down.

By far the best end to my day is when she gives me a hug or a "kiss", rests her head on my chest, and starts to drift off to sleep. I know how few of those hug days I have left before she is too "grown" or its not "cool", so I cherish every moment (for better or worse).