Some Special Days!

Almost every day is a special day in the life of a nine month old! For example, during one of Canaan's recent baths, she discovered that the water fall coming from the wall is NOT easily attainable. Despite her best efforts, Canaan simply could not grab onto the tube of water and put it into her mouth for the "taste-test." It was a special day for her to realize that while we may try try again to preform the impossible (such as holding onto the mysterious tube of water), at the end of the bath (and the end of the day), her toy fish are still floating around, her mom and dad are still laughing at her, the water is still warm, and life is still good. THAT'S worth a nice, loud squeal.

Another special day Canaan recently discovered was St. Patrick's Day. The day that she had to wear two large and in charge green bows. While her outfit didn't match her bow (which is a day that deserves special recognition itself), it was still a magical day--looking for that sneaky leprechaun who left her a "Lil' Bit O' Irish" t-shirt from the dollar spot at Target on the front porch.

I thought I saw something out there.

Another special day happened a few weeks ago at Berry College with Uncle Michael and Aunt Amy Williams. The day that Canaan kicked the sippy cup to the bucket and began relaying on a styrofoam cup for all her hydration needs.

An extremely special day was when we dedicated Canaan to the Lord. We wanted to follow the example set by Hannah in the book of the Bible, 1 Samuel 1, where she dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord's service. We felt like God has blessed us with Canaan so she can be a blessing to others. In so doing, we wanted to publicly dedicate her life to God so He can bless others through her. On February 22, before our friends and family, we "took her and presented her before the Lord." (1 Samuel 1:22).

The gown actually belonged to Canaan's great-great grandmother! It was worn by each generation, including me--so it was a doubly special day!!

And the final special day that will be included in this blog, is the day that Canaan got WAY cuter! Today!!

Canaan's Attempt to Crawl

Canaan is beginning to crawl so I thought I'd chronicle it for you all.

She begins by pushing up on her arms and stiff-legging her back legs.

Then she really begins to move.

Because of the lack of actually bending her legs, she only moves backward. Very fast, I might add.

She's impressed with herself and her backward momentum.

At times, she stops to strengthen her upper body by doing a few push-ups. She thinks, "Andre, see how I can do a push-up on my toes? AND with a full diaper...that's at least another pound."

And if there's anything she has to reach for that's in front of her, like a toy, but she realizes she's already passed it while moving backward, she will roll over to reach for it.

Then she's on her way again.

Until she hits something (like a wall) and is unable to move backward any more. It's then that she carefully calculates her next move--backwards then left? Or backwards then right?

Sometimes, the decision is just too much and Canaan has to rest for a while.

It's during this time of reflection that she thinks of all her "mobile" friends--Gracie and Marin can move forward on hands and knees. Mackenzie and Sierra walk around--even run sometimes. Joy can not only run, but also can run with something in her hand--like her stethoscope from her doctor kit.

But after a moment of reflection and further strategizing, Canaan is ready to move on again. If not forwards, at least she will move backwards with all her little heart!

Feeding the Ducks

It was a beautiful day a few weekends ago. Tim was training for his 1/2 Marathon at Berry (which he did very well in and looked very cute while running.) So Canaan and I loaded up the bike-with-the-kid-seat-attached-in-the-back and biked around Berry College.

This is Canaan in her "Getting Ready to Bike" attire--big hat for sun protection, yellow jacket for rain protection.

This is Canaan in her "I'm on the Bike and This Helmet is Too Big for My Peanut Head" attire.

The pacifier was totally needed--when the helmet and pink hat shimmied over her eyes, she needed a little reassurance that her mother was still there on the bike and that she was not falling out of the seat and she was still strapped into the five point harness on her bike seat--despite the fact that she felt like someone turned out the lights on her.

And we're off! As you can see, I was not setting a good example for her by NOT wearing a (very uncool) bike helmet. I hope her three grandmothers aren't reading this. If so, the bike helmet fell off somewhere along the way...

We finally make it to Swan Lake (seriously...that's what it's called.) Canaan is prepared for some very close duck/goose/swan encounters. Helmet and hat are off, peripheral vision is on, organic cereal is ready to be dispersed...

The first lucky geese arrive for their tasty treat--Canaan is enthralled! Her legs are furiously kicking, her arms are pumping, and she's squealing, "eeeeeee!!!"

"Closer, closer..." she's thinking. "I've put one right here for you...just a little bit closer..."

After a while, we decide to get even closer to the ducks--who seemed to be a bit more "excited" about the prospect of a small peanut who kind of looks like a duck in her yellow jacket, with a big bag full of yummy (and healthy) cereal.

The ducks begin to surround while Canaan's not looking...

And they attack. Just kidding.

This one became aggressive, though, so we decided to call it a day. While all fingers were still attached to tiny little hands.

Canaan's first "Duck Feeding Experience"--successful. Ducks have been fed healthy, nutrient rich cereal; Canaan's cognitive development reached a new level ("Ohhhhh, so this duck is the same as the duck on my exersaucer that makes the 'Quack, quack' sound and lights up when I press it hard enough. This duck is a little louder and more aggressive, though."); and Canaan learns an important lesson on bike safety (Even though the helmet won't fit for another two years, and even if it doesn't look very cool, I'll have to just toughen up and wear it, even if I can't see anything half the time.)