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.)

Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day morning--first Valentine's day ever (we celebrate at the Mountain House) and Canaan gets an educational toy.

That's what happens when you have a teacher as a mother.

And she thought it was funny to put a bow on my head.

Canaan was especially excited about the very sweet card that her Daddy gave her. She was also excited about the tissue paper--as you can see in the background, she's already tried to eat it.

And in the spirit of giving, Canaan gives her Grandma and Grandpa a balloon and candy--Canaan was hoping they'd give it back to her to play with. But we learned a little lesson about "Indian Giving."

Next, Canaan gave her Grammy and Uncle Roy (Maureen's actual Aunt Beth and Uncle Roy from Minnesota) a chocolate rose. Everyone was clearly excited.

Next, Canaan presents her Uncle John (Maureen's brother) and his new dog Val, a valentine--lots of candy. Canaan was thrilled about Val and secretly hoped that her Uncle John would give her Val for Valentine's Day.

As you can see in this video, eating a dog is way better than eating any kind of Valentine candy.

So to celebrate her first Valentine's Day, Canaan had to change outfits (again) into the cutest brown outfit given to her by her Grandma. And after eating the Valentine card she made for her Grandma, Canaan gets ready for her "First Valentine's Day Interview."

Her Grammy and Uncle Roy had come to visit, her Uncle John is there, Val is anticipating what Canaan will say, Grandma and Grandpa are watching, Daddy is video taping, and Mom is commentating. We are ready to commemorate Canaan's first Valentine's Day.

As you can see in the end of the video, Canaan begins to "zone." She's probably reflecting on the Valentine that's waiting at home...and that lives at 411 Redwood Trail...Andre Clark.

Or maybe she was thinking about how relaxing that nice, long soak in the hot-tub with her Uncle John was.

But we know that she was really thinking about her absolute, all time, totally favorite Valentine's--her Mom and Daddy!

A Day at the Park

Being the beautiful weekend that it was, we decided to go on a family outing to the park! So with picnic basket loaded, baby strapped in the Bjorn, diaper bag and purse in tow, we were off. Through the Swafford's backyard, past the ferocious dogs, navigating the prickly briers, beyond the baseball fields, and we were there.

Canaan was excited to finally be there. A trek through the woods is difficult when the possibility looms that your tights could be snagged on a brier. At least her pink headband kept the sweat out of her eyes.

First stop, the slide! Flip video posed to take in the action, Canaan perching at the top of the slide, Tim ready to push/slide/pull her down, and Canaan was thrilled! It wasn't quite as fast as she would have preferred, but at least it was 17 times the size of the slide in our backyard. Still thrilling.

Next stop, the "big" swing. MUCH bigger than the blue swing in the backyard. This was Canaan's first experience in a big swing and she was ready. We had prepped her in the art of "pumping", to which she proved quite proficient. As you can see in the video, Canaan was hoping she could actually loop around the entire swing set--something only dreamed possible by children in playgrounds across America. "Today," Canaan thought, "I'm going to 360 this thing." We just let her believe she could--"Pump, Canaan, pump!!" we kept telling her.

And after feeling like she could conquer every playground urban legend, Canaan was ready for the monkey bars. While it seemed as though she lacked sufficient upper body strength to make it across, her daddy saved the day and "helped" her make it to the other side. Dads really make you feel like you can do anything. We decided to teach her to hang by her legs during our next playground visit.

Next stop, trying to drop wood chips down the holes on top of the kids hiding below there.

Just kidding--we think she was only pooping.

Ahhhh...the feeling of a good poop!

Before we could eat our picnic, Canaan had to experience one more marvel of the American Playground...the bouncy thing.

Canaan was not as excited about the bouncy thing as she was about the monkey bars. In fact, after "experiencing" it, she let go of the handle bars in an attempt to jump ship, but instead happened to "Heimlich" herself. Causing even more trauma on the bouncy thing.

Finally, lunch time. A little mush, a nice apple, and a cold bottle of water to wash it all down.

We love the park!