Chats with Papa, Growls and Attempts at Jumping (Video!)

On a recent papa/daughter night (mama was at her writing workshop), Wes decided to get out his phone and record their "conversations". It's adorable. One of her new things is growling like...some kind of animal? Who knows. I also took some videos of her attempts at jumping. She gets that she can lift both of her feet at the same time, but how to do that is still a bit of a mystery. Enjoy some laughs courtesy of Seeley.

A Room of Her Own

One of the main reasons we moved was to get a little more space, especially for Seeley. She is running, climbing and playing more than ever before! We also wanted to give Seeley her own room. I didn't have my own room until high school and I don't think it's absolutely neccesary for kids to have their own rooms, but with Seeley being an only child it worked out that she has no one to share with ;) She has quite a bit of stuff and we are definitely happy that now there is a place for everything and everything is in it's place. We both are big on not indulging her too much (well, wait till you see the pictures, maybe I'm in denial) as far as toys because we want her to able to use her imagination, be creative and entertain herself. I feel so lucky, grateful and excited that we were able to put together a room that allows her to do just that. She can have tea parties, draw, read, rest, and play in her ridiculously large and adorable room. I'm actually quite jealous :)

A table and chairs for tea and conversation.

Eco friendy, "green" tea set. Obivously;)

Fly fly

The most adorable lounge chair for babies.

Sunlit room of fun!

Furry friends. And she loves every one of them!

Her library. Most of it.

A girl and her room.

Something old (100 year old rocker that used to belong to great, great grandma Avery) with many things new.

And she has some things to wear (did I say we weren't indulging her?)

Reading and drinking tea. Her mother's daughter.

A secret toy chest!

Happy girl

New House!

We are loving our new house! We're especially loving the nature trail next door. Seeley is running from room to room and loving the space. We have a happy home over here :)

Nature girl!

Treeees!

It's so bizarre to see her walking by my side!

The beginnings of our kitchen/dining area.

Seeley's gigantic, currently barren bedroom.

Mama and Papa finally have a room of their own again!

And our awesome living room.

A Goodbye/Love Letter To Our Apartment

Everything changes. And as much as I am excited for the future and ready to be done with whatever is happening in the present, when the future becomes now it always seems to have appeared suddenly, and there's always something good about the soon-to-be past that I realized much too late. We're in the process of moving to a beautiful apartment near Wes' office in Hillsboro. We're climbing on top of eachother in our current one bedroom apartment and our new place is huge: 12 foot faulted ceilings, two big bedrooms, a washer and dryer in the apartment (hallelujah!) We have been talking about an apartment upgrade forever and now it's finally happening.

Our current apartment is literally falling apart. The closet doors are coming off the hinges and a kitchen cupboard fell off in Wes' hands last week. I haven't even gone into the once hospitable management office that repeatedly increases the rent without making improvements to the building. This move could not come at a better time. But... I'm gonna miss this place like crazy. I've been through the biggest changes of my life in this apartment and neighborhood. I found out I was pregnant, went through labor and currently give Seeley baths in that tiny bathroom. I gave birth in the bedroom and spent countless sleepless nights looking out the window trying to guess what time it was. I walked through the apartment complex and through the nearby folf course over and over when Seeley was just born and I couldn't walk much further. I've been to the library and yoga studio down the street more times than I can remember. Leaving this place feels like the end of the "having a new baby and trying to survive phase" which, believe me, I was desprate to leave behind. But now I am and it's just plain sad. But we're settled now. Wes is taking on more work and I'm making time for my own projects as Seeley is becoming more and more of her own person. When we leave those memories will only be in my mind. The new rooms won't carry any of that history, but I have great hopes for the future.

Today Seeley and I sat on the porch and played with the dirt in the potted plants. It was cold but only mildly so and the rain fell in occasional drops. A cloud of rosemary and sage settled around us. Seeley was smiling and laughing and saying "ruff ruff" every time a dog went by. It was magical. And a perfect way to leave this place.