Hannah @ Seven Months Part 2: Teeth, Standing, Solids, and Raspberries!

So how IS Hannah doing??  

Hannah between 6 and 7 months

Hannah between 6 and 7 months :)

It has been an incredibly busy month of moving, traveling to San Francisco, and growing up incredibly fast!!!  

Accomplishments

Two teeth!  Her bottom teeth are poking through and steadily creeping up into place - it is so cute!  She has become a very adept crawler who seamlessly can roll onto her tummy, turn/roll to the sitting up position on her own, curl her legs underneath her and grab furniture and pull to standing...and when she drops something, she can very smoothly and gracefully kneel down to reach it or transition from standing to crawling to get it if necessary.  It's absolutely amazing.  And she makes it look almost artistic (in my opinion) because she flows from one position to another with crazy grace for just turning seven months old.  I know I'm her mom and therefore everything is impressive.  But for real.  This kid has some pretty decent coordination!  

Look at those teeth!  :)

One of the first times I caught her pulling to standing on something I wouldn't have expected/other than the crib...I definitely had a "really?!?  already?!?" moment!

She actually started pulling to standing the week before we moved - so I was a nervous wreck when she was in her crib!  I slept horribly that week because the second she started to cry I would tear into her room to get her before she started standing and trying to climb out.  (We were going to lower the crib level when we disassembled it to move...it was too hard to do before that point and too time consuming).

I love this face!

I can do it!

Coy.  ...Whatcha looking at?  Don't mind me...just heading for the stairs...

She's also eating solids like a champ (more about that in a minute), blowing adorable and ridiculously hardcore raspberries, and has pretty great dexterity and coordination when it comes to picking up all kinds of little small things and managing to shove them into her mouth.  (Yikes!)  Not a big deal when it is a little tiny chunk of banana.  Much bigger deal when we are in a non baby proofed area.  This month she also visited her eighth state this month (California) and has now been on nine different planes!  Ridiculous!  

Landed in San Francisco!  Adventure time!  :)

Mid Raspberry blowing...one of her favorite things to do to get our attention this month :)

Happy Hannah on move in day!  :)

Sleep

Still inconsistent, but I am not going to complain!  Some nights she is up twice before it is time for me to get ready for work, some nights she sleeps from 8/9 - 4/5!  It just depends.  We've never had more than three good nights in a row.  But it's truly Russian roulette.  The weekend around the move she was teething and very clingy, we had three glorious nights once the teeth broke through, and then during the San Francisco trip and for the ten days after it she wasn't sleeping well at all - she wouldn't let me put her down in the crib at the beginning of the night without going ballistic and even when I finally did, I spent about half of every night in the recliner with her.  So...yeah, just depends on the night and her moods.  But overall, she is doing well and the fact that there are any miracle nights is well, a miracle. 

Nom Nom Nom!

We are successfully eating solids!  Still nursing too!  And so far I have been successful at making my own baby food!  Hannah only gained three ounces from month 5 to month 6 because she was soooo active (that was the month she started crawling like crazy)...but because of the previous issues with solids I really was holding out until the six month mark to give her anything again.  I started her on them the week before her checkup, so that if there were issues the pediatrician and I could discuss a battle plan.  But!  It seriously changed her life!  I know you are supposed to graduate them to eating one meal and then later on add in a second...but she was soooo hungry all of a sudden (and I had seemed to top out in milk production - I tried a bunch of different things at work and just could not get past a certain amount).  Regardless - the first week we sent food to daycare changed Hannah's life.  The weeks prior she was really cranky in the evening and was really tired and going to bed early. Once we sent solids to daycare (along with all the milk too) she suddenly was cheerful and happy and was going to bed at 8 again (instead of breaking down at 6) and her caregivers at daycare said she was just SO much happier through the day.  YAY!  Huge win!  

She actually loves food...but this food had a different taste than she was expecting and her initial reaction was too hilarious not to share!

...this puff...sticks to my hand...and has to make it into my mouth?

She loves carrots!

So over the past month she has steadily tried new things - the continual go to foods for her are carrots, baked apples, peaches, and butternut squash, but we are continually adding new things.  Pumpkin was a hit, avocados are acceptable so far, and she also loves pears.  And I've made all of it myself!  She does have a few store bought pouches on emergency reserve at daycare (as well as some frozen things too) but other than that we've been doing well!  I use ice cube trays to freeze things and also use the Kiinde Foodi system, which I really love (they are the same bags I use if I need to freeze breastmilk so it's great because it is all one system - and Daniel and I really really like the spoons and spouts that attach to the food pouches).  http://www.amazon.com/Kiinde-Foodii-Squeeze-Starter-Kit/dp/B00JGF1LJ4

Favorites?

In many ways this month was less about toys and more about just exploring and exploring!  She still loves books and all the soft toys that are easy to nom on - particularly

Hannah in a beautiful dress from her Great Aunt Betsy

when she was in full force teething mode.  The stuffed beach ball that Natasha gave her has been a particularly big hit the past few weeks too.  Really - she just wants to be going and standing.  As much as possible. 

Definitely Still Growing!

So at the six month appointment Hannah was 17 pounds 3 ounces.  I was worried when the pediatrician came to go over height and weight, etc. because at a check at 5 months (she had a bad cough) she was 17 pounds...so she was only up 3 ounces.  But!  In that month she had started crawling like crazy and had not started solids yet. In the end?  Completely normal - her pediatrician looked at me as if I was crazy when I started gushing with a defense about why she hadn't gained that much and how she's been so active - and then he pointed out that she is actually right in the proportions that she has been all along (except for at birth) - about 66% for weight.  27 inches tall (84% for height) and 97% for her big ole head (brain!)  

bath time!  :)

She's definitely longer and leaner, although she still has THE BEST cheeks!  OMG so  so so deliciously nommable!  In terms of clothing, as we hit six months we were at a major crossroad - not only were her six month clothes rapidly not fitting, there were two big changes that affected her wardrobe as well - weather and activity level.  As an active crawler she really needed more things that had pants or thick tights to give her knees some protection and as the weather cooled and crisped she needed long sleeves and long pants and socks (oh yeah those?)  Her largest six month PJs still fit, but we have mainly moved up to 9 months!  The 9 month pjs had looked SO BIG when we were first given them...and now are little wiggle worm fills them from top to bottom!  So crazy!  I've invested in some of the warmer and larger sleep sacks to wear over the PJs at night too.  During the day she wears the 6-9 month size or even 12 month depending on the outfit and how it is sewn!  I had called Daniel's mom to check if she had stuff "waiting" (she told me she has quite the stash) before I unneccesarily spent money on a bunch of clothes.  She said that she really didn't have much in that size.  So I actually got to do a little shopping (ironically it was all online...because seriously who has time to go to a store?) But I guess that question was all she needed because all of a sudden we received several packages full of the most beautiful clothes for this fall!  It was like Christmas in October!  So excited to share pictures of some of these outfits in the next few months!  Thank you Pam!  

The Pups - 

Hannah just loves these puppies.  Daniel swears Holly is the best baby sitter in the morning and I love watching her face widen into a big happy grin whenever the dogs are near and she catches sight of them!  She loves feeling like she is chasing them - we play in the yard or around the house (Holly loves a good game of catch me if you can) and she just laughs and laughs.  Sometimes on walks she just laughs as we "chase" the dogs forever...as they walk just ahead of her while she's in the ergo or stroller.  The pups handled the move decently - Chance actually did really really well. Holly was much more stressed.  She chewed up a bunch of carpet the night before the move and then got sick everywhere - then on moving day she was shaking from head to toe and I was carrying her around almost more than Hannah to try to help her stay calm.  :(  Poor fur baby.  They are great now though - they love the new house with all it's new nooks and crannies, seem in love with the yard, and absolutely love love love the trails we are connected to for awesome walks.  

Holly also turned a year old on October 5th!  She is pretty close to full grown - she has ended up being a fairly petite shiba - smaller than some of the ones we have seen and her winter coat has started coming in and the fur around her neck is soooo soft and fluffy.  Since she is no longer on puppy food I worked the salmon flavor made by the brand we always use into her diet to better mimic the type of food her breed was raised on (she's a Japanese breed) and I think it is making her coat that much more gorgeous.  She is still very stately and cunning and spirited and playful.  And stubborn.  But overall doing very well and she is incredibly patient with Hannah - who has already jabbed her in the eye and grabbed her nose, etc (it happens in milliseconds!) and Holly usually barely blinks - she may pull her head away - but she stays so calm and unphased which is very very exciting!  Our biggest concerns with the two of them playing is when Holly goes into puppy mode and wants to play with her teeth out (which we've always been super careful about) - but as she continues to outgrow that they should be better and better together.  

Chance is still doing really well - the puppy comes out in him when they are in the yard too and he seems to really like the new place and loves the trails!  He is such a loving big brother!  

Holly at 8 weeks - the weekend we adopted her!

Holly at 1 year!  What a beautiful young lady she has become!  :)  (Note the grass in her tail...she was having too much fun running through the backyard to even notice!)

Daddy

Daniel and Hannah are still bonding in the morning - some mornings are far better than others, but they definitely have their own "thing" going and have some really cute interactions that have developed and are heart melting to watch.  He enjoyed (and conquered the challenge of) being a San Francisco trophy dad while I was at the conference and spent hours exploring the city with Hannah - and even enjoying some very cute lunch dates with her.  Daniel was a beast on moving day and has definitely taken a beating the past few weeks, but we are hoping things smooth out soon!

A picture Daniel texted me while I was at work :)  Hannah and her daddy getting ready in the morning!

Hannah enjoying a lunch date with her daddy in San Francisco

Mommy

Hanging in there!  It's been a really tough month!  I still really love my job and attending the conference was a great experience!  The move has been a major challenge and definitely left me feeling quite stressed, but I am hoping that will continue to fade and it will eventually feel more like home.  Hannah's been tough too - teething for a while and then very clingy every evening - many nights I cannot put her down.  It's frustrating...because any other month I would have done a better job embracing it and enjoying snuggle time...but the two weeks after we moved this was in full force...which was exactly the same time all of this kicked in...so much for unpacking!  I had a bit of a meltdown after two week of clingy...I was so torn between wanting to be able to unpack and pull our house together and not wanting to resent my daughter's needs.  I cannot tell you how many hours the week of the move and the week after I spent with her tucked in the ergo while I worked or packed or mopped.  ...The ergo is awesome...but even still it takes a physical toll.  I really enjoyed getting to explore San Francisco as a family and getting away from everything!  It was so nice to just be "us" and in travel mode.  I'm looking forward to our next trip.  

Heading upstairs for bath time!

Enjoying the view of the bay in San Fran

Redwoods in Muir Woods

Enjoying a latte at brunch downtown - cheers to 7 months!

...The way I survived this month?  Especially when I found myself overwhelmed with frustration and a suffocating feeling of *I am NEVER going to get to accomplish what I need to accomplish*...or *I just need free hands for FIFTEEN MINUTES*.  I eventually had to let go...but it was torturous for me.  Honestly painful.  I was doing the best I could in every part of my life...and even though my best wasn't always good enough or may have been altered by the beautiful little girl who needed snuggles more than I needed to unpack my clothes, we were surviving and doing our best to meet Hannah's needs and take care of our puppies.  And that's all we can do.  Columbus Day was a very welcome break - Daniel told me to throw out my to-do list and have a fun day with Hannah and I did!  We explored the trails, had a snuggly nap together, shopped, and I swam while she was napping at the "kid space" at the gym.  Bottom line - We're working on it!  And I need to focus on all that we have accomplished and all the amazing gifts that we have.  

At seven months our beautiful smiley girl is standing up every chance she gets and her smile is only cuter and cuter as her two bottom teeth work their way into place!  Exploring and blowing raspberries to get your attention and bursting into grins when she catches your eye - Hannah @ Seven Months

Hannah @ 7 months - OMG those cheeks!!!!  SO freaking deliciously nommable!  

On the Move at Seven Months!

Our Family @ Seven Months

Hannah @ Seven Months Part 1: The Hals are Movin' Movin'

Seven months!  I feel like I cannot begin to express how unbelievably quickly this month flew by!  Something about moving from Jessup to Silver Spring, spending five days in San Francisco and oh yeah - working full time and raising an incredibly active little girl and two fur babies....busy is an understatement!  Good grief.  

Many more big leaps this month for miss Hannah!  And many changes for us too!  It has been a VERY VERY VERY  busy month...but so crazy and so full of lots of "seriously?!" moments that I can't help but to share our saga.  We've mainly been laughing through it all...but nothing has been easy or simple at all.  Lots of twists and turns...and yet we are really trying to keep it in perspective - it is all stuff that makes things harder, but overall we are happy and healthy and doing very well and in the end - that's what matters!

Our new home!  (Renting a cute place in Silver Spring)

Dining Room

Living Room

Back deck and yard

back yard (the puppies love it!)

The weekend of the 20th we picked up our keys to the new rental in Silver 

Spring - a very cute and cozy single family home that is perfectly placed across the street from the Sligo Park trail system.  We spent several hours mopping and wiping and cleaning and measuring to see how we would fit furniture on move in day.  Over the weekend we took five carloads of various loose/breakable items down - things like picture frames, dishes, glassware, etc.  Stuff that is a total pain to pack well enough that it can go in a moving truck.  During the week we spent several nights packing up the different rooms of our house and on Thursday I met the gas guy to turn on the line (yay for having hot water when we move in!), we took two more loads down and spent the evening setting in even more, ordered delivery and worked until about 7ish and headed back up to Jessup to get Hannah to bed.  Overall it was going well - we were exhausted, but making progress.  And Friday night we dismantled whatever we had left, packed up, etc.  

Everything that we anticipated could be a challenge on the following Saturday was. Anything that could go wrong did.  And things that we never anticipated...also went wrong.  It was a rough rough rough day.  On move-day-eve I left work a little early, picked Hannah up for her six month checkup, and took her too the pediatrician.  (Yes, I brilliantly let her get vaccinations just in time for big move weekend.  Sigh, I knew it would be challenging, but I had scheduled the late Friday afternoon appointment months in advance!  I had tried!).  That evening at dinner time I noticed that she had tiny little hard white nubbins breaking through (with a lot more teeth to still rip their way through).  Yes.  My poor child was recently vaccinated, teething, and we were moving the next day.  Omg.  I had also come home to discover that Holly was so stressed from all the packing that she had nibbled and nibbled on the carpet.  Great.  More damage to either try to fix ourselves or pay extensively for.  Super great.  

Daniel's first load to bring in the house.  Priorities.

Mopping so she can crawl around.

Cute little home!

Kitchen

Hannah's playroom

Bedroom

Hannah's room

Basement storage...that we can only somewhat use :-/

See?  There was a lot of space!!!

Dinner in on Thursday, the pups came to check out our new place too!

One of Hannah's last meals in our town home - soon to realize that surprise!  She's teething!

Holly on moving day - NOT happy.  She was a nervous wreck!  :(

Meredith helping to deconstruct the bed

Stephanie playing with Hannah

Chance climbed in the moving truck while we were loading and refused to move

Ahhhhh.  Second truckload - all the misfit items.  

Once we hit midnight and headed into moving day (which I would just like to note is the exact year to the day that was our big move day from Florida the previous year!) all hell broke loose in the Hals' household.  Around 1 am Hannah was up and extra distressed...the teeth were working their way in.  Holly started having diarrhea (which is what happens when you nibble carpet) and wanted to go out constantly...and as of 1 am Daniel and I barely slept a wink.  Daniel took care of Holly and I was on Hannah duty.  It was brutal.  At 5 am we both admitted defeat and started tackling last minute projects and packing around the house.  At 6 Daniel hit up dunkin donuts for our breakfasts and at 7 he headed out to pick up the moving truck.  

When Daniel pulled up to the truck rental company, which was conveniently five minutes up the road...it was closed.  Huh?  He pulled up his phone and scrolled down on the confirmation email only to discover that they had bounced him to ANNAPOLIS in the final confirmation.  seriously?!  The day just continued to be downhill from there.  Our stuff took two full trips - and all kinds of things that we thought would fit in the new place wouldn't.  (We had paid by the mile too)  The opening to the finished basement had a door that was only 2.5 feet wide and the big standard size door that led from the basement to the outside had a porch built over it and only three feet of clearance.  AH.  We ended up having to store things in the shed and had a pile of furniture on the back porch that we simply had to throw out because we couldn't get them into the massive storage space we had in the basement.  

Happy Hannah on our first morning in our new home - investigating her new surroundings!

We didn't throw away any of our "big furniture purchases" - like the master bedroom furniture or our beloved leather couches...but it was all the other small stuff.  The guest bedroom box springs (queen size) honestly wouldn't even fit down the stairs to go into the basement.  We had to get rid of our washer and dryer (Which have steadily been dying, we've had them for almost 9 years...but still worked)  As the list piled up so did my blood pressure and internal fury.  We didn't throw out things that were our top loves and I tried not to be materialistic and over focused on "stuff" but...it was incredibly frustrating to have rented a place with extensive storage so we would have options when we find where we really want to live for good - only to not be able to use the storage space for half the things we wanted.  It's insane.  I contacted our landlord and asked him how they got the washer and dryer downstairs and he said "Good question.  I can't remember".  *Eye roll*  

In the end - our friends were AMAZING.  And I feel like we will owe them forever.  As Daniel returned the truck, we assembled the crib and I managed to find the essentials necessary to be able to shower and get ready for bed.  Because Hannah had been so clingy and miserable I hadn't gotten to direct traffic as things rolled in so everything was scattered across three floors and most things were not in the right room.  I ended up taking a personal day mid week to do some major damage control - which helped - but even now we still aren't remotely close to done.  The next weekend we went to San Francisco and then for the next ten days Hannah would not let me put her down.  Ever.  So much for unpacking!  

Sunday morning we got up and had to go to the town home to do some last minute things to get as much of our security deposit back as we could.  Daniel and I tried to prioritize it in terms of - every thing that we do saves us 100 - 300 dollars.  Steam cleaning ourselves?  Saved $300 (minus the expense of renting it...which was faaar less).  Cleaning the oven?  (which I had run earlier in the week but hadn't finished up/wiped out) at least $100.  Wiping out the fridge?  At least $100.  Patching the carpets like a ninja?  A ton of money.  We were absolutely and utterly exhausted....but we made it.  We left the town home for good, ready for Daniel to do a walkthrough the next afternoon to check us out.

Ready to roll!  Bright and early - have my little bag of toys and tricks ready for Hannah

Enjoying our time on the plane!  I was honestly really excited to just have time to snuggle and catch up with her!  Thankfully, she was too! :)

Daddy entertaining Hannah during the taxi ride

The next week was a blur of trying to unpack - I took a sick day mid week to get us up to a far more functional level (and definitely did) and did about seven loads of laundry through the day.  We met with my friend who was going to house sit on Thursday and Friday evening I finished packing for San Francisco!  We got up super early Saturday morning and headed onto the airport!  Hannah did great on the flight - it really wasn't a bad one.  Long, but not too bad and before we knew it we were ravenous and taking a taxi from Oakland to downtown San Fran.  (The one downside was that even though we had pre-checked and were ready to roll, Southwest required us to get in the super crazy long line with Hannah to register her as an infant in arms...an option that you HAVE to do at the airport...I could not do it on line in advance).  What's the most awesome thing to do with a family and a baby - require them to get in the longest line possible.  All the extra time we had to get...BREAKFAST considering would be traveling and missing LUNCH as well... yep.  Gone.  Thanks Southwest.  And they don't serve anything more than pretzels and chips on the planes anymore.  Fantastic.  We boarded the plane for our five and a half hour flight feeling ravenous and rushed even though we had initially had plenty of time.  Sigh.

Our hotel the first night (this was the one that was in our budget)...we dubbed it "the postage stamp"

Some steep hills!  

So steep in fact that the stroller could not just roll "flat" - for Hannah to stay flat enough Daniel had to tip it like this.  I also held the stroller on one of these hills and had a mini panic attack as I realized how fatal it would be to let go of the stroller!  

Hannah clinging for dear life...she was actually totally chill about it.

So we reached San Francisco and finally enjoyed a delicious meal.  Hannah put up with us eating most of it and from there we were off to explore the city and work our calf muscles as we made it up and down the freakishly steep and amazing hills.  San Fran?  Loved it.  So fun and quirky and beautiful and unique.  A very amazing and awesome city!  We spent Saturday exploring.  We won't talk about dinner - it was already past Hannah's bedtime (east coast baby) and even though she was thoroughly konked out and sleeping in the stroller the second we went into a restaurant (still pretty ravenous) and placed our order all hell broke loose and we had one of *those* nights in which only one person could eat inside the restaurant at a time.  It was one of the worst meals we have ever had with her.  

But those hills lead to some stunning views!  View of the bay and Alcatraz

Lombardy street over Daniel's shoulder

She had just woken up and was checking out the pier

Antics in Ben & Jerry's

Sunday morning we enjoyed an AMAZING breakfast and Hannah happily watched people along the streets and was a great great baby.  After that we checked out of our hotel and rented a car and were off to explore!  Once we realized that the curvy part of Lombardy street was on the way to see the Redwoods in Muir Woods we couldn't resist.  We detoured and enjoyed the super-touristy street and enjoyed the gorgeous views from the hill as we meandered down.  I had wanted to visit Alcatraz, but when I had gone online to book tickets everything was already sold out.  What I had not realized about this city was how amazing and mysterious the fog can be!  I knew there were references to San Fran and fog...but I had never really understood them until I saw the fog rolling through as if there was a cloud that had gotten lost.  One wrapped itself around Alcatraz for a while, another draped itself around the bridge as we approached - what amazing natural beauty!  The European Romantics would have loved this place!  

omg.  This is pretty much food porn.

Hannah enjoying her views at breakfast - she very happily people watched and hung out

View from Lombardy Street - we rented a car and pass Lombardy on the way to Muir woods...so really, who could possibly pass up a detour

Lots of tourists!  When you drove on the hills there was often a "blind" moment as the car turned downward when you couldn't actually see what was below you - it was all that steep!

Embracing the totally touristy thing to do...

Daniel was having fun

We drove across the Golden Gate bridge and stopped at the park for pictures while it was half cloaked in fog.  Then we headed down to Sausalito for lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal by the water.  And finally, we made it to the peaceful, mysterious quiet of Muir Woods and found ourselves amongst the hush of the redwoods.  You know who wasn't quiet?  Hannah.  She had connected blowing raspberries as being her way of requesting attention and as we walked along the trails with her facing outwards in the ergo 360 she blew raspberries at each person we passed.  (And then broke into a heart melting grin if the person obliged her with a smile).  It was awesome.  

Golden Gate draped in fog!  Really beautiful!

Our family in Sausalito

Hannah loves sitting this way.  My hair does not.  

I love this picture :)

And this one!!  She really liked traveling around like this!

Majestic, mystical, Muir Woods

Hannah sees the redwoods at 6.5 months!

Her throat was parched too!  (Dryer atmosphere than we are used to) - taking a quick sip from my water bottle

When we returned we checked into the hotel (Daniel dropped Hannah and me and all our luggage off at the hotel and returned the car).  The conference was in the nicest and by far swankiest place we have ever stayed - The Fairmont San Fran.  ...It was gorgeous and amazing!  I cannot tell you how amazing it was to be sent out here by my new job - and the fact that my husband and baby flew out with me and Daniel watched Hannah while I was at the conference?  I felt like super woman.  So awesome!  The conference was really awesome too! So well done and thought out (all designed by educators for educators and thus...excellent).  It was really affirming to feel like I was on the right track at my school and to feel like I was working in the right direction - and it was really amazing to be surrounded by so many like minded passionate educators who were all so focused on technology integration.  One of my edtech heroes also gave the keynote address - which from a total geek perspective was beyond exciting. 

The hotel for the conference - Daniel's "throne" desk

Much better than the "postage stamp!"!!  

View from one of our windows!  :)  

View from the top of the hotel - we had this view for breakfast and lunch both days of the conference!!!  Amazing!

View from the top of the hotel - we had this view for breakfast and lunch both days of the conference!!!  Amazing!

And Daniel spent the time watching Hannah!  They went for a lot of walks!  The downside?  Our child who had happily started consuming solids and had benefited so much from the extra food and calories decided that she just didn't feel like eating solids that week.  So she was extra dependent on me for milk and we didn't have a deep milk stash with us like we would if we were at home.  (Actually our milk stash isn't deep at all anyway...but Daniel would have had more options).  ...He even had to cave and give her five ounces of formula emergently. (Yep.  It unavoidably happened).  So poor Daniel had an especially prone to fussiness Hannah on his hands as she was just on the edge of having enough food all the time.  I had spent hours before we left town making all of her fresh baby food too - so it was super frustrating that she suddenly decided she didn't feel like having any).  Other than that and the fact that at times she was still having some teething pain, it went pretty well.  But evenings were a disaster because she was still partly on east coast time, we could never eat out, and we had all kinds of snafus with delivery.  ...One night we didn't eat until 9:30 at night Pacific time.  It was bad.  I will also mention that the rest of the conference attendees were attending all inclusive dinners with unending wine glasses at the one of the best steak houses in San Fran.  :-/  It was a bummer to miss.

When daddy puts Hannah down for a nap...

When daddy watches Hannah for two days!  (There was a crazy square light around our mirror that made you look crazy when you looked in the mirror)

Exploring San Fran as a "trophy dad" - this was Daniel's view...

This was Hannah's take on it...haha

More of Daniel's views

Daddy and Hannah enjoying the city!

Adorable daddy-daughter lunch date!

But on the positive side - Daniel really enjoyed walking around San Francisco and did a lot of extra site seeing with the Hannahs.  Overall she was happiest when they were out and moving, so they did lots of that.  When we flew home we had a layover in the Midway airport that went horribly awry.  We landed and found out we had a four hour delay (due to the flight control fire that was initiated by a disgruntled employee from...Daniel's old company!  When we heard that we knew exactly why he was disgruntled!)  We had gate checked the stroller through to Baltimore and had to beg and plead to get it back for the layover (thankfully they were able to get it for us.  SO SO thankful!).  Normally a layover wouldn't be that bad...but at this point Hannah is crawling.  ...You just can't really crawl around in an airport.  ...particularly a potentially Ebola laden airport (haha...but seriously...that was just prominently in the news in the days prior...low risk yes...but in the back of you mind...also yes...how could it not be?)  Sadly all she wanted to do was crawl around.  We couldn't let her on the airplane, now we couldn't let her in the airport...she was antsy and fussy and not happy.  For four extra hours.  And Daniel had just watched her for two straight days so understandably...it was much more "my turn".  We survived.  But it was a rough afternoon.  Additionally just to rub salt in our wounded experience - two weeks later we got a phone call.  During the extra hours of our layover we understandably had spent money at several different restaurants or shops and...someone had stolen our credit card info and run up at least a thousand dollars in charges in Chicago.  Yep.  This layover limbo lingered on and came back to haunt us once more!  

Instead of getting in at 5ish we got home by about 10 with very antsy dogs awaiting our arrival. Things had gone well with the dog sitter, but they were very ready for us to come home!  It was a grueling week as we battled the time change, had no food in our kitchen, and had an adjusting Hannah...and a not fully unpacked/settled house.  

It's been a tough month.  

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Month Seven and more about how Miss Hannah is doing!