Day 1, 2, and half of 3 - Flying down to Buenos Aires, exploring BA, and traveling to Patagonia!

We woke up, showered, finalized our suitcases, and did a quick clean up around the house. Meredith rolled in and we were ready to go! We ordered an über xl, popped Hannah in her car seat and were ready to roll! We hopped on the metro and headed down to Reagan international airport, which is seriously one of my favorite airports, and were soon bound for Atlanta. We had a nice long worry free layover (Chris was delayed and sweating it a bit) and Hannah had fun climbing on the chairs. We enjoyed a leisurely and particularly delicious dinner at a restaurant called Ecco while we got to know Natalie and Chris managed to join us in time to have something to eat and enjoy a beer before the flight!

 

We boarded, managed to trade until we had a hulkhead seat so we could get a bassinet and then we were off! Sort of. It took us three and a half hours to actually be cleared by maintenance for takeoff...on a very hot plane with an increasingly impatient baby. It was bedtime and we were already to settle in and get her comfy so we could all relax and try to get some sleep. It was a brutal stretch and it turned our flight from a 9.5 hour journey to a 13 hour but nice we got going and they finally brought the bassinet, we managed to get Hannah asleep and things were much more pleasant. Overall, she slept a good bit in the bassinet, which meant Daniel and I each managed to get a few broken hours of sleep too. This bassinet was much lower on the bulkhead - basically in my lap...and I couldn't cross my legs or get out of my seat without having to literally climb across the seats. And the bulkhead was much closer than Turkish Airlines, so we couldn't even stretch our legs passed 90ish degrees like you would be able to if there was a seat in front of you to tuck your feet under. It was tough, but Hannah was awesome and it didn't crawl by as much as I feared it would after we survived those first few hours when we were waiting on the tarmac.

Hannah in her bassinet on our Delta flight from Atlanta to Buenos Aires

 

We arrived in Argentina, met up with Tom, and got taxis to Buenos Aires. We were super psyched to check in early and shower and set out around noon looking for lunch, ready to explore!

We enjoyed a yummy menu of the day special in a cafe on the edge of Recoleta and then ventured further into this very trendy, chic district. What was really neat is that we would go from a very architecturally beautiful mall, to a row of cafes, to an art gallery, to a park full of artsy merchants and people lazing around in the grass on a Satruday afternoon, to the mystifying Recoleta cemetary, full of fairly modern crypts that all had their own ornate flair, eclectically clustered together in a very unique and peaceful cemetary right in the middle of a vibrant city. Recoleta as a whole was quite fun to wander and soak in.

Our family in Buenos Aires :)

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Recoleta Cemetary from above

Parks in Recoleta

the crew hanging out in Recoleta

Hannah breaking in her cute little shoes and toddling around!

Meredith checking out the beautiful church

Recoleta Cemetary - one of the awesome alleys

On the way towards our hotel we decided to enjoy the weather a bit more (it was beautifully perfect early fall weather - not too humid, not too hot...warm in the sun but blissfully perfect in the shade) and we all got seats in a cafe overlooking a main street and enjoyed a drink while Hannah excitedly watched the cars and pigeons.

Enjoying the views of the lovely street and city life from our cafe table

 

Hannah loves the pigeons. She spotted them everywhere and would decisively point at them. We took turns helping her "chase" them. She also really enjoyed her little umbrellas stroller and would happily swing her feet while she enjoyed the view.

This photo cracks me up. Anyone who isn't smiling either looks like a bad ass or is in deep conversation

Chilling in her stroller

 

One really fun thing about Buenos Aires - many of the streets, while being very "city," also often have lush beautiful greens - through the streets, on the sidewalks, and hanging off the balconies.

Chris and Natalie enjoying the harbor

 

The next day our flight wasn't until 2:40 pm - so we took a few hours to walk around the city before heading ot the domestic airport. It was fun to get a second chance to walk around before heading out - and our flight to Patagonia was awesome!

Hannah enjoying the extra seat we had on the plane

views of Patagonia from above as we fly in

views of Patagonia from above as we fly in

holy cow...the dollar is holding its own for once...(or maybe the Euro is just tanking that badly)

 

And our view in El Calafate - fantastic! :)

Chris enjoying the views

Hannah happy to sprawl out after her flight

We have made it to Patagonia! Lago Argentina!

 

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Happy 1st Birthday Hannah!

I have several different things I have been working on, but none of them are finished or polished up just yet...and somehow I just had to say something for today.

My baby is a little human now!  A tall, lean, never-stops-moving little person who exclaims "DAT" and authoritatively and demandingly points at what she wants and vehemently shakes her head when we misunderstand.  She is still obsessed with books and has taken her first steps in the past week and a half and is so, so, heart meltingly excited with herself and triumphant when she does.  The second you offer her your finger/hand she walks deftly and if you offer a finger for each hand she runs.  She can adeptly climb stairs...and unbeknownst to me taught herself to climb down them.  When she drops things, she endearingly says "Uh uh" instead of "Uh oh" because she hasn't figured out how to say "oh".

Happy First Birthday Hannah!

And the laughter.  Oh my goodness the laughter.  It has filled our house with smiles and warmth and love...and I love the musical sound of her laughter.

I love her cheeks.  Her warm, still deliciously squishy and nommable baby cheeks that are just the absolute best.  They make adorable dimples and fierce pouts...but are the most delightful snuggle too!

She is starting to rest her head on us on occasion and is snugglier than she once was...if that's even possible and she demands to climb into Daniel's lap to give him a hug.  So awesome.

I knew it would fly...but the speed at which this year passed is dizzying and absurd.  But I don't want to be sad today, I was to just enjoy the fact that my heart is full.  Full of love for the way my husband plays with my daughter, the way Hannah's entire body shakes with laughter when we all play "catch me if you can" together, and the way she giggles with delight when Holly takes a toy from her extended hand.  And the way she asks "please" with her hands when she sees me and wants snuggles...the way she scoots books across the floor for me to read with her...and the way she feels when she falls asleep in my arms.  Full of love, laughter, and huge hopes for my beautiful, sweet little Hannah.

Dear sweet Hannah, we love you so very much.  I have cherished the honor and privilege of being chosen to be your mom and am so so so very excited about the adventures we all have ahead!

And dear sweet Daniel - I love you more than I did the day Hannah was born.  I have loved watching you grow into the daddy that I knew you could be and cannot begin to describe how much I love seeing the way Hannah adores you.  But as for Team Hals?  We're utterly exhausted, we're tired of hearing "it gets easier," and we are incredibly good at making each other laugh.  We not only survived our first year as parents - I honestly think we rocked it.  Three cheers for Team Hals!  It's time to celebrate!