A Very Long Overdue Post

We think it is very telling that our last post, nearly 2 months ago, was just after our little Jadyn began walking. It took her all of about a week to become exceptionally proficient at walking a notable distance, on different surfaces, with or without shoes on, etc. Now we spend much of our waking hours trying to keep up with her, hence the lapse in posts! Of course, working full time, maintaining a household, and seeing the world through Jadyn's eyes could keep even a superhuman busy. Hopefully, the pictures below will bring you up to speed with at least some of Jadyn's recent fun.

At the end of March, Jenny and Jadyn flew to Cleveland to surprise Grandma Jeanne for her 60th birthday. Jadyn was pretty good on the plane rides and managed the overstimulation and disruption of her schedule with little fanfare. We remind ourselves regularly how blessed we are!

With Grandma at Grandma's party

Trying to 'escape' outside at Auntie Julie's front door

Jadyn adores phones (and anything that sort of seems like it could be used as one)

Climbing the stairs at Auntie Julie's


There were lots of chances to visit with people in our short visit. Here Jadyn and Aunt Julie are reading together.

With Grandma

Exploring Grandma's collection of spices

Lunch time!

Using Grandpa Frank's phone to make a call

Learning about poinsettias with Grandma Hall


On Easter weekend, Jeff's soccer team gathered near the Mt. Baker ski resort, and the whole family enjoyed a weekend away from the city. Coincidentally, a late winter storm dumped 2 feet of snow on the mountain, and the snow was some of the best of the entire season. Both Jeff and Jenny got to ride the slopes for a bit, and Jadyn walked a few steps in snow. She didn't like the white stuff sticking to her her shoes and kept wiping it off with her hands, so the snow stroll didn't last long. Back at the cabin, Jadyn made friends with some soccer folks and played dominos.

Here's my belly button!

Hanging with Amanda

Exploring the fun of dominos


On our way back to Seattle, we took the scenic route through the Skagit Valley and found fields of tulips in bloom. Aren't the tulips gorgeous? And Jadyn is cute, too. ;-)





Now that Jadyn has accomplished the task of walking, we are noticing she is gaining more words. She says "bubble" clear as a bell, and she means it!

(You might notice the nice dinger on her forehead, a result of her first introduction to the harsh reality of tripping on the sidewalk.)

She now regularly signs and says "more" appropriately at meal times, and you can see here that she is quite a good eater. While she can use a spoon pretty well and is learning to use a fork, she generally prefers feeding herself with her fingers, as it is still more efficient that way.


Jadyn also regularly says 'door,' which is fitting, because in the last couple of months she has gotten very accomplished at closing doors, knocking on them, and in the last week or so, reaching on her tippy-toes to grab at the door knobs. As she pushes a door closed, we tell her, "watch your fingers, Jadyn," and after only a couple of minor mishaps, she has learned to pull them out of the way. She is also working very hard at learning to put socks and shoes on herself. She hasn't quite figured this out yet, but she can be occupied for 15 minutes at a time just attempting this feat. Of course, her current vocabulary includes 'shoes' (it sounds more like "soos"). She also points out noses -- hers, Mom's, Dad's, the cats' -- and says 'nose' (it sounds more like a long "no" -- the s on the end isn't always there).

Jadyn is very good at taking items out of boxes, cupboards, or drawers, spreading them around on the floor, then, sometimes, replacing them in a box, cupboard, or drawer, though not necessarily the one the items came from originally. After a trip to the grocery store, she felt the need to rearrange the 6-packs of beer bottles....

And just the other day, a small fabric box of socks from her dresser found its way on to her head. It fit perfectly, and, of course, we figured she knew that before she ever tried it on.