riding the waves of change

It's been six weeks since we arrived her in Claremont. In some ways it feels like we've been here longer, in other ways i feel like we'll be heading back to Denver any day now. Our house is semi-settled. We've found the grocery stores and parks. Hudson has started going to school two mornings a week, and Andy's now working on his job in Riverside. Life could be semi-normal, depending on how you look at it. Still, we are in transition. I'm still adjusting to life at home. Still adjusting to not being a "professional career woman" at the moment. And Andy is still adjusting to his new team, role, etc. I know it all takes time, but I think the hardest things come in places you don't expect, and that's what makes some days harder than others. Changes in friendships, changes with the kids, etc. Yet that is the way life is, I guess. Ups and downs, cup half full or half empty. It's a matter of perspective, but it can still get you down on occasion. So we'll take it day by day, looking forward to the positives and supporting each other through the challenges. I am thankful to have Andy with me through this journey, I couldn't imagine it with anyone else.

Since we've been here, Stella has taken off walking and is now zooming around on her own! She's been walking with a finger to hold for months, and has taken steps here or there since she was just over 12 months, but for some reason she didn't want to venture out on her own two feet until she was almost 15 months! Can't complain about it though, it's made her so easy to cart around! And we all know Hudson is a lot of work on his own to manage in public settings (and at home, let's face it), so it's been nice to have Stella be more mellow. Hudson continues to amaze us with his growing intellect and vocabulary. He carries on great conversation, and has really gotten into ocean animals, airplanes, and riding his bike, but still loves his cars and trains. He is pretty ready for a bike with pedals, so we will look into that for his birthday most likely.

Stella is now wearing 12-18 month clothes, still in size 3 diaper, and fits her size 4 shoes pretty well now. She sleeps from about 7pm - 6am, then has been taking a 30 min cat nap in the morning and about a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. She still drinks a fair amount of milk, and since she still only has 4 1/2 teeth (one is about half way in), she can't quite eat everything. She is a pretty picky eater too, unlike her brother at this age.

Hudson is in size 4 clothes, sometimes size 5, he's squeezed into his size 11 shoes and just about ready for the next size up, and sleeps from about 7:30 (or whenever he can stop wiggling enough to fall asleep!) to when Stella wakes us all up in the morning. Depending on how hard he plays, he'll take a 1 1/2 − 3 hour nap in the afternoon! He is very energetic, and loves interacting with people. He talks often about his friends and family, and we know for sure he needs people around him!!