At 4 1/2 years of age Hannah said goodbye to much of her babyhood a long, long time ago. For me those baby and toddler years flew by in the blink of an eye even though I tried to appreciate each and every moment. The realization that my ‘baby’ is in school fulltime and flourishing quickly reminds me that I am the mom of an amazing, spunky, fun, beautiful, wonderful little girl who is no longer a baby and every bit a sweet little girl!
In the past week a couple of changes have taken place that also signify the final departures of babyhood. Even before I received Hannah’s referral I was blessed by friends who had a baby shower for Hannah and gave her her car seat that she used from the time she was 18 months of age.
Here she is serenading Mommy after gymnastics last weekend while enjoying one of her favourite DVD’s. I love her spirit!!
Even though she still fits the height and weight limit for this seat it will be a bit of a struggle once she is in her winter coat. I had purchased a new seat for her last year that we had in Mom and Dad’s van so this weekend we switched it up.
Hannah has reached the 40lb mark and at more than 43” she does not ‘have’ to be in 5-point harness any longer but for me safety is number one and I plan on keeping her in a 5-point harness as long as I possibly can. Maybe when she’s 16 and driving I’ll consider taking her out.
The other big change is one Hannah and I have been talking about for a bit and had decided that at 5 we would say goodbye to this but last Friday she decided was the day. Hannah was finally ready to say goodbye to her little bedtime bottle and she hasn’t looked back since.
Quite a while ago I took her down to just about 3oz. of milk but she still really ‘needed’ this transition time at night. I tried to take it away this past summer and it caused her such turmoil that it just wasn’t worth it. She just wasn’t ready. I knew in time – in her time – she would give it up and a week ago last Friday was that night and she hasn’t looked back. Our routine hasn’t changed much as we still have devotions together and after that she still has a small glass of warm milk, sitting on my lap. From there it’s upstairs to go to the bathroom, brush teeth, change into her pj’s and then cuddle time in bed while we say our bedtime prayers. I knew this change would be a big one for both of us but truly it really hasn’t been. Once again when she was ready she let me know and together we moved on to the next step.
No longer a baby and now a young girl whom Mommy loves like none other! I love you Hannah XiaoFen! xoxo
They grow too quickly! Love the new car seat. Can't get over how long Hannah's legs look in that picture!!! She's a beautiful little girl, both inside and out.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Paula! Hannah has really long legs! She is currently wearing a size 6 or 6x pants but the challenge is that her little waist is only a size 3 or 4. Elastics to hold up her pants are becoming our friends.
Deleteawww go Hannah!!!! JK has really helped her mature. Does she still sleep with you? I know my friends son slept with her till he was 5.
ReplyDeleteDo you plan on adopting again?
Yes, Hannah is still in with me. She's a snuggle bug and sleeps really well so this works for us. I know in time she'll be ready to move to her own room and when this happens we'll go with it. Until then, I love watching my little lovey sleep and feeling her cuddled in next to me.
DeleteOur family of 2 is complete. If God changes that then I'm open to it but as far as I know it will just be the two of us and I love our little family team of 2!
Way to go Mama with the 5 point harness. Marin is still in his too (he'll be 4 1/2 this month). He has the same seat that Hannah had. But he does seem a bit snug in it now too. How does the new chair compare with the old one?
ReplyDeleteWe are both very happy with the Frontier. On days when we have time she is able to buckle herself in and then I check. She is also able to tighten the shoulder straps which she was unable to do on the Boulevard due to it's ratcheting system. This one is a little smoother. Probably the only tiny drawback for me it that she does not have quite as much head support in this seat when she sleeps. She was still able to sleep in it last week and her head did not go forward but she didn't look quite as comfortable as she was in her old seat. She still tends to nap in the car when we drive in the afternoons or when we come home later at night. I would recommend the Frontier as it's a great, safe seat and once she's out of the 5 point it will convert to a full-back booster with the ability to use the shoulder strap from the car.
DeleteHope this helps!
I love/hate those milestones. It goes too quickly! Hannah is such a sweetie.
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed that you've kept the bottle this long. What a sweet way to end each day. I'm glad now that she's moved past it that your routine still has the same feeling.
ReplyDeleteThanks Catherine! It does help! I haven't met a Britax seat I didn't like, but you are right the racheting system makes it impossible for them to do it themselves. That's great the new seat is more big kid friendly. I think the new cup holder is a nice feature! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet about the milk at night. We still do that too, in a sippy cup & he sits in my lap while he drinks it before bed. He has almost stopped asking for his night time milk, except on overnights away from home. I think he just feels more comfortable in a routine. He & Hannah seem to have very similar personalities. Very mature but still very loving. I too let him make a lot of his decisions on when to "give up" baby routines. I think it gives them more confidence being in control of some things in their little lives. He still sleeps with me when Matthew is out of town too! :)
Thank you for your email. I loved hearing from you! You are a great friend. It is hard when they grow up. You are happy, in a way, but sad too. I totally know how you must feel. I love it that Maylin still likes to snuggle every night and rub my hair.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet that Maylin rubs your hair. Hannah has recently begun to play with my fingertips (and her grandparents too) like she did when she was younger an it still melts me every single time!
DeleteIs that Jesus Loves You music personalized? It sounded like she was singing Hannah in there!
ReplyDelete