Like My Mom

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my mother's passing. I know, morbid topic, but I'd rather look at this day as a sweet reflection of my mother's memory instead of a sad and somber day. My mother was the most complicated and dynamic person I know. She was a woman who possessed an astounding IQ,  a dangerous beauty, an electric personality, and an impulsive character. These traits were both her strengths and weaknesses. She was often too smart for her own good (she never went to college, but I imagine she could've done tremendous things with a degree), her beauty got her into trouble all too often, her personality attracted everyone (the good and bad), and her impulsive nature could have us flying to the moon or taking a face-plant into the dirt. Either way, I loved her with all my heart. She has left an indelible stamp on my life (as all mothers do) and I know that if she was alive today, she would be proud of the mother I have become.

So, my decision to write this post is rooted in catharsis. I feel like I am connecting to her spirit with each stroke of the keypad. Perhaps I am being melodramatic, but I prefer to look at this in a more practical and healthy way; writing this is helping me keep the spirit of my mother alive, so when Indy asks, "What was my grandma like?", I can show her this keepsake (I plan to publish this blog for Indy one day).

Here are some of my favorite things about my mom. I hope to echo these things in my parenting of Indy:

1. Talking on the phone EVERY DAY! It's crazy, but it was so wonderful.
2. Our frozen yogurt trips. We did this to the point of insanity. Once Starbuck's came to town, we cashed in our yogurt chips for caffeine.
3. Dancing. Hands down, my mother is one of the BEST dancers I have ever encountered. She moved like no one was watching (when everyone actually was though).
4. Arm tickles. When I couldn't sleep, she'd tickle my arms with her inordinately long nails.
5. Her evil cackle. My mom had a dry-whisky laugh that sounded more like The Green Goblin from Spiderman than a grown woman. When she'd laugh really hard, her false eyelashes would come off.
6. Her false eyelashes :)
7. Her food--incredible baker.
8. Her tidy, little bun. She would never wear her hair any other way.
9. Her regal demeanor. You'd think she descended from royalty (or she was a really big snob). Either way, she walked into a room like she owned the place.
10. Her hugs. When I hugged her, I could smell her lotion, her workplace, and her makeup. It was really comforting.

The year before she passed

I hope my mom is looking down on me and smiling. 

Mahalo! Indy's summer fun...

So, Indy's having tons of fun this summer! She's hanging with friends, having lunch dates with Gramps, going to Hawaii, kickin' it with Mom---wait, did I just casually skim over "going to Hawaii"? Yes, I did. Let's try this again.

Indy went to Hawaii last week! We just got back at 2am this morning and boy did we have fun! Indy is a little champion! It turns out that she LOVES the water. The pool was an aquatic sanctuary for Indy--smiles galore and lots of splashes! The ocean was fun, but she's still a little tentative; give the kid a break though, she's only seven months old!

My initial fears of flying with a baby were quickly dissolved when Indy rocked the airplane like a champ! It didn't hurt that I had three bottles of milk on-hand, baby food and we managed to get an entire row of seats to ourselves! Indy basically had her own seat, so my fears of diaper changing, napping, and closed quarters dissipated.

Plane ride smiles

Indy also had tons of fun with family too!

My cool cousin Caitlyn

Hanging out with Daddy!

The Crew

Aunt Jaime and Unky Teo

Beach Walk!

Aunt Julie gives good hugs!

Grandma Sue, I LOVE YOU!

As you can see, fun times were had. Here's some more great shots:

Trees along the shore

At the beach with Grandma! 

Renown Puka Dogs!

On a date!

A beautiful Hawaiian sky.

Gotta go to the Farmer's Market

Grandpa gets me ready for the beach :)

Let's move to Hawaii, please! 

So, that's the scoop on Hawaii. I am itching to go back; it is too much fun and too beautiful to pass up. It was also so fun to watch Indy take in all the new sights and sounds. She had a great time with family, sea-life and plane rides!

On a completely different note, Indy also hung out with Hattie! Hattie is getting so big and she's ready for a playmate in Indy! Check out these adorable shots:

Lunch with Grandpa Don, Shelby, Hattie, Indy and Me!

Hey Buddy!

Yeah!

Let's not forget some Laguna time! Check out the garden and the vegetables Indy has her hands on!

Yummy!

Crazy Chicken

We also spent some time with Crystal and Brenda! Indy loved that!

Too cute for words!

 Indy is enjoying summer time more than we could've imagined. Being home with her is certainly special. She's been able to do so much. She's hung out with so much family. She's even been spending some babysitting time with Uncle Donny! She loves that!

We continue to feel blessed with each passing day that Indy is in our lives. She is a tremendous joy, always smiling and playing. She has a tender heart and a magical spirit! 

Oh Daddy!

Until next time...

School's Out For..Some Indy Time

I am so cute, right?

It's been a long wait, but the last four months have passed and you know what that means? It means INDY TIME! I get to have uninterrupted, one-on-one, in-your-face, Indy time. I am so excited and Dan and I couldn't be happier.

Indy has changed so much in the past six months. She cashes in at 19 bucks now and she's also 28 inches long! She's my "Little Pudge", as we so endearingly refer to her. She has folds on top of all of her folds, she has two dazzling, pearly-white bottom teeth, she can reach for her bottle, toys and faces (she really loves to put her hands on our faces) and she babbles about everything from Dan's comic-art to my fragrant gas after a dinner of veggie-chili (seriously--it's lethal right now).

Another huge milestone for Little Pudge is her transition to solids. She now eats a nice, delicious bowl of porridge every morning (rice cereal). It looks like runny, disgusting nonsense, but she loves it. She's also eating some Stage One baby foods: sweet potatoes and carrots! She gobbles them up like it's nobody's business.

Feed ME...

Or I'll get ANGRY!!!

That's better!

She sleeps pretty well, but does like to get up for a mid-night snack. She gives me a continuous little whine, kind of like this "eh, eh, eh eh, eh, ehhhhh, ehhhhh", until I get up and feed her. That's made for some sleep-deprived teaching days, but I am surprised at my energy levels while teaching. I can pretty much survive on four hours and still be my usual spastic self, so that's good.

This summer I plan to hang with Indy as much as possible. We're going to run together with the jogging stroller (I have finally used it and she enjoys the ride). We'll go to the beach, people watch and hang out in our diapers...uh...I mean she'll hang out in her diaper. :) Who knows. I could really let loose this summer.

Hangin'

Family Unit

I like Grandpa!

Mommy at the Color Run--she looks scary!

Dan is doing great! He's been really busy with some new and exciting projects. We're proud of Dannyboy! What I Love most though, is Dan's journey as a father. He's really been exceptional. Indy LOVES her daddy so much and it is seriously amazing, gorgeous and heavenly to see Dan with his daughter. He manages to make the most mundane and disgusting tasks look adorable. Like this morning, Indy made butt-sauce--really thick butt-sauce and Dan scooped her up, carrot-poop dribbles and all, and sang to her while wiping the poop from every crevice from the waist down. She just cooed and smiled at him, as though there was nothing to be humiliated about! Well, Indy's a baby, so she doesn't have to worry about humiliation when it comes to pooping, but it gets me thinking about how much better the world would be if we all handled our accidents like Indy. "Hey, I pooped my pants! So what?! Let's sing and smile and wipe each other's butts!" I like her philosophy!

Teething is a Bi...

Okay, so I am not one for swearing, so, I will start with: Teething is a BIT CHoppy as far as the waters are concerned! Indy is the COOOLest kid around and there is NO bias whatsoever on this side of things, but whew, pop a couple of teeth through those delicate gums of hers and you've got ONE-UNHAPPY-SUCKER! The past few days have really put things into perspective. We have had such a pleasant time with Indy so far--she's always laughing, cooing and being a happy baby. So, when we see her in this state, it makes us thankful for her usual disposition. We're hoping the teething phase doesn't last long, but we're here to weather the storm regardless of its timeline.

This past couple of weeks marked the Spring Break season for The Hipp Clan. We've been looking forward to this time for awhile now. It has been such a blessing to have so much time at home with Indy. I have been able to sleep-in with our little girl and rest my nose on her warm and sweet-smelling noggin, as well as go on long walks with her strapped to my chest. She's getting to know the world around her so much! She's giggling at funny sounds, becoming wide-eyed when she sees something new and surprising, and she's also been TEETHING (as discussed earlier). :) She's also been able to see her family more. She had visits with Grandpa Shaffer and Grandma and Grandpa Hipp! She enjoyed hanging out and getting lots of attention from everyone.

Right before break, my girlfriend Shelby had her baby, Hattie! I was able to visit her in the hospital and meet the little one! So adorable. I can't wait for Hattie and Indy to play. They've already had their first play date, but neither of them knew what was going on--Hattie was 9 days old and Indy was...well they're both babies! They don't know a friend from a hole in the wall.

Anyway, here's a sprinkling of pictures, in no particular order. More to come very soon!

Grandma, me and Daddy

Grandpa Spence is fun!

Beautiful Hattie and mom!

INDY MONTAGE!

Hanging with Uncle Rob and Aunt MB

March Indy Madness...

It's tough to be the coolest baby in town, but Indy seems to manage just fine. She's weighing in at a sturdy 16 pounds and is in the 93% for weight for a four-month-old baby! She's also stretched out to 25.5 inches--the girl's a tank! Maybe I should consider rephrasing my diction: she's an amazon woman!

I should also mention that Indy has taken a great interest in reading now. I know, it seems a little early, but you can't fault her for loving a little mystery: Sherlock Holmes is the literature she's drawn to. What a classy lady! Both Dan and I are so proud of her! She'll be taking in all sorts of great authors in no time! If I want to get technical, however, her first novel was Casino Royale. Dan read that to her each day--they just finished today. Indy couldn't believe that Vesper was a double-agent!

In fact, this is how she reacted when she found out the resolution to Casino Royale: 

WHAT?!

In other Indy news, Indy's been enjoying walks in the sun and dressing up as a cool pirate! She certainly has a personality all her own! We're really enjoying all of her milestones of late: she's giggling more, squealing, trying to sit up (which is really hilarious--she looks like she's doing sit-ups). 

Comfy on my walk!

Pirate Princess!

Indy's also been able to spend some time with Hattie--her new friend! She technically hasn't met her, but Hattie is planning to make her debut any day. Instead of literally hanging out with Hattie, we spent time with her mom, Shelby! :)

Shelby, Sunny and Hattie

Hattie's coming! 

Feed me!

Indy also met another friend: Ellie. Ellie is a little older, but with time, Indy will be able to keep up with the older girls! 

A new friend in Ellie

Brook, Sunny and Indy

I guess you could say that we're just having a ball with our little one! She is getting acquainted with the world around her and we love her reactions to everything! For instance, she's getting more and more comfortable with bath time; she's realizing that it's like a day at the spa! Mom and Dad are thrilled! 

Don't forget my nooks and crannies! 

It's been a truly fun month! 

Daddy and Indy