Walking around

I knew that all the hard work in the foyer and hallway would pay off sooner rather than later. Leah has a wonderfully straight and mostly level area to walk up and down in. And she does walk.

Her balance is still not perfect but she has picked up the pace quite a bit recently. She enjoys mobility in such a way that make me realize that I take it for granted. Her world is always expanding and we have (mostly) enjoyed the challenge of keeping an eye on her as she explores it.

Enjoy the video.

-Sefton

Happy Autumn

Just a quick photo from a recent trip to our favorite orchard for ice cream. Leah still likes getting a taste from our cones and tried peach and pumpkin this time.

Happy Autumn everyone.

-Sefton

Reading

Darcey and I have tried to prioritize reading books to Leah since she was born and have had limited success until just recently. Leah was just too squirmy or fussy to sit in our laps and concentrate on a book. We actually started reading to her after she was in her crib for the night because it was the only way we could get a captive audience.

But something has happened over the last couple of weeks where Leah now wants to be read to. She brings books over and sits in down either in my lap or directly in front of me while I read. She seems to have two favorite books. One is about Elmo and one is about a duck. She doesn't really want to have anything to do with any of the 30 or so other books that are on her bookshelf which means I now have Elmo and the duck memorized.

Like just about every other development, a switch seems to have been turned on somewhere inside of her. She has a new focus and concentration which has also carried over to her understanding of words. Although she still isn't saying anything but "uh oh", she knows the words ball and duck as well as Daisy, Kitty, Mommy and Daddy. I see her learn new things whenever we have playtime together like how to make her favorite toys play music. She even laughs at a game she made up where she crawls to a corner of her bedroom and waits for us to ask her why she is over there. It's the funniest thing she knows and she does it almost everyday.

I never knew a child her age had so much mental depth and am always excited to see what she will learn next.

-Sefton

One small step for Leah...

It was a giant leap for the Ipocks. Leah finally took her first steps
over the weekend and it was beautiful. She had been kind of crab
walking around here last week with her palms and soles of her feet on
the ground which was a pretty funny sight. She has also figured out,
almost overnight, how to remain steady when she stands.

I can't describe how thrilled I am to be able to watch the evolution of her
development. The first post I made on this blog was when she rolled
over on her own. That seems like eons ago. Last night I had a flash
forward to Leah doing one of those ungraceful toddler runs down our
hallway and that seems like it is so far away.

I know I'm wrong about that.

-Sefton

Party Time

Leah's first birthday party was a huge success. All of her grandparents were in attendance, and several friends and neighbors came to the celebration as well. We had good food, good drinks and a great time.

I'd like to thank John for making the most delicious and beautiful cakes ever. Leah's cake was especially fantastic. It was truly the best cake a one-year-old ever had. Thanks also to Vicki and Lloyd who drove 34 hours roundtrip to spend 44 hours with their granddaughter. And thanks to everyone else who attended. You were all invited because you are part of our family and we wanted the party to be as much about you as it was about Leah.

And finally thanks to my wonderful wife Darcey who always knows how to take care of the people she loves. We are a family because of everything she does and all of the sacrifices that she makes.

I look forward to another wonderful year.

-Sefton

One Year

Today is Leah's birthday and as hard as it is for me to believe that it has been one full year since we were in the hospital with absolutely no idea of how drastically our lives were about to change, I can't help but realize how quickly the time has gone and how impossible it was to grab hold of the small moments as they slipped through my hands like water.

I don't think that 365 days have ever gone by quicker than they just did. I look through the pictures of our family from the last year and I still feel like it was yesterday that she was born. I remember lying next to Darcey in the hospital bed as she labored through the night. I remember how blue the sky was at dawn and how round wispy Autumn clouds hung so low to the ground that you wouldn't think they cleared the treeline outside of our window. I remember the first time I held her and tried to comfort her crying, and the only song I could think to sing her was the UNC alma mater. I hadn't sung it in years.

One year ago I became the proudest dad in the world and didn't give a thought to day care or formula or diapers. I could only focus on this little person who is half of me and half of the love of my life. This little pink squirmy thing with ten fingers and ten toes, who had no protection from the world, was just handed over to me.

It was the most empowering and humbling experience of my life.

Thanks to everyone who helped us through this first year. Whether it was a kind word or hand-me-down clothes or a few hours of babysitting thank you. None of you will ever know how lucky we consider ourselves to have this love and support around us. We truly could not have done this without you and we have no idea how to pay you back for everything. Leah is as much yours as she is ours.

-Sefton

Walking with help

Leah has been pulling up and walking along the edges of every piece of furniture in the house and with her new mobility, Darcey and I have had to make a few changes to the house. We've taken the surround-sound speakers off of their stands, we removed a small coffee table from the living room and we've attached two bookcases to the wall.

It's been hard keeping an eye on her as her reach has expanded but it's interesting to see which objects catch her fancy. She enjoys throwing pillows (and everything else for that matter) on the ground. She continually goes after a collection of green gardening books and pushes every button on the entertainment center that she sees.

Leah's new teacher at daycare says that she will be the next child in the class to walk and Darcey and I have both seen her take brave unassisted steps that ended with her falling on her face. But she never cries after failing and that is all we can ask for.

Well that and somewhere to put all of our nice fragile stuff for the next three years.

-Sefton