Hayden and Noah

So as many of you may know, the only way I managed to finish my dissertation this year is that my next-door neighbor Mandy and I arranged a complex schedule of baby-swapping. Usually a couple times a week (or more), I would watch Hayden and Noah; in return, Mandy would watch Noah and Hayden a similar amount of time. Due to this successful this set up, we BOTH will graduate this August as Doctor Mommies. :)

And while the Ph.D. degrees were the main goal of this arrangement, we also instigated a lovely little friendship between the two kids. Both light up when the other is spotted, whether by eyes or ears. While they are both still too young to really play together, they are interacting more and more, as the following pictures will demonstrate. Just the other day there was an adorable bit of hugging (while on the airplane of course) that was unfortunately not captured by camera. Luckily, there have been a few other special moments that have been caught on film...

One of their favorite activities is ransacking the kitchen. They started with the drawer that holds baking utensils, sometimes emptying it completely.

More recently, they have recently moved on to the pots cabinet. Noah usually does the heavy lifting while Hayden watches carefully.

Sometime in the middle of spring semester, probably when the weather was not cooperating, the two of them explored the concept of reflections.

It was through their joint love of the airplane that we discovered the extent of Hayden brute strength. Noah had hopped on, hoping for a ride but I was not within reach (probably trying to clean up the destroyed kitchen or something). Hayden pulls up behind him and all of a sudden I realized he's moving, because Hayden is pushing! Strong as an ox, she is! :)

Now that the weather is nice and warm, they both really enjoy heading up to the tot-lot park that's just up the street. Climbing on the equipment is super fun. Slides provide lots of entertainment simply as a place to hold on to and pile up mulch.

And when the weather does turn really summer, they have both spent time playing with water. Noah is a true water baby and LOVES to be wet. Hayden is still figuring out how she feels about it. She was less than enthusiastic when Noah squirted her in the face with the hose - luckily Blizzard likes to mediate any water disputes. :)

When both kids are with me, Noah usually gets his lunch first. This works okay, but sometimes Hayden gets impatient - and now that she's taller, she often tries to sample some! Here she tries to snag a pea, even though peas are not her favorite food!

And when Hayden gets the prime lunch spot, Noah just can't resist tickling her toes!

All in all, the two kids have formed a beautiful friendship that is fun to watch. Noah has started saying Hayden every once in a while (sounds like Hay-dee). Hayden hears the door open in the morning and crawls furiously to the gate at the stairs so she can pull herself up and bounce enthusiastically as Mandy and Noah come in the door. And both kids have a VERY firm grasp of the sign for dog thanks to Blizzard!