Wonderful Family Day

Today we spent the morning and lunchtime at the Como Zoo. It was such a beautiful day, a great day to have a picnic lunch in the park, and to walk around and show Anna the animals. Anna's favorites were the monkeys and the sea lions, and watching all of the other little kids as well.

What a wonderful, enjoyable day with my family. I loved it!

No Words

Abstract Art by Anna

What is this, you ask? Take a guess...

Give up? Well, this would be Anna's handprint (left hand) at 8 months old. She was going for the more abstract look of "dig your fingers in and get messy" rather than the traditional 5 fingers and palm print.

No wonder the directions said to wait until the baby is sleeping to make the handprint. Ooops! It was still a fun art project on a cloudy afternoon.

Music to my Ears

Lunchtime conversation:

Anna: "dada baba mama"
Mom: Oh! You said mama (for the first time!) Yes, mama! MAMA! Whoo hoo, MAMA!
Mom: Mama mama mama
Anna: da da da da da
Mom: good Anna - da da, ba ba, mama mama mama
Anna: da da da da da
Mom: mama mama
Anna: dada dada dada
Mom: can you say mama again?
Anna: dada

So, yes...we know who her favorite is.

Anna's Favorite Things

1. Dresses or clothes with any sort of ribbons, buckles, buttons, flowers, etc that she can touch and pull on
2. Playing with her animal train, her bucket of blocks, her cell phone and all of her toys
3. Scrunching up her eyes and nose and smiling big to get laughs from mom and dad
4. Playing peek-a-boo
5. Spending time with mom and dad
6. Stroller rides and Wagon rides (in her new wagon!)
7. Eating fruits - specifically apple-blueberry puree, bananas and applesauce
8. Chewing on mom's necklaces, mom's keys, mom's arm...pretty much just chewing on mom period
9. Being tickled
10. Laughing and giggling (whether it's doing it herself or watching someone else do it)

Had to show off Anna's cute little outfit today. Thank you Penny and Dad for this cute little dress from Christmas. Anna has been having fun all day pulling on the flowers and trying to figure out how to undo the buckles. I had to get a pic from the back too, because it's just too cute!!

Cindy Lou Who

I am assuming most of you have seen the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (or at least read the book?), and know who Cindy Lou Who is. If not, her picture is above. Why the heck am I posting her picture?? Well...Anna had her 2nd haircut today and, well, see for yourself below...

We had to skip swimming today due to a bit of a runny nose and a cough that arrived yesterday. I thought the cold water might not be a good idea for today, so we traded in the cold water for another morning at the "spa". Anna loved it once again - right at home in the barber's chair. She even smiled at herself in the mirror. The nice woman who cut her hair decided it would be fun to try some pigtails. Had I known, I would have brought my camera in to snap some pictures while it was happening. But, in a nutshell I think the ponys are hilarious!

The first two shots are "before" pictures...the rest are the "afters". HA HA HA!!

Cool Slideshows

Dress Weather

It's gonna be warm today, no need for tights! Anna is enjoying the nice breeze on her legs. Thanks to the Fillas for this adorable little dress, so happy the weather is nice enough to finally wear it! Enjoy your Saturday - play outside!

3 Princesses & their Prince

What a beautiful day! Today we met Sarah & Elise, Molly & Ellie, and Allison & Tyler for a walk around Lake Calhoun. It was so gorgeous out, and it was great to see some friends and all of the little ones! From left to right in the picture above is Elise (8.5months), Ellie (11.5 months), Tyler (2.5 months) and Anna (7.5 months). Prince Tyler was surrounded by so many little princesses! It was a fun morning - thanks to the ladies for getting together, we look forward to more playdates this summer!

TGIF

Hope you have a great day!

Practice Makes Perfect

Well, Anna hasn't quite figured out how to crawl yet...but she sure is trying. She is enjoying more tummy time than she was in the past and kicks her legs and twists her body trying to get to the toys in front of her. It's only a matter of time, and LOOK OUT!!!

Playin' at the Park

Anna and I went to the park in our neighborhood this afternoon for a little while. We swang on the swings for awhile, and even went down the big slide together. Anna loved it! However, she was very entranced with the young man shooting hoops on the court nearby (that's what she's looking at in all of the pictures). I think she liked that part the best! Here are some more pictures from today...

Slowly Gaining...

At Anna's 6 month appt, the doctor recommended that we come back in with Anna after 6 weeks to do a quick weight check to make sure she is gaining. We had that appointment this afternoon and I am happy to report that Anna has gained almost 10 oz! She is now 14lbs 5oz - up from 13lbs 11ozs 6 weeks ago. She has also grown another 1/2 an inch, to 26.5inches long.

She is still pretty small - in the 5th percentile, down from the 20th percentile at 4 months. The doctor mentioned that a decline like she has experienced is normal for most children...now we just look to make sure she either remains in the 5-10 percentile range, or gets bigger than that. If she should continue to decline, then he would recommend some blood work to just make sure there isn't anything else going on. But, he said that given how well she is eating, and how healthy she seems and how active she is...he thinks she's doing great!

We do too!

Note to self

Never change a diaper in the middle of the living room without a diaper pad or blanket (or SOMETHING!) underneath, regardless of how late you are for swimming. Even girls can send pee flying all across the room and drench everything in sight. (At least it was #1 and not the other huh?).

Uncle Patrick

came for a visit today. Anna had fun showing him her toys, and all of her new tricks. We enjoyed a walk in the nice warm weather this afternoon too. Thanks for coming over Patrick, we enjoyed having you!

Daddy Day

Anna and Dad hung out all afternoon and evening on Saturday while I had a chance to get out with my friends. I went to Sociale (a dinner preparation place) and put together 5 meals to freeze. They looked like they would be good, so hopefully they are! I also had an opportunity to spend the afternoon with some close friends and have dinner with all of my college roommates and my best friend from high school. It was such a fun day for me, and I think it was a very fun day for Steve and Anna! They went on 2 walks, played, read books, and had a great time. Anna sure loves her daddy. Lots of big grins and giggles.

Today it's gorgeous here...after church we are planning to get outside, maybe head out to a nearby park for a few hours. We'll see what the day brings!

7 Months Ago Today...

... this picture was taken. Crazy how much Anna has changed in such a short amount of time. The little shirt she is wearing in the picture was a Newborn size - up to 7lbs. I packed that shirt away about a month or so ago, along with many of Anna's newborn clothes she has outgrown. When I held it up it looked so tiny, and I had a hard time remembering her being that small. And now looking at this picture, I can't believe that at one time we actually had to roll up the sleeves!

I am continually amazed by the miracle of birth. I guess it's always been amazing to me, but even more so now I have had the privilege to experience it firsthand. How something so little can grow and change and learn SO MUCH in such a short period of time is nothing short of a miracle. To think that all that little body needs to do all of that changing and growing is milk, love, safety and shelter. If there is ever a day that you need some proof that God exists...ponder this for awhile.

Fun Afternoon

Grandpa T came to visit this afternoon..what fun we had playing toys and showing him how Anna jumps in her jump toy. Anna couldn't stop staring at Grandpa the entire time he was here...she had to check him out and make sure he was watching her!

Good to see you dad, thank you for coming over!

Jump Around

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Lapsit Storytime

Something Anna is enjoying more than I ever would have thought.

Lapsit Storytime is a program offered through our library once a week for a 6 week period. It's about 30 mins long and is attended by about 10-15 other children and their moms (or dads). The kids range from a few months old to 2 years old. Basically we sit in a circle and sing kid songs together, then read the same books out loud together, sing some more songs...and after 30 minutes the kids all move to a blanket in the center of the circle and play toys, play with each other, etc.

The first week Anna sat back near me and just watched...awed by all the things these "big kids" could do - like scream, and crawl and even walk! Yesterday however, I put Anna on the blanket near a big toy with the other kids. HA! She loved it. She still watched and observed, but she played too. There was another six month old girl sitting next to her with beautiful black curly hair. Anna must have thought it was beautiful too because she kept trying to touch it and play with it! She had fun and was such a good girl...until everyone started leaving. I think she got sad and didn't want it to end, as she started to cry when she was one of the last ones sitting there.

Little Ladybug

Well, it's back into the swing of things for Anna and I. Yesterday we had swim lessons and Anna kicked for half an hour straight in the water. Typically she will come home and eat lunch before taking her afternoon nap...but yesterday she fell asleep in the car on the way home and didn't even wake up when I got her out of her carseat. She wore herself out!

Today we went to the gym over lunch. Since the cold and flu season should be about over, I thought it might be a good idea to have Anna spend time around other kids and some strangers every once in awhile. She did great in the daycare there, and I had a great time at Yoga class. So, we're going to try it again on Thursday.

Easter Weekend

What a wonderful weekend in Wisconsin! Thank you to our family for hosting a great Easter weekend, we all had a lot of fun! It was fun to see everyone again, and Anna enjoyed playing with all of you. This morning she keeps looking around wondering where everybody went, I think she misses you. Jim and Norma, we'll see you in about a month - and everyone else in early June! Lots of love...

Spring Break

While Grandma was on Spring Break, Anna went to visit for the day on Thursday. It was a lot of fun playing with the Animal Train and drum, and playin' with Grandma. While Anna and Grandma played, I was able to get away for a little while and do some shopping (by MYSELF!!!). It was a nice treat to have a little alone time...thanks mom!

Simple Pleasures

Can you find me in here? We were doing laundry today, and Anna wanted to help! Actually, we were doing laundry and while talking to my friend Sarah, she mentioned that she too was doing laundry and Elise was hanging out in her laundry basket. It sounded like fun and a way to keep Anna occupied while I folded. Turned out to be a lot of fun!! (Thanks for the idea Sarah!)

New Schedule

Well, we have officially transitioned from 3 naps to 2. While there are a few days here and there where 3 naps are needed, the majority of the time Anna follows this schedule:

7:00 - 7:30am Wake Up
8:00 or 8:30am Nap #1 (typically 1 - 2 hours)
1:00 or 1:30pm Nap #2 (typically 1 - 2 hours)
6:00pm Bath
6:30pm Bottle, Book and Bed

Playin' in the Playroom

New Spaces

As many of you know our latest project in our household has been to have our basement finished. We have been looking forward to a cozy place to watch TV and have Anna and her friends run around. We are happy to report that the project is complete! There are a few odds and ends that need to be wrapped up (such as the railing and a few lights), and of course lots of decorating that will need to happen over time...but for now we have some new spaces to occupy and enjoy. I think Anna approves (she's on the couch in the basement in the picture above).

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was working on a playroom for Anna. I thought I would post a picture of the "after" for you to see. It's been lots of fun!

Today we had our 2nd swimming lesson. Anna now kicks her legs and she even dunked all the way under the water, still no tears. I am amazed by her fearlessness...I hope it sticks around. The rain and snow are on the way, so not much planned for Tuesday. Wednesday is our first day of "Storytime" at the library so we have that to look forward to!

Open Swimming

Today we went swimming for a little while at Lifetime. Steve wanted to experience Anna swimming in the big pool and it was some fun "family time". Here are a few pictures of our adventure!

Dinner at Grandpa's

We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at Grandpa T's house...what a fun time! We had yummy Italian food, Anna played with all of the fun big legos and the little purple bunny that Grandma Great bought for her. Grandma Great and Uncle Matt were there too, it was a fun early Easter celebration. Anna had lots of smiles and giggles for everyone. Thank you dad for having us over, it was a very very nice time!

I wish I would have gotten a few more pictures - with Grandpa and Grandma Great in them, next time I guess!

Uncle Matt

Great to see you Uncle Matt! Anna sure had fun!

Smile all her own

I took this picture awhile ago...when I snapped it and looked at it later, I thought I had captured Anna right at a moment of a big laugh when she wrinkled up her nose. Come to find out...this is a part of Anna's every smile. When Anna gives a big smile now, she wrinkles up her nose. Kind of like she's saying "Yes, aren't I cute?". We have no idea where she got this from since neither Steve nor I do this. It's definitely a smile all her own...we love it!