Most of you know that life with a one year old is full of new experiences for her. It seems like there's something new everyday. Today alone there were at least 3 firsts.
(1) This morning Anna kissed me for the first time. It wasn't a case of me kissing her. She walked up to me, turned her chin up, pursed her lips, & kissed me.
(2) Anna & I "skated" around the kitchen in our stocking-feet for the first time. She laughed & smiled the whole time.
(3) Anna ate out of the garbage ... for the first time. Hopefully, that one was also for the last time too. She hadn't finished all of her dinner, but clearly she was done eating & wanted down from the high chair. The last few lima beans left on the plate were scraped into the garbage (with other icky things). While Traci & I cleaned up the kitchen, Anna played at our feet. Lately she's been playing with a large bag of potatoes which she mistakenly thinks are called "bigs". Though, that's another story that Traci can explain. In this particular story, Anna skipped "the bigs" all together & headed straight for the trash. Neither of us realized what had happened until we saw her standing there chewing & saying "yum yum." More like yuck, yuck.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Happy Birthday, Anna!
Happy First Birthday, Anna! It is amazing how so much can happen in one short year. At 8:42 a.m., one year ago today, I stood in awe as Anna Genevieve came into the world. I knew our lives would change, but I could never have quantified how. We both loved her instantly, but I don't think that we could have ever imagined just how much we would grow to love her in the days, weeks & months that followed.
Our little baby who could barely hold her head up, who struggled to roll over on her own, whose Papa taught her to sit up, and whose Grandma literally saw her first steps, is no more. Today Anna is practically a toddler, a little girl, if you will. She babbles constantly - sometimes making sense, asking for milk, calling for the dog, greeting other babies on the train & saying "bye-bye" when she's leaving. This moring, in fact, she said something to her mom as Anna & I were leaving that sounded a lot like "I love you" (Traci had just before said the same to Anna). She plays at the park, chasing after the "big kids," trying to do what they do. Last week, she came down the short slide by herself. Abut half way down, she pulled her arms in towards her chest, clenched her fists, shut her eyes tight & grinned the biggest grin as she glided towards the ground. She is literally transitioning from a baby to a little girl before our very eyes.
I cringe at the thought of saying, "she will always be my baby." Having been the child of a parent who said this from time to time, I was often annoyed by this expression. I'm still not sure that I can bring myself to say it but I certainly am growing in my understanding of the sentiment. I suppose for me the sentiment is more one of love & pride. We are immedasurably proud of Anna. She has changed our world in remarkable ways (and, will certainly continue to). Happy Birthday, Baby!
Our little baby who could barely hold her head up, who struggled to roll over on her own, whose Papa taught her to sit up, and whose Grandma literally saw her first steps, is no more. Today Anna is practically a toddler, a little girl, if you will. She babbles constantly - sometimes making sense, asking for milk, calling for the dog, greeting other babies on the train & saying "bye-bye" when she's leaving. This moring, in fact, she said something to her mom as Anna & I were leaving that sounded a lot like "I love you" (Traci had just before said the same to Anna). She plays at the park, chasing after the "big kids," trying to do what they do. Last week, she came down the short slide by herself. Abut half way down, she pulled her arms in towards her chest, clenched her fists, shut her eyes tight & grinned the biggest grin as she glided towards the ground. She is literally transitioning from a baby to a little girl before our very eyes.
I cringe at the thought of saying, "she will always be my baby." Having been the child of a parent who said this from time to time, I was often annoyed by this expression. I'm still not sure that I can bring myself to say it but I certainly am growing in my understanding of the sentiment. I suppose for me the sentiment is more one of love & pride. We are immedasurably proud of Anna. She has changed our world in remarkable ways (and, will certainly continue to). Happy Birthday, Baby!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Kitty Kat - Kitty Kat
Over the weekend Anna met her Cousin Lindsey's fat cat, Rosie. Rosie was gentle enough to tolerate Anna's playing with her tail, petting, & constant chasing. We talked to Anna all weekend about the "kitty kat". As most babies are, Anna is like a sponge & just soaks everything up that she hears.
When we came home from the weekend Anna was excited to see our dog, Eve. She rushed to rub Eve's back with her hand. As she did, she smiled at Eve & exclaimed, "Kee-Kat!"
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Stories
It seems that not a day goes by that Will and I don't look at each other and raise an eyebrow over something new Anna is doing or saying. She's growing SO fast now, not only physically, but socially and mentally, in very noticeable ways.
While the most notable recent milestone is probably the fact that she is walking (more on that soon), I thought I'd share a few stories that have made us chuckle lately.
Anna really likes the playground. Always has, since we started taking her last spring to use the baby swings. Now, we've progressed to the slides and climbing on things, although often Anna just likes to toddle around and watch the big kids run and jump. A few weeks ago, Anna and I were out running errands one day after work. We happened to park in front of a school playlot while we ran in to pick something up. When we came back out, I dumped the stuff in the back of the car, and proceeded to buckle Anna into her carseat. She let out one sharp yell, and started pointing over my shoulder to something behind me. I turned to look, and saw nothing. Trying to go about the business of getting Anna in the car, she started really crying, and kept pointing out of the car. When I finally realized the playlot was in sight, I asked her if she wanted to play. Not only did she stop crying, she started kicking her legs excitedly and smiling. So I gave in, and we played on the playground -- I think there are probably worse things that spending 20 minutes on the playground on a Tuesday afternoon. And, while part of me thought it was just a fluke that day, it's happened a few times since then, so I know it's not. So maybe now we should upgrade "likes the playground" to "loves the playground".
Anna also really loves to take Eve on walks. A more accurate description would probably be that she loves to go with us when we walk Eve. It has become part of our daily routine -- Anna and I come home from work/daycare, settle in, and take Eve out. Anna always kicks her feet excitedly and starts laughing when she sees me get Eve's leash out and we head for the door. Yesterday, we were running a little off our normal schedule, and Will got home at the same time as us. I thought, great, he can take Eve out while I stay with Anna, it'll be so much easier than juggling both of them. Anna apparently didn't think that was such a great idea...when she saw Will head for the door without her, she started crying and crawled after him. So the four of us (Will, Eve, Anna, and I) all went for a walk!
Anna's a total bookworm. She will go to her toybox, pull out one of her favorites, and bring it to us to read to her. She likes to turn the pages herself, and many of our books have flaps that she likes to lift herself to see the pictures underneath. I think she's memorized the stories/pictures by now, but she still seems to enjoy them. Each night, we read her two books, and she cries everytime we close the second one -- she'd MUCH rather read her books than go to bed!
Anna's been saying "bye bye" for a couple of weeks now. She does the cutest little wave and a quiet "buh-bye"...and she does it about 9 times to say goodbye to someone...so, maybe that's an exaggeration, but she repeats it many times!
There are so many fun and cute stories to share, I hope to share more soon. Until then...buh-bye.
While the most notable recent milestone is probably the fact that she is walking (more on that soon), I thought I'd share a few stories that have made us chuckle lately.
Anna really likes the playground. Always has, since we started taking her last spring to use the baby swings. Now, we've progressed to the slides and climbing on things, although often Anna just likes to toddle around and watch the big kids run and jump. A few weeks ago, Anna and I were out running errands one day after work. We happened to park in front of a school playlot while we ran in to pick something up. When we came back out, I dumped the stuff in the back of the car, and proceeded to buckle Anna into her carseat. She let out one sharp yell, and started pointing over my shoulder to something behind me. I turned to look, and saw nothing. Trying to go about the business of getting Anna in the car, she started really crying, and kept pointing out of the car. When I finally realized the playlot was in sight, I asked her if she wanted to play. Not only did she stop crying, she started kicking her legs excitedly and smiling. So I gave in, and we played on the playground -- I think there are probably worse things that spending 20 minutes on the playground on a Tuesday afternoon. And, while part of me thought it was just a fluke that day, it's happened a few times since then, so I know it's not. So maybe now we should upgrade "likes the playground" to "loves the playground".
Anna also really loves to take Eve on walks. A more accurate description would probably be that she loves to go with us when we walk Eve. It has become part of our daily routine -- Anna and I come home from work/daycare, settle in, and take Eve out. Anna always kicks her feet excitedly and starts laughing when she sees me get Eve's leash out and we head for the door. Yesterday, we were running a little off our normal schedule, and Will got home at the same time as us. I thought, great, he can take Eve out while I stay with Anna, it'll be so much easier than juggling both of them. Anna apparently didn't think that was such a great idea...when she saw Will head for the door without her, she started crying and crawled after him. So the four of us (Will, Eve, Anna, and I) all went for a walk!
Anna's a total bookworm. She will go to her toybox, pull out one of her favorites, and bring it to us to read to her. She likes to turn the pages herself, and many of our books have flaps that she likes to lift herself to see the pictures underneath. I think she's memorized the stories/pictures by now, but she still seems to enjoy them. Each night, we read her two books, and she cries everytime we close the second one -- she'd MUCH rather read her books than go to bed!
Anna's been saying "bye bye" for a couple of weeks now. She does the cutest little wave and a quiet "buh-bye"...and she does it about 9 times to say goodbye to someone...so, maybe that's an exaggeration, but she repeats it many times!
There are so many fun and cute stories to share, I hope to share more soon. Until then...buh-bye.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Playground Bully
SO, I know we haven't posted anything in a while. And I know that most of you (pronounced: grandparents) won't think this is a real post - promise I'll make it up to you - but, this is my civic duty.
Last week we were at the playground with Anna. She still loves the baby swings & is learning about the slide. While we were there, we saw a large boy bullying other kids around. In fact, he shoved one smaller boy to the ground. The smaller boy was "rescued" by his mom. But the BIG BOY's mom was no where to be found. I know most of my readers are our family & friends. But on the off chance that BIG BOY's mom stumbles across our blog, I just thought she should know ...
Last week we were at the playground with Anna. She still loves the baby swings & is learning about the slide. While we were there, we saw a large boy bullying other kids around. In fact, he shoved one smaller boy to the ground. The smaller boy was "rescued" by his mom. But the BIG BOY's mom was no where to be found. I know most of my readers are our family & friends. But on the off chance that BIG BOY's mom stumbles across our blog, I just thought she should know ...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
9 months!
Hard to believe, but Anna is 9 months old today! I know I sound old myself when I say time flies, but, really, there's no other way to put it....these last 9 months have gone by soooo fast (too fast, really)! Anna's 9 month dr's appt isn't for another week, so I'll share stats at that point; for now, here's what the lil snickerdoodle is up to!
9 months is an incredibly fun age, at least when you are blessed with the smiley happy baby we are. Anna has been pulling herself up for the past 2+ weeks, and is now eagerly working on walking. Her half-crawl/half-walk movement, combined with walking along the furniture, get her everywhere she wants to go, for now. We're spending alot of time following her around the house -- I wouldn't say "chasing" just yet, since she's not too fast, but I know those days are just around the corner. For now, it's following behind to make sure she doesn't stick her pudgy little fingers into something dangerous or pull something down on top of herself. Keeps us busy, as well as entertained!
Anna is also starting to really express her interests and desires. She has a couple of favorite books that she likes to read over, and over, and over....and she's often perfectly happy playing by herself and pulling her toys out of her toy box, one at a time. Or, if that's not an option, pulling clean laundry out of the laundry basket is an enjoyable substitute. Until recently, it seemed as if Anna liked any and all food you would offer her, but I think we've finally run into a few that she's not so fond of. I'm still trying to convince her cauliflower and broccoli are tasty (?), but usually have to resort to some trickery for her to open her mouth for either.
Most notably, Anna has learned to roar like a lion, and recognize the lion in her books and music -- her dad is SO proud (if you ask him about it, I'm sure he'll let you listen to the recording on his cell phone). Really, it's a skill all 9 month olds should have, right? It IS just about the most adorable thing ever, and never fails to cheer her up.
Personally, I'm quite proud of her recent ability to "kiss". Not quite a kiss, but a super cute fish face that sounds like a kiss.
Hopefully I'll get both on video to share soon -- in the meantime, you'll just have to take my word that it will make you melt.
9 months is an incredibly fun age, at least when you are blessed with the smiley happy baby we are. Anna has been pulling herself up for the past 2+ weeks, and is now eagerly working on walking. Her half-crawl/half-walk movement, combined with walking along the furniture, get her everywhere she wants to go, for now. We're spending alot of time following her around the house -- I wouldn't say "chasing" just yet, since she's not too fast, but I know those days are just around the corner. For now, it's following behind to make sure she doesn't stick her pudgy little fingers into something dangerous or pull something down on top of herself. Keeps us busy, as well as entertained!
Anna is also starting to really express her interests and desires. She has a couple of favorite books that she likes to read over, and over, and over....and she's often perfectly happy playing by herself and pulling her toys out of her toy box, one at a time. Or, if that's not an option, pulling clean laundry out of the laundry basket is an enjoyable substitute. Until recently, it seemed as if Anna liked any and all food you would offer her, but I think we've finally run into a few that she's not so fond of. I'm still trying to convince her cauliflower and broccoli are tasty (?), but usually have to resort to some trickery for her to open her mouth for either.
Most notably, Anna has learned to roar like a lion, and recognize the lion in her books and music -- her dad is SO proud (if you ask him about it, I'm sure he'll let you listen to the recording on his cell phone). Really, it's a skill all 9 month olds should have, right? It IS just about the most adorable thing ever, and never fails to cheer her up.
Personally, I'm quite proud of her recent ability to "kiss". Not quite a kiss, but a super cute fish face that sounds like a kiss.
Hopefully I'll get both on video to share soon -- in the meantime, you'll just have to take my word that it will make you melt.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wiggleworm
Traci & I enrolled Anna in an infant music class called Wiggleworms at a neighborhood music school. Each week parents & babies (our group is 6 - 12 monthers) sing, play, jump, & dance - all the while trying to learn a little rhythm. Anna has a ball & is enamoured with the group leader's guitar.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Please be patient...
As you have probably noticed, Will and I have not been good about updating the blog lately. I guess you could say there are other things we'd rather do with our evenings...you know, important stuff, like watch Anna grab the dog's tail, watch Anna try to crawl (not there yet - but very close, "army crawling" and starting to get the coordination between arms and legs; she also spends ALOT of time on all fours rocking back and forth), stack baby cups with Anna, enjoy the spring weather walking with Anna, and ... well, you get the picture. Anna, Anna, Anna. It seems like she's changing and doing new things each day.
I credit Anna with two words at this point -- both "mama" and "dada". "Mama" started about a week and a half ago, and "dada" started on Friday. Interestingly, Will himself hasn't witnessed "dada" yet -- I heard it over the baby monitor early Friday morning, and the woman who watched Anna that day said Anna was saying it all day. Still trying to convince her to say it to her "dada" though!
Yesterday, Anna mastered getting a baby puff/cheerio into her mouth on her own. She'd been working on it for a few days, and liked to eat them when I helped her get them in her mouth. Now, she can actually pick the puff up off her highchair tray and get it into her mouth, gum it, and swallow it all on her own. Today she ate EIGHTEEN of them all on her own. Pretty impressive considering she couldn't eat a single one two days ago.
So, hope you all will continue to be patient with us as our blogging lags...counting puffs eaten and coaxing "dada" out of here take alot of time and energy!
I credit Anna with two words at this point -- both "mama" and "dada". "Mama" started about a week and a half ago, and "dada" started on Friday. Interestingly, Will himself hasn't witnessed "dada" yet -- I heard it over the baby monitor early Friday morning, and the woman who watched Anna that day said Anna was saying it all day. Still trying to convince her to say it to her "dada" though!
Yesterday, Anna mastered getting a baby puff/cheerio into her mouth on her own. She'd been working on it for a few days, and liked to eat them when I helped her get them in her mouth. Now, she can actually pick the puff up off her highchair tray and get it into her mouth, gum it, and swallow it all on her own. Today she ate EIGHTEEN of them all on her own. Pretty impressive considering she couldn't eat a single one two days ago.
So, hope you all will continue to be patient with us as our blogging lags...counting puffs eaten and coaxing "dada" out of here take alot of time and energy!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
They Grow Up So Fast
"They grow up so fast." How many times have I heard a parent, grandparent, or other older relative or family friend say this? Truly, if I had a dime for every time I've heard that expression, Anna's college fund would be fully funded. I would not have expected to be the parent who says, "they grow up so fast." But, they do.
This week we passed April 15th - not just tax day, but also Anna's seventh month mark. Seven months. Anna barely resembles the tiny newborn that we brought home early last fall. Her head wobbled to & fro and her legs were so skinny that her socks would just slip off. We guarded her from the dog's curiousity & licks and took extra precautions to make sure that she was asleep on her back in her bassinette or crib.
Today Anna is a bright & curious 7 month old little girl. She has two pearly teeth and is enjoying exploring solid foods. She sits unsupported; plays with toys and babbles constantly. She seeks out the dog, fingers her claws, pulls on her ears, & giggles when she gets a lick in the face. She doesn't like to be rocked before bedtime anymore & falls asleep on her own. She sleeps on her back, her side, & her tummy. (Sometimes, I think she does jigs in her sleep, riverdancing from one end of the crib to the other.) Anna's once-skinny, little legs are no more. Today her legs puff out of her diaper on one end & stuff themselves into her socks on the other, resembling giant sausage links.
I acknowledge that this maturation & these strides toward independence are only the beginning. I know many of you have experienced all of this with your own children & grandchildren. Though, until it's your own "growing up too fast" or "growing like a weed" you don't really know just how amazing all those strides really are.
Around 3 am, in the quiet darkness between Friday night & Saturday morning, Anna awoke. She's typically sleeping through the night so this was not the norm. She cried out from her crib & I went to her. As I rocked her back to sleep, I realized she wasn't being the fidgety little girl that I'm accustomed to trying to rock. She was not anxious to be put down. Rather, she laid, her head nestled into my elbow, and let me rock her back to sleep. I sat with her for about half an hour, rocking her slowly, in the quiet darkness of her room. For 30 minutes, that tiny little baby was back. Well, except for the fact that she weighs 17 pounds, is 27 inches long & now takes at least two hands to hold!!
This week we passed April 15th - not just tax day, but also Anna's seventh month mark. Seven months. Anna barely resembles the tiny newborn that we brought home early last fall. Her head wobbled to & fro and her legs were so skinny that her socks would just slip off. We guarded her from the dog's curiousity & licks and took extra precautions to make sure that she was asleep on her back in her bassinette or crib.
Today Anna is a bright & curious 7 month old little girl. She has two pearly teeth and is enjoying exploring solid foods. She sits unsupported; plays with toys and babbles constantly. She seeks out the dog, fingers her claws, pulls on her ears, & giggles when she gets a lick in the face. She doesn't like to be rocked before bedtime anymore & falls asleep on her own. She sleeps on her back, her side, & her tummy. (Sometimes, I think she does jigs in her sleep, riverdancing from one end of the crib to the other.) Anna's once-skinny, little legs are no more. Today her legs puff out of her diaper on one end & stuff themselves into her socks on the other, resembling giant sausage links.
I acknowledge that this maturation & these strides toward independence are only the beginning. I know many of you have experienced all of this with your own children & grandchildren. Though, until it's your own "growing up too fast" or "growing like a weed" you don't really know just how amazing all those strides really are.
Around 3 am, in the quiet darkness between Friday night & Saturday morning, Anna awoke. She's typically sleeping through the night so this was not the norm. She cried out from her crib & I went to her. As I rocked her back to sleep, I realized she wasn't being the fidgety little girl that I'm accustomed to trying to rock. She was not anxious to be put down. Rather, she laid, her head nestled into my elbow, and let me rock her back to sleep. I sat with her for about half an hour, rocking her slowly, in the quiet darkness of her room. For 30 minutes, that tiny little baby was back. Well, except for the fact that she weighs 17 pounds, is 27 inches long & now takes at least two hands to hold!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Anna's Baptism
Finally getting around to sharing some pictures from Anna's baptism.
Anna was baptized on Valentine's Day, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, here in Chicago. We were very fortunate to share this day with Anna's Godparents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Jennifer, along with Grandmomma. We're grateful they were able to make the trip to celebrate this special occasion, and the rest of our family was definitely in our thoughts.
Anna wore a gown that I wore, along with my mom and grandma. It was probably worn by babies prior to that, we're just not sure who or when.
The baptism itself was scheduled to begin when Anna usually takes her afternoon nap, but she held up pretty well -- a little bit of fussing at the very beginning, but she cheered up and did well with the water and oil!
Anna was baptized on Valentine's Day, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, here in Chicago. We were very fortunate to share this day with Anna's Godparents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Jennifer, along with Grandmomma. We're grateful they were able to make the trip to celebrate this special occasion, and the rest of our family was definitely in our thoughts.
Anna wore a gown that I wore, along with my mom and grandma. It was probably worn by babies prior to that, we're just not sure who or when.
The baptism itself was scheduled to begin when Anna usually takes her afternoon nap, but she held up pretty well -- a little bit of fussing at the very beginning, but she cheered up and did well with the water and oil!
Monday, January 25, 2010
A late 4 month update, and a few of Anna's favorite things
Things around here have been pretty hectic the last few weeks, but I'm finally getting around to sharing Anna's 4 month stats. Anna weighed in at 13 pounds, 8 ounces and 24 inches last week -- putting her right at the 50th percentile for both weight and length. I suppose you could call that "average", although I, of course, think she's much better than average!
Anna has started rolling over, although she's not doing it often...she seems to really like lying on her side, so her motivation to roll all the way over is lacking. She's also VERY talkative -- rumor has it she takes after Will in taht regard.
A few pictures of her other favorite pasttimes....
Reading lots of books with mom and dad:
Laughing, especially at silly songs and noises:
Anna has started rolling over, although she's not doing it often...she seems to really like lying on her side, so her motivation to roll all the way over is lacking. She's also VERY talkative -- rumor has it she takes after Will in taht regard.
A few pictures of her other favorite pasttimes....
Reading lots of books with mom and dad:
Laughing, especially at silly songs and noises:
Doing "crunches" by pulling herself up on anything she can reach:
Grabbing at her toys, especially the frog on her bouncy chair that plays a song when you pull the handle -- she's definitely learned that when she pulls it, the song plays, and we are hearing that particular song ALOT lately...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
One step at a time
Sometimes I think about what Anna will be like as she grows up. What kind of person - toddler, adolescent, teenager, adult - will she be?
But, what does all of this have to do with Anna. Seeing this lone girl made me wonder ... will Anna be that girl? What if Anna is the fat girl with braces that the other kids make fun? What if Anna is the awkward girl with glasses & acne that no one talks to? What if Anna is that girl? If Anna were that girl, I hope that Traci & I are smart enough to realize and wise enough to instill in her the strength to hold on to her confidence.
What if, though, Anna is one of the other girls who makes fun of the fat girl or doesn't talk to the awkward girl? Then what? Oh, boy. One step at a time. Maybe I should just focus on the perfect four month old who's learning to roll over, blow spit bubbles, and developing an appreciation for board books at bedtime.
Friday, January 1, 2010
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