The Art of Logic

The ability to use logic and reason is what’s said to separate humans from animals.  And, I believe, the ability to logically reason is what separates adult humans from tiny humans.  At least, that’s what I’m starting to see.  Anna’s ability to reason and generally figure things out is growing.  She’s asked “why?” enough times that she should have all the answers.  A growing brain, a developing ability to reason, and answers to all the “whys” should have her ready to go, right?  Not so fast, Guapo. 

Logic and reason are not quite as scientific as you might think.  They're proving to be a true art form.  And, like any fine art, they take practice and experience before the skill is truly mastered.

Traci, the kids and I struck out on Sunday evening to run a quick errand between dinner and baths for the kiddos.  As I backed the minivan out of the garage, the low fuel warning light came on.  I opted to ignore it, not wanting to take the time for a stop at the gas station.  I wanted to run my errand, which truly was a short trip, and get home quickly so that baths and bedtime could happen.  Besides that, I had driven the minivan all weekend (even the 60 mile roundtrip to the zoo earlier that day) and hadn’t seen the low fuel light.  So, we should’ve been in the clear to drive the 3 miles over to Arlington Heights. 

We were, in fact, in the clear to drive the 3 miles over.  It was the coming back part where we ran into trouble.  We had turned onto the main road leading into our neighborhood.  Anna had likely just asked, “Did we turn right or did we turn left, Dad?”  (We talk about left and right a lot when we drive.  She knows her left hand is by the window.  This seems to directionally anchor her.  That one time that she sat on the other side of the car was really confusing.)  And then, the minivan started to sputter.  I felt it lose power, and decelerate on its own.  I pulled to the curb and told Traci that we had just run out of gas.  She thought I was joking.  Admittedly, I like a decent prank.  But, this wasn’t one of them.  Apparently Traci had noticed the fuel warning light on Friday and forgot to do anything about it. 

After we had the laughter under control (who runs out of gas less than half a mile from home?  For that matter, who runs out of gas period?), we all piled out of the van.  Anna asked, “Are we leaving the minivan here?  Where are we going?”  We loaded the girls in stroller & Owen in the Baby Bjorn (both still in the back from the zoo) and headed for home.   We passed neighbors who had likely seen us leave 15 minutes earlier in the minivan but we refused to make eye contact.  It was our own version of the walk of shame.

By now, gentle reader, you’re probably anticipating the climax and wondering how this relates to toddlers and the art of reason.  As it turns out, Anna has no concept of running out of gas.  That is beyond her experience base.  She knew we were leaving the minivan there.  She knew we were done with the errand.  And, once we walked the last half mile, she knew we were home.  Based on her experience and the facts as presented, she very matter-of-factly said, “next time we do an errand, we will walk down the street to get our van.”  Logically, it was just that simple.  The more pressing question on her mind was probably whether the walk back to the minivan would require a left turn or a right turn.  She was likely nervous because the stroller has no window.  

Growin' like weeds

This blog is like a scary movie villain.  Just when you think it’s dead, it gets up again.  There’s no use in trying to write about all the happenings and milestones since our last post.  In short, Traci & I are the proud parents of 3 growing, beautiful kiddos – Anna, Ellen, & Owen.  Everyday these three tiny humans amaze me.  Though, they’re not really as tiny as they used to be.

Anna is going on 4 but, clearly thinks she’s going on 14.  Last weekend, we were out buying a few new outfits for fall.  We picked out several matchy-matchy outfits for our little girl at Carter’s.  They were all rainbows, hearts & ponies, of course, in standard Carter’s pink & purple.  Anna has grown very particular about her clothes (skirts must have the right “twirl factor” to be satisfactory) but seemed content with these new things.  On our way from the store to the car, we passed an Old Navy store where Anna saw a shirt in the window display that caught her eye.  Our almost four year old froze, stared at the shirt on the eyeless mannequin with the plastic pony tail, and said, “I want THAT shirt!  I mean, can I have that shirt please?”  The shirt that had captivated her so was a long t-shirt meant to be worn over leggings with a sequined necktie applique on the front and only came in girls sizes.  As in, the size doesn't have “T” behind the number.  Somehow, the size 5 fit.  And just like that, Anna became 3 going on 14.  A few days later she continued to prove that by referring to Traci as “Mom da bomb.”

Ellen is growing up too.  We’re told that she’s a classic middle child, causing mischief and being obstinate every chance she gets.  She too has developed quite strong opinions about her clothes.  Though, hers seem to be more based in comfort than fashion as she refuses to wear any shoes (including sandals) without socks.  Ellen’s opinions don’t stop at clothes.  She frequently gives others a very disapproving scowl.  Some have said that she has inherited this trait from me.  (I say, just don’t do things that are disapproving to me or Ellen.)  Ellen has also taken over Anna’s chore of corralling Eve the WonderDog into the basement before we leave home.  Most mornings, she stands with the basement door open, yelling, “Eeeee!  Go, Eee!  Go!”  Ellen swats at Eve, as Eve goes by, apparently thinking that the dog requires a bit of a push to make it down the basement stairs.  Another of Ellen’s (self-assigned) duties is to follow behind Anna as she rides her bicycle (with training wheels of course).  When Anna stops and can’t get started again, Ellen runs up behind her and pushes Anna off with all her might. 

And then, there’s Owen.  He’s the tiniest of our three tiny humans.  Though, it’s all relative because he’s really not that tiny either.  I’m pretty sure that he’s been holding his head up on his own since before he was born.  And, at 8 weeks, he’s a robust 13 pounds and 25 inches long.  He has a smile & dimples to steal any heart (he probably could do time for grand larceny, if caught).  We’ve spent eight weeks getting to know him & still don’t know who he looks like.  Anna & Ellen have loved him, tolerated him, disliked him, and loved him some more in that time too.  I suspect most of what he feels towards the two of them is somewhere on the “tolerate” end of the spectrum.  A baby brother can only take so much kissing, touching, poking, being tugged, and being sat on.  Some nights he cries and cries until we just put him down, in his bed, ALONE.  I’m convinced that these cries are the baby equivalent of, “STOP TOUCHING ME!”  

So, as you see, they're all three "growing like weeds."  Every parent of teenagers or adult children will tell you that "time goes so fast and they grow so quickly."  I'm learning that they're right.  Tiny humans don't stay tiny forever.  

The REAL new member of our family

When you read the title of that last post, you may have thought, "finally, we're going to hear something about Ellen!"  Maybe you even thought you'd seem some cute baby pictures of this now 9 month old child that hasn't been mentioned on the blog yet.  I know that's what I thought when I first read Will's last post!

Obviously we've been slacking a bit on the writing over the last year, but I know Ellen deserves some air time here.  We've definitely fallen into the pattern of "second time" parents -- taking a few less pictures and worrying a little less (well, at least Will is...I still do my fair share of analyzing and worrying).  There have been no spreadsheets tracking dirty diapers, sleep, or routines this time around.  Nursing was easier; sleepless nights were harder (having a toddler running around made it a little more difficult for those midday naps or sleeping in) -- and we're already far enough beyond those phases that I can reminisce about them fondly.

As I was sitting down to write this, I went back to read Anna's birth announcement here.  It's amazing how different the birth experiences were for our two girls.  Anna was born 11 days late after a scheduled induction; Ellen was born on her due date just minutes after we arrived at the hospital on a gurney in the ER...the craziness of that night/morning still makes me shake my head....

Looking back on it, I can see I was in labor all weekend.  I was having reasonably consistent contractions Saturday evening and night, but with our weekend activities, didn't really notice them too much on Sunday.  I went to the grocery store, made Halloween cookies with Anna, we carved our pumpkin....although it was the day before Ellen's Halloween due date, I figured I'd have these "minor" contractions for several more days, thinking she would definitely be born late again.

My contractions got stronger again Sunday night, but never met the "5-1-1" criteria to actually go to the hospital.  Ever the rule follower, and not wanting to go to the hospital only to be sent home, I stuck it out through the night.  Until just before 5am when they were finally so strong I was gripping Will's hand in pain and realized we needed to go to the hospital.  Will ran next door to get the neighbor, who we had just lined up the day before to watch Anna for this (lucky we even did that).  They spent sometime installing Anna's carseat in her car, I showed her what Anna would want/need for breakfast...I made one last pitstop until Will literally pulled me off the toilet and said we were going (lucky he did that also -- more signs of very active/late labor that didn't even occur to me in the moment).  Finally, our neighbor shoo'ed us out the door and I finally realized this was serious.

The memories of that car ride are surprisingly vivid for me...Will ran one red light.  He took one wrong exit off the highway, which then meant a left turn over a median.  And I remember very CALMLY asking him when he pulled out his iPhone to check a map what he was doing, did he know where he was going? (I thought for sure he was taking an alternate route I didn't know, but that wasn't really the case).  After quite a "detour", during which my water broke, and I insisted on the windows being down in the 35 degree weather, we finally arrived at the hospital.  I sat in the car while Will tried to wrangle a wheelchair and tried to pull me into it -- I say "pull" because at that point, Ellen's head was already born, and I couldn't really stand up.  A woman reporting for work ran over and thankfully took control of the situation -- calling for a gurney and help.  People finally realized what was happening and that I wasn't just an overly excited pregnant woman in early labor.  My second "push", and Ellen was born.  On the gurney, in the hallway of the ER.

I think Will took this picture before the nurses from L&D even got to us.

Ellen Rachel Hinshaw, approx 5:47am, October 31, 2011

The time listed on Ellen's birth certificate was the time the ER staff called L&D to alert them of the situation.

For two serious "planners", I think this was quite the wake up call.  I'm pretty sure Ellen is going to keep us on our toes

A New Member of the Family

There seems to be a new addition to our family. I’m not sure exactly when she arrived; we noticed her about 3 weeks ago. I don’t know how long she’ll stay either. As long as she doesn’t cause any problems, she’s really a pretty easy house guest. Well, except when I don’t see her and accidently step on her. Her name is Ditta. I’m told she’s four years old. Her favorite restaurant is Chick-Fil-A but her favorite food is cheeseburgers. That piece doesn’t make sense to me, but these are the facts as reported by Anna. Ditta sleeps in the “other bed” in Anna’s room,” the one by the dresser.” If you’ve never been in Anna’s room, there is no “other bed by the dresser.” But, that’s really no important. Ditta can sleep there anyway. After all, Ditta IS imaginary.


About three weeks ago, Anna started mumbling to someone. When we asked who she was talking to, Anna replied, “Ditta!” “Who,” we asked. “DITTA!” “Ditta?” “Yes. DITTA!!” Since our initial encounter with Ditta, we’ve seen Anna feed Ditta. We’ve seen Anna read to Ditta. We’ve seen Anna tuck Ditta in for a nap. We’ve been asked not to sit in certain chairs at certain times because Ditta wants to sit there. We even saw Anna use a chip clip to trim Ditta’s toe nails. (Granted, I had just trimmed Anna & Ellen’s toe nails.) Anna moved slowly along the bench on the deck, opening & closing a chip clip, chanting “clippy-clippy-clippy.” “What are you doing, Anna?” “Trimming Ditta’s toenails,” she answered ever so matter-of-factly. “OH,” I said.

Ditta comes and goes. I didn’t hear about Ditta for a couple of days & thought maybe she’d gone. (Where do imaginary friends go anyway when they’re not around?) But then, I found Anna sitting on the stairs by the front door. She said that she was waiting for Ditta to pick her up. She said they were going to the grocery store & she asked if I needed anything. Makes sense. If Ditta’s going to be hanging around, the least she can do is pick up a few groceries.

Onion!

So many of Anna's adventures involve food. It's likely mine & Traci's influence - so many of our own "adventures" are about food too - generally trying new things - the masterpiece recipe that flops or the great, new 15 minute meal discovery for weeknights.

Where food and Anna are concerned, we've left the chicken nuggets and fish sticks to school. Yeah, we shovel the ocassional nugget or peanutbutter sandwich in front of her. But, for the most part she eats what we eat. It's not exotic, but I would guess that it's atleast closer to exotic than average. Last night we had baked sweet onions stuffed with a ground lamb & spinach mixture. I thought they were a flop but Anna loved them. The irony is that Anna professes to not like onion. "I don't like onion" is the standard response for buying an onion in the store, chopping an onion, or finding even the tiniest minced onion in a dish. "I don't like onion." "I know, Anna. You don't like onion." It's a common, dinnertime conversation. I was fully prepared for her to hate last night's dish and loaded her plate with mashed potatoes to fill her up.

Earlier in the evening we had been reading the spanish translation of an Eric Carle board book. So, when Anna pointed at the baked onion and said "What is that is?" I thought quickly and said, "It's cebolla. It tastes sweet. Try it." Anna said, "ce-boy-da? It's sweet?" She popped it in her mouth & shouted, "I like it!" Traci & I exchanged a glance, thinking that we had pulled a fast one. We all continued to eat, talking idly about this and that, trying to get Anna to slow down on the cebolla and try some meat. About three quarters of the way through her delicious new discovery, she stopped. By now, we had forgotten about having pulled a fast one. Anna dropped her fork, looked up dramatically, and shouted, "Onion! It's onion! This is onion!" We all three laughed. Ellen joined in, laughing at us laughing, and Anna quietly said, "I like onion."

I Luv Coins!

Six months since the last blog post. So much has happened. Waiting on baby number two (affectionately referred to as "Deuce"), bought a house, moved to the 'burbs, & watched as Anna grows into a full-fledged kid. Last week I made a list. She knows 210 words. She's learning manners; she says "tank you", "pease", & "scuse me". She also is quick to tell her old Dad when he should be saying "tank you", "pease" & "scuse me" too. She's learned to dress herself and likes to "change clothes" in the evening when she gets home. Anna loves to hang out in the kitchen, pulling out pots & spoons while Traci & I are cooking. I think she's going to find her specialty to be Italian foods. Whenver she pulls out a pot & spoon, she'll bang the spoon around, declaring, "I cook noodles!"

Anna loves noodles. But, her current favorites are blueberries, olives & today Anna announced, "I love coins". ("Coins" is what it phonetically sounds like when Anna says "corns".) Yesterday, we brought home 5 dozen ears of corn for the freezer. Anna helped to shuck, saying "it's too heavy" when she couldn't pull off a husk. She pulled husks, cleaned off silk, & sneaked nibbles of raw corn when she thought no one was looking. At the end of the day we took the last three cobs from the pot, buttered them up & headed out to the deck to taste the best part of late summer in the Midwest. A few bites in, Anna looked up with the biggest smile & proclaimed, "I love coins!"

All Smiles

This week Anna learned to smile on command. We're not quite sure how she learned - we didn't teach her. But she did. So now, all day long, we're having fun pointing to her & saying, "Hey Anna! Smile!" Tonight, she pointed at me & said," 'mile". Of course, I did. How could I have not.




Hey Anna! SMILE! (That's mom's hat on Anna. It's a favorite make-shift toy.)

A Second Lesson in Anna-ese

New words seem to come every day. I find myself constantly surprised & looking at Traci, saying, "did she really just say that?" I promise not to post Anna's new words every week, but a few others came to mind & a few new ones rolled off her lips.

A Second Lesson in Anna-ese

up = up - this week "up" also means "up" as in pick me up
bané = banana
ome = home
chicka-chicka-chicka = chicken
heh = head
eye = eyes
no = nose
muh = mouth
ear = ears
chee = cheek
koat = coat (but, in Anna-ese I'm certain it's spelt with a 'k'. It's such a hard, sharp sound you could cut yourself on it.)

This evening in the car Anna was singing to herself. We weren't quite sure what she was singing. At one point I thought it was the ABC's because I thought I recognized a letter. Mostly it was just rhythmic jibber-jabber. Then, out of nowhere, clear as day came "RowRowRow". DID SHE REALLY JUST SAY THAT?

A Lesson in Anna-ese

Anna has become a real chatterbox. She's constantly trying to communicate with us & is always pointing out & identifying things she knows. Her words aren't always immediately understandable. Though, Traci & I pretty much have them down. While there are a few cognates (says the foreign language nerd), anyone else who might be around Anna would likely find a lesson in Anna-ese helpful.



A first lesson in Anna-ese

ba = ball

ba = blanket

baby = baby

bee-bee = beep-beep

boot = boot

bye = bye

ca = car (as in, the "ca" says "bee-bee")

'cado = avocado (a favorite food)

cheessssssse = cheese (lots of emphasis on the esses)

da = dad

da = dog

da = diaper

da = done

da = down (The context clues when using "da" are critical.)

kee-ka = kitty kat

ma = mama

no = no

No!No!No! = No thank you . I'd rather not.

NOOOOOOOOO! = HELL NO! Are you crazy?!? Get that broccoli away from me!

pea = pea (another favorite food)

poo = poo (as in, there's a "poo" in my "da")

poo = Pooh (as in, "Winnie the")

'poon = spoon

sssslthsl = slipper (watch out for the spit when she says this one)

up = load up (only used when eating. As in, help me "up" (load up) my 'poon.)

vee = Eve (our dog)

VEE! = EVE!! (mostly reserved for when "vee" is laying on her "ba")

vee-vee = Evie (more affection than just "vee". Usually accompanied by petting.)

Something new ... EVERYDAY

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.

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!

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!"

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.

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 ...

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.

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.

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!

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!!

Getting to be a big girl is no small feat

Newborn

3 months

5 months

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!