Angry Arms

Here is a picture of Anna expressing her anger over who knows what. Lack of equal rights for babies? Baby injustice in the world? Fruit puffs running low?


Whenever she gets mad, or frustrated, or just really excited she will stick her arms out, sit up straight, clench her little fists, and let out a yell that would intimidate Tarzan. We think it is hilarious and usually so does she. Although it may look like a fit of anger she will almost always dissolve into giggles when you comment on her screaming.

Girls are the BEST!

Let me just apologize in advance to all of my friends who have sweet, lovely little boys. I know that they are adorable and that there is nothing like a snuggly little mommy's boy. But it must be said. You are majorly missing out in the fashion department. There is nothing more fun than dressing Anna! Well, maybe shopping for Anna....but I really haven't even had to shop much because people love to buy clothes for baby girls! I don't think I even bought an outfit for her before she was a few months old thanks to all of her generous family and friends. But dressing her now is even more fun than when she was a tiny newborn. Back then the clothes were teeny tiny and sweet but Anna was just a little blob and you couldn't even see what she was wearing. Now you can actually see all of the cute details. I love dressing her because (unlike dressing myself) she always looks cute and it always fits. And if a little belly hangs out under her shirt, even better!

Case in point, this adorable sweater that we bought last week on a trip to TJ Maxx. Nathan and I call it her "Baby Couture" because it's a designer name. I know it's getting warmer outside and I know she can't wear it for long, but I just couldn't resist that little ruffle collar and the flippy sleeves. When I put it on, her belly filled it out quite nicely!

Don't even get me started on baby shoes. I have been able to show a lot of restraint in this area because I know that they won't fit for long and they are usually more expensive than just a shirt or little pants. But she has a few pairs that we got on sale or that others gave to her before she was even born. I must say that they really do complete an outfit ;)

Easter is going to be another field day for me. I've already bought two dresses because I couldn't decide which one I liked better. One will, of course, go back to the store. You have to think quick when sizes are limited! I also bought two little sweaters to go over the dress and I'm undecided on those as well.

We really do plan to raise a kind, loving girl who doesn't care what brand names she is wearing and who doesn't judge others by what they do or do not have. But we figure if there is ever a time to make a big fuss over her clothes that time is now, when she has no clue what we are fussing about!

Grouch-N-Stuff

This is the face that we have been seeing a LOT lately. Poor little Anna has had a rough time for the past few weeks and has definitely earned her name, grouch-n-stuff. Right now she has a yucky head cold that makes it hard for her to breathe. Not being able to breathe makes it difficult to eat and playing is not much fun either. Last night we put her to bed and within seconds she was crying, then screaming, and then wailing. Nathan went to get her and give her some medicine for her cold but she just kept crying! Nothing made her happy and she couldn't even keep her pacifier (which she wanted) because she couldn't breathe through her nose. So sad! Finally after lots of rocking and snuggling from daddy she calmed down enough to go back to bed. But when I peeked in on her a few minutes later she was sitting upright shaking her baby doll. Oh well, whatever makes her happy! She eventually fell asleep and slept all night :)

Her new crawling skills also lead to frustration when she isn't allowed to play with magazines, shoes, dog toys, or electrical power strips. Life is so unfair when you're a baby. She also makes it known that she in no way wants to get strapped into her car seat. Just sit her on the seat and she goes all noodle on you. Until now, I didn't know that noodles could arch their backs and stick out their legs and scream...but they can!

A Rough Day

Sunday was a hard day for Anna. When we woke her up for church we could tell that she was sick. She had a runny nose and red eyes, and she was sneezing and coughing her way through breakfast. When we got her to the church nursery I noticed that she was only wearing one shoe and I thought the other one must have fallen off in the car. She's been known to kick them off. So I just took off the other one and shoved it into her diaper bag. Good thing she was wearing cute socks that day ;)


After the service we went back to the nursery to pick her up and the lady walked out saying, "Weeeeell, she had a little accident.....". When she turned toward us I could see a big purple bump on the side of her head! The nursery worker said that she had bumped into a cubby when she was crawling around. Poor thing. I can just picture her trying to crawl over to some of her baby friends and then bam! right into a cubby! Of course she was smiley and happy and didn't even notice. I felt so sad! Her first bruise and I wasn't even with her. But as Nathan pointed out there will be many more where that one came from.


When we got to the car we found that the missing shoe was still missing and on top of that we now had a missing pacifier. We buckled Anna in and drove up to the doors so I could run in and look for both. As we pulled up, I said that I would ask for her shoe in the lost and found....if it wasn't lying in the gutter, ha ha! Then we came up to the curb and Nathan yelled out, "There it is!" It was in the gutter! It had been flattened by about 20 SUVs and it was all dirty and covered in snow and salt :( The pacifier, luckily, was safely waiting in the church nursery. Oh well, she was about to outgrow them anyway, and it will be too warm for them soon. Nathan loves these shoes and said he had wanted to save them. We still can, now they just have a story!

We came home and Anna had lunch and a dose of cold medicine which knocked her out for a whopping 4 hours! I never let her sleep that long during the day but I figured she could use the rest since she was sick. Of course I was paranoid with medicine and a head injury so I had to check on her a few times. She was much happier when she woke up and even had the energy to try some baby acrobatics!

p.s. Anna has figured out that traditional crawling is much faster and more effective for getting around than her old scoot and shuffle routine. Tonight it was all that she did and I could see my life changing before my eyes. No more decorative books on low shelves, no more candles on tables....the list goes on! It may have taken her a few months to figure out the "right" way, but man is she movin' now!

Uh-Oh

We're in trouble now. Miss Anna is getting more and more mobile every day. For months now she has been moving about with her own version of crawling that involves the occasional elbow, knee, and sometimes foot. I had given up on ever seeing the traditional all-fours crawl that most babies do. Her doctors said that she was fine as long as she was getting around the room in some way, even if it looked weird. Well last night Nathan was taking pictures of her wearing her monkey coat (thanks Aunt Amy!)and he yelled back to me, "Jennie! She's crawling!". What? The stay at home mom who is with her 24 hours a day missed it when she finally decided to crawl?! So I ran into the family room and she had stopped. Nathan said she did the "traditional" crawl for about 4 paces and then went back to her normal shuffle. I did see it come out a few more times last night, but she always mixes it with her own style. What a little monkey.

She also LOVES to stand and hold on to the side of the couch. She needs a little help getting up, and she's still kind of wobbly if she tries to move. But she can stand for a very long time and as long as she's still, then she's stable. She has also started to crawl to the edge of the couch and reach up, so I know it won't be long before she no longer needs the boost to get up there. Sigh......she's getting so big. But it's so fun to watch!

She's a genius!

Anna has a new trick. Now, when she just hears the word "clap" or "clapping" she will start to do it all by herself. She has been able to clap her hands for weeks now, but she would usually only do it after seeing one of us clapping. Yesterday I was talking to her like I always do ( about what I can't remember) and somewhere in there I said the word "clap". I was shocked when I looked over and she was clapping away! So smart! Now she does it every time she hears the word.

I know there are other babies her age who are already talking, walking, taking college courses, etc, but I can't even contain how excited I am that she knows the meaning of a word and is able to remember it and act it out each time she hears someone say it. Yesterday she heard people clapping on TV and she decided to join in too! Obviously this girl is gifted!

My Funny Valentine

Yesterday was Anna's first Valentine's Day and I just might have kissed her more than I usually do...but I doubt that's possible. She wore her Valentine outfit and her Love Bug bib in celebration and I had to take 700 pictures to document the occasion. We had lunch with friends where she showed off her festive outfit and later she wowed the childcare workers at the gym. Thanks to everyone for your sweet cards! On a side note, my apologies to Kacy, Kelly and Todd for the little hippos that took over our table. I have since banished them to the basement and they are only allowed out for road trips and vacations :)

I took two sets of photos yesterday. One was before the gym and she was pretty happy. Here are a few of her hiding from a little Pooh bear that was trying to tickle her.

The second set was after the gym and she was feeling, um, not so loving. By the time I broke out the "professional" (ha) black background she was just about finished. But a visit from her pink polka dot pig got the big smile shown above. After that she tried to crawl away so she could touch the hardwood floor (her new favorite thing).

So here are a few more pictures just because they are cute. The first one is her calling an end to the photo shoot. The second one is just sweet and the third one is her "Aww, shucks" face, which I thought was appropriate for Valentine's Day.

When you take as many pictures as I do, you just want to share them all! Must...stop....now!

Buddies

Today Anna's cousin Sam came over for the day. He is so in love with "baby Anna" and he just wants to sit by her, hug her, love her and share all of his toys with her. Early in the day he was so happy to be near her that he would say "hug baby Anna?" and then he would try to hug her while she tried to crawl away (seen below). But she didn't mind until he put on the extra love and smashed her face into the carpet. They spent most of the day smiling back and forth and then giggling at each other from across the room.

After Anna went down for her nap Sam had his lunch which was pretty
messy but again, cute. I think he looks so much like my brother Michael in this photo, which of course means he looks just like my sister Amy. We really enjoyed spending the day with our little Munchie and we think he had fun too. His Valentine gifts were a big hit (Thomas the Tank Engine cars) and we even made a Valentine craft for his mommy and daddy. He showed a great amount of self control with the glitter glue pens and stickers and he was so proud of the finished product.

Mommy's Helper

Washer and dryer are in the basement. Baby is upstairs. Mommy only has two hands. So with a little cooperation from Anna we have discovered a temporary solution! She thinks it's fun and I can carry laundry and baby at the same time :) Now if I can just teach her how to fold......

Busy Day

Going out to lunch may not sound like a big day to you or me, but to Anna it's quite an adventure. Today we had lunch with Ashley and her baby Kendall, our friends from Bible Study. Kendall is 9 months old, so she and Anna are into all of the same things. You know, fruit puffs, stuffed bunnies, smacking wildly at things. Anna sat in her hippo seat (which I'm just about to give up on) and sang and squealed for everyone trying to have lunch. Luckily the ladies near us thought Anna and Kendall were just the cutest, and Ashley and I agreed of course :)

After lots and lots of fruit puffs and a few attempts to snag some rice, we headed home. Our house is only about 5 minutes away from P.F. Chang's, but the picture above is what I saw when I opened the car door. Normally getting her out of the seat and transferring her to the crib stirs her up quite a bit. But today when I laid her down she stretched out her arms and legs as far as she could, gave a big sigh, and went right back to sleep. She was zonked!

Baby Cage

So we finally lowered Anna's crib mattress after weeks of procrastination. She hadn't pulled up to standing yet, but we were afraid of what might happen if we waited too much longer. I mean, you really don't know if she will try to climb over until she does it, right? So now it's down and it changes the whole look of her room. She feels like a big girl all of a sudden and I can't even imagine what it will feel like when the crib is gone altogether. She didn't seem to notice the change and is still her usual happy self. Except when she wants out, of course. The other day after her nap I took this picture and I think it's funny how the slats really do make it look like she is trapped in a baby cage!

Also, my last post was somehow erased so here is the link to Anna's 9 month photos for any of you that missed them (just click on the red words). That will take you to the page of recent events. Find my name and click on it, then go to "Sitting 2, 10 month" and you can scroll through her photos. The other item is our Christmas photos and if your really bored you can even click on "All Events" at the bottom of the screen, go back to November, and look at her 6 month pictures :) I looked at them again the other day and I think they are my favorites so far. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think she looks so much more baby-like in those than she does now. Sigh....

Sorry for the repeat, but I know some family hadn't had a chance to see the photos yet. Enjoy! Again!

Ladies who lunch

Today Anna and I had lunch with her Aunt Amy (my sister). We went to Panera because Amy must have it every time she is in Louisville. She is totally deprived way out in Indiana. Anna had fun smacking the table with her fish rattle and eating fruit puffs out of Aunt Amy's hands. Amy had fun laughing at me as I tried to assemble Anna's little hippo hook on seat thingy. Even the woman at the table next to us said, "Is it really worth it?" as she watched me wrestle with the seat. Yes, it is worth it thank you very much!

After Panera we went to Books-A-Million where I bought a copy of The Poisonwood Bible, and Anna got a copy of Five Silly Monkeys, which is basically that little song we all sang as children (5 little monkeys jumpin' on the bed!) but with plastic monkey heads on the pages. Oh, and the monkeys don't just jump. They also eat, swing, and spin on the bed. It sounds scary but trust me, it's cute.

Anna also ate a little bit of bread at Panera. I am getting a little more brave about what I feed her. I know she's 10 months old now, but I am a big chicken when it comes to letting her try new things. I'm so afraid that she will choke! But this week she has been chowing down on graham crackers, wagon wheels, and zwieback toast. I used to sit and stare intently at her while she ate them, but now I can just be near her and do other fun things like load the dishwasher. She is normally finished and looking for more before I even turn around.

It's not too late!

Today we're going to have Anna's 9 month photos taken. Yes, I am aware that in two days she will be 10 months old...but that is two days from now! She is going to wear one of the outfits that we bought her for Christmas and last night I had to try it on her to make sure that it fits. The pants are a little droopy, but no one can tell if she's sitting, right? I also had to take a few test shots to make sure that the pants didn't sparkle too much. What? You see, Anna is going to wear glitter corduroys for these pictures and we can't have them putting a glare on the camera or anything! Whether or not she wears the hat is yet to be decided. I think it makes her look like a little golfer! I can't reveal the entire outfit just yet, but here are the fancy pants. I'll be sure to post the link to her professional pictures once it is available.


Tonight I am going to another scrapbook party so Anna will be hanging out with her daddy. I'm sure they will have lots of fun. Last night he gave her a bath in the big tub for the first time. Well, actually we sat her little tub inside of the big tub, but it was a change from the usual kitchen counter location. They seemed to have fun. I could hear her kicking and splashing from the other room and she came out with perfectly combed hair and a snuggly sleeper. Good job daddy!

What a mess

Anna and mommy are both sick, so pajamas are the fashion statement of the day. I took this picture of her this morning while we were playing in her room and I think it sort of sums up the feeling in the house today. Her hair is looking ever so stylish and notice the lovely baby food on her sleeves. She really dislikes all Stage 3 baby food because it is lumpy, so most of what goes in usually comes right back out. I think she looks adorable in this picture, if not a little confused.