new project, private commission.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
holiday card photo session!
we decided to do our own little at home photo shoot for our holiday card this year. out of 565 photos taken, these were the only decent ones! the last one shown was our choice for the card. =)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
10 months old: shock and awe
i know i keep apologizing for not posting more often. truth be told, i actually think about my posts daily... what i should write about, how i should phrase it, etc. but life just keeps getting in the way of recording life. which actually is too bad -- i truly enjoy writing all of this down, to re-read in years to come (and to remind myself in the near future what we went through in the past!).
life here simultaneously gets easier and harder, day by day. easier because anna is more self-sufficient, more fun, more easily entertained. she just crawls around most of the time, examining everything in our home that she can get her hands on. she pulls stuff out and makes a mess. and she laughs about it! she laughs pretty much all the time now... at least during the day.
harder because anna now needs constant supervision. no longer can i sit at my computer and work while she rolls around a 6-ft space on the floor with her toys. i don't exactly have to chase her around the apartment -- we have an open plan, so i can see everywhere she's going and everything she's doing -- i still have to keep my eyes peeled at all times so that she doesn't fall or get into something that can hurt her (or, more often, that she can hurt!). it's wearing on me, since i'm trying so hard to work at the same time, and so i wind up working until 3am or so these days.
ok, updates!
development
our little miss anna jae has gone from starting to crawl to full-on cruising in a mere 3 weeks. once she got the hang of the crawl, she seemed to have this newfound confidence and joy. she immediately started pulling herself up on furniture, to balancing with only one hand, and this past week began cruising (which means she's using the furniture to balance herself as she walks along/between objects). walking is clearly on the horizon. we are LOVING this stage. yes, it means more trouble, but really, she has responded very well to discipline so far. so it really hasn't been very difficult. just tiring. =)
anna is still quite the jibber-jabber. she loves to talk, and imitates our speech more and more. no new words since mama and dada, but her babbling is really amazing. she talks to us, she talks to herself, she talks to her dolls, she just loves to talk.
she is pointing at people with what i call her "lounge point", which means that she's doing that sort of cocked-gun point that lounge lizards do in their acts. it cracks me up. she also points at things she wants and then makes sounds, which is pretty crazy. she waves hello, though not goodbye yet, motions her arms to be picked up, and truly enjoys being able to pinch everything. that last one is not so much fun.
and i know i'm her mom, but i really can't get over how smart anna jae is sometimes. she remembers everything. she can play games (or attempt it). she actually knew that the examination room in the doctors office was a bad place for her, and went from being extremely happy in the waiting room to screaming before we even got her ready for her shot in the exam room. ok, so maybe her smarts are too much sometimes... hehehehehe... more on that in the discipline section...
eating
anna is eating like a champ!! though she's still petite, our girl can really chow down. she's gone from hating to eat to trying anything (and so far seems to love almost everything). she actually gets mad at us now if we don't give her our food to eat, so it's actually getting a little difficult to eat in front of her. but really, we're just happy she enjoys it so much.
teeth
umm... none yet. teething? yes. actual teeth? nope. ok, guess i covered that one...
disclipline
in some ways we've actually started disciplining anna. i guess this started somewhere between 8 and 9 months, trying to teach her to respond to the word no. she understood "no" pretty quickly, though sometimes would make a game out of it so that i would come after her. but now it's really going quite well. if she's not supposed to touch something, i usually just need a firm "uh-uh" and shaking of my finger. actually, it's gotten so good that often she just responds to "the look" -- i give her a firm no-nonsense look and hold up my finger, and she just backs off without me having to say anything. sometimes it does take a solid "no", or me having to pull her away, but really not often these days. i always end with a "thank you" to remind her that she's a good girl. i get a smile. it's pretty incredible.
she did start throwing tantrums before the 9-month mark, throwing herself into the floor and screaming. dave and i discussed it, and decided to answer it quickly rather than waiting until these tantrums got worse. so i would tell her that she wasn't getting what she wanted and she could stay there until she stopped crying, and then when she did stop crying i would pick her up and hug her. responding this way, without getting crazy or the other extreme of trying to make her happy really has worked well so far. the tantrums are far less frequent, once in a blue moon now, and usually it's because i take food or a toy away. but i don't give her anything else, and when she's done, i give her lots of lovin'.
of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what we'll have to face in the future. but we have a very smart and willful child, and we know that we need to put the kabosh on it right away before it gets worse -- and before we get too frustrated and snap.
sleep
did i just mention snapping?
anna started what i just found out was a 9-month sleep regression at, well, 9 months. at first, it was no biggie... 1-3 night wakings, which were easy to soothe away by a couple minutes in the rocking chair, and then back into the crib she went. then she wasn't so easy to get back in the crib, and it took a few tries before she went back down willingly. then her crying got so extreme and so forceful that we thought something was wrong. maybe teething? maybe nightmares? who knew? rocking her in the chair wasn't working anymore, so both of us took to laying down on the couch with her -- she was fine if she was in our arms. so she would pass out on our chest, and we would put her back in her crib. this was happening a couple times a week.
then it started happening three times a week.
then four.
then it was every night... and not just every night, but twice or more a night. it was a mess. last night anna woke even earlier than she usually did, at 11pm, and aunt loren had to leave so that i could get her back to sleep. then she woke again at 2:30, and dave went out for that one. he fell asleep completely on the couch with her until 5:45, when she woke up and consequently woke him up.
so we decided that we needed to get back to where she was, and tonight we started re-training her. she woke up before 11 tonight (fun!), so i went in, sotthed her for a bit, and then put her back down, when she would promptly cling to me and begin screaming, as though her crib was filled with acid. this continued every 10-20 minutes for the next 2 hours. she finally passed out at 1am.
dave is increasingly uncomfortable with letting her cry, since now her cries are much more intense and it sounds so awful. i feel the same way -- it's heartwrenching to hear -- but i do have a slightly easier time with it. mostly because i know that her awful, screaming-on-the-top-of-her-lungs cry is actually a tantrum cry, and i know it's because we both let her sleep with us on the couch and now that's what she wants. we both believe that CIO is our correct option here, but it's just not easy to do. especially now that she stands in her crib and wails. ugh.
anyway, that's my wrap up. i should take the opportunity to sleep, so i'm off. i hope this sustains everyone until my next entry.
life here simultaneously gets easier and harder, day by day. easier because anna is more self-sufficient, more fun, more easily entertained. she just crawls around most of the time, examining everything in our home that she can get her hands on. she pulls stuff out and makes a mess. and she laughs about it! she laughs pretty much all the time now... at least during the day.
harder because anna now needs constant supervision. no longer can i sit at my computer and work while she rolls around a 6-ft space on the floor with her toys. i don't exactly have to chase her around the apartment -- we have an open plan, so i can see everywhere she's going and everything she's doing -- i still have to keep my eyes peeled at all times so that she doesn't fall or get into something that can hurt her (or, more often, that she can hurt!). it's wearing on me, since i'm trying so hard to work at the same time, and so i wind up working until 3am or so these days.
ok, updates!
development
our little miss anna jae has gone from starting to crawl to full-on cruising in a mere 3 weeks. once she got the hang of the crawl, she seemed to have this newfound confidence and joy. she immediately started pulling herself up on furniture, to balancing with only one hand, and this past week began cruising (which means she's using the furniture to balance herself as she walks along/between objects). walking is clearly on the horizon. we are LOVING this stage. yes, it means more trouble, but really, she has responded very well to discipline so far. so it really hasn't been very difficult. just tiring. =)
anna is still quite the jibber-jabber. she loves to talk, and imitates our speech more and more. no new words since mama and dada, but her babbling is really amazing. she talks to us, she talks to herself, she talks to her dolls, she just loves to talk.
she is pointing at people with what i call her "lounge point", which means that she's doing that sort of cocked-gun point that lounge lizards do in their acts. it cracks me up. she also points at things she wants and then makes sounds, which is pretty crazy. she waves hello, though not goodbye yet, motions her arms to be picked up, and truly enjoys being able to pinch everything. that last one is not so much fun.
and i know i'm her mom, but i really can't get over how smart anna jae is sometimes. she remembers everything. she can play games (or attempt it). she actually knew that the examination room in the doctors office was a bad place for her, and went from being extremely happy in the waiting room to screaming before we even got her ready for her shot in the exam room. ok, so maybe her smarts are too much sometimes... hehehehehe... more on that in the discipline section...
eating
anna is eating like a champ!! though she's still petite, our girl can really chow down. she's gone from hating to eat to trying anything (and so far seems to love almost everything). she actually gets mad at us now if we don't give her our food to eat, so it's actually getting a little difficult to eat in front of her. but really, we're just happy she enjoys it so much.
teeth
umm... none yet. teething? yes. actual teeth? nope. ok, guess i covered that one...
disclipline
in some ways we've actually started disciplining anna. i guess this started somewhere between 8 and 9 months, trying to teach her to respond to the word no. she understood "no" pretty quickly, though sometimes would make a game out of it so that i would come after her. but now it's really going quite well. if she's not supposed to touch something, i usually just need a firm "uh-uh" and shaking of my finger. actually, it's gotten so good that often she just responds to "the look" -- i give her a firm no-nonsense look and hold up my finger, and she just backs off without me having to say anything. sometimes it does take a solid "no", or me having to pull her away, but really not often these days. i always end with a "thank you" to remind her that she's a good girl. i get a smile. it's pretty incredible.
she did start throwing tantrums before the 9-month mark, throwing herself into the floor and screaming. dave and i discussed it, and decided to answer it quickly rather than waiting until these tantrums got worse. so i would tell her that she wasn't getting what she wanted and she could stay there until she stopped crying, and then when she did stop crying i would pick her up and hug her. responding this way, without getting crazy or the other extreme of trying to make her happy really has worked well so far. the tantrums are far less frequent, once in a blue moon now, and usually it's because i take food or a toy away. but i don't give her anything else, and when she's done, i give her lots of lovin'.
of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what we'll have to face in the future. but we have a very smart and willful child, and we know that we need to put the kabosh on it right away before it gets worse -- and before we get too frustrated and snap.
sleep
did i just mention snapping?
anna started what i just found out was a 9-month sleep regression at, well, 9 months. at first, it was no biggie... 1-3 night wakings, which were easy to soothe away by a couple minutes in the rocking chair, and then back into the crib she went. then she wasn't so easy to get back in the crib, and it took a few tries before she went back down willingly. then her crying got so extreme and so forceful that we thought something was wrong. maybe teething? maybe nightmares? who knew? rocking her in the chair wasn't working anymore, so both of us took to laying down on the couch with her -- she was fine if she was in our arms. so she would pass out on our chest, and we would put her back in her crib. this was happening a couple times a week.
then it started happening three times a week.
then four.
then it was every night... and not just every night, but twice or more a night. it was a mess. last night anna woke even earlier than she usually did, at 11pm, and aunt loren had to leave so that i could get her back to sleep. then she woke again at 2:30, and dave went out for that one. he fell asleep completely on the couch with her until 5:45, when she woke up and consequently woke him up.
so we decided that we needed to get back to where she was, and tonight we started re-training her. she woke up before 11 tonight (fun!), so i went in, sotthed her for a bit, and then put her back down, when she would promptly cling to me and begin screaming, as though her crib was filled with acid. this continued every 10-20 minutes for the next 2 hours. she finally passed out at 1am.
dave is increasingly uncomfortable with letting her cry, since now her cries are much more intense and it sounds so awful. i feel the same way -- it's heartwrenching to hear -- but i do have a slightly easier time with it. mostly because i know that her awful, screaming-on-the-top-of-her-lungs cry is actually a tantrum cry, and i know it's because we both let her sleep with us on the couch and now that's what she wants. we both believe that CIO is our correct option here, but it's just not easy to do. especially now that she stands in her crib and wails. ugh.
anyway, that's my wrap up. i should take the opportunity to sleep, so i'm off. i hope this sustains everyone until my next entry.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
she's crawling!!!
my goodness i've been delinquent here.
well, we have news! anna is officially crawling! as of 4:30 today, she gave up her rolling/wounded soldier (for the most part anyway), and is now full-on crawling. this is exciting because honestly, we didn't think she would do it. she was so good at getting around with her fabulous rolling (the floor show as i like to call it) and her belly pull (she looks like a wounded soldier in battle) that we thought she'd go right from here to walking. but no, she surprised us again. yay! go anna!
with the new found skill came new found confidence, and she's already taken to being much more destructive than before. but destructive for anna is still pretty ok -- she's more into examining things than breaking them, so we're ok there.
on other fronts, we've had two new babies join the world this week! ava lin quinby was born to jen and carter on sunday -- two weeks ahead of schedule and still 8 POUNDS! -- and little spenser everett vinjamuri was born to michelle and david very early monday morning. we're so excited! spenser is sure to be anna's dance partner in the future, so this is a big thing for her. =)
i have had a very migraine-ridden, busy week. i've been trying to get a lot of work done, and my new site launched two weeks ago, so i've been on a promo-ride since then. nana is in town this weekend to see us and celebrate dave's bday, so we will have a busy weekend. but we have lots to tell, and will be back on here asap.
love you all!!
well, we have news! anna is officially crawling! as of 4:30 today, she gave up her rolling/wounded soldier (for the most part anyway), and is now full-on crawling. this is exciting because honestly, we didn't think she would do it. she was so good at getting around with her fabulous rolling (the floor show as i like to call it) and her belly pull (she looks like a wounded soldier in battle) that we thought she'd go right from here to walking. but no, she surprised us again. yay! go anna!
with the new found skill came new found confidence, and she's already taken to being much more destructive than before. but destructive for anna is still pretty ok -- she's more into examining things than breaking them, so we're ok there.
on other fronts, we've had two new babies join the world this week! ava lin quinby was born to jen and carter on sunday -- two weeks ahead of schedule and still 8 POUNDS! -- and little spenser everett vinjamuri was born to michelle and david very early monday morning. we're so excited! spenser is sure to be anna's dance partner in the future, so this is a big thing for her. =)
i have had a very migraine-ridden, busy week. i've been trying to get a lot of work done, and my new site launched two weeks ago, so i've been on a promo-ride since then. nana is in town this weekend to see us and celebrate dave's bday, so we will have a busy weekend. but we have lots to tell, and will be back on here asap.
love you all!!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
she's turned over a new leaf... yet again...
hey hey! i'm here as a much relieved woman, with my site redesign finished (www.nic-events.net) and a baby who has been in the BEST mood for the past few days and... wait for it... ACTUALLY SLEEPING FOR NAPS!!
yes, yes, it's crazy but true. she's finally sleeping for her naps. it took some time, but i figured out the schedule she wants (at least until she switches it up again). most babies at her age need a morning nap and then a nap 3 hours later after lunch. well, i was trying that, and it didn't work. anna would just get super cranky until lunch, then fall asleep while nursing, and then if i put her down she was up in 20 minutes. then she wouldn't nap for the rest of the day, but was the crankiest angriest child!
no, anna jae needs TWO morning naps. two. she wakes around 6/6:30 for bath and daddy time, then nurses and goes back down by 8. she sleeps for an unbelievable 1.5-2 hours. then she gets up (in a great mood mind you), nurses, eats some fruit, and plays. by 11 or 11:15, she needs to be down again (basically no more than 1.5 hours from her wake time). she goes down without complaint, falls asleep by 11:30 the latest, and has been sleeping for another 1.5-2 hours. she's up by 1 or so and is up for the rest of the day.
the one thing she needs in the afternoon is mommy cuddle time. this is also pretty new for anna. i've realized that at her 3:30/4pm nursing, she gets all comfy and wants to fall asleep. sometimes she'll sleep while nursing, sometimes she stays up but wants to stay in my arms. so we cuddle up on the couch until 5pm. sometimes she stays awake, most of the time she gets in a cat nap of about 30 min. but it's a really nice time of day for both of us. no matter how much work i've had over the past couple weeks, i know that i have an anna date at 4pm. and we just snuggle together and enjoy the moment. it's awesome. i hope this keeps up just as much as i hope the naps keep up. =)
anna jae seems like she's over a bit of her stranger anxiety too, which she developed in her 8th month. instead of staring at people like she's skeptical of their prescence and clinging to me with a death grip, the past few days have shown her to be smiling and giggling at people she meets. it's nice to have miss social back.
ok, i'm off to do more work. i know the pics are late. they're coming, i promise!
yes, yes, it's crazy but true. she's finally sleeping for her naps. it took some time, but i figured out the schedule she wants (at least until she switches it up again). most babies at her age need a morning nap and then a nap 3 hours later after lunch. well, i was trying that, and it didn't work. anna would just get super cranky until lunch, then fall asleep while nursing, and then if i put her down she was up in 20 minutes. then she wouldn't nap for the rest of the day, but was the crankiest angriest child!
no, anna jae needs TWO morning naps. two. she wakes around 6/6:30 for bath and daddy time, then nurses and goes back down by 8. she sleeps for an unbelievable 1.5-2 hours. then she gets up (in a great mood mind you), nurses, eats some fruit, and plays. by 11 or 11:15, she needs to be down again (basically no more than 1.5 hours from her wake time). she goes down without complaint, falls asleep by 11:30 the latest, and has been sleeping for another 1.5-2 hours. she's up by 1 or so and is up for the rest of the day.
the one thing she needs in the afternoon is mommy cuddle time. this is also pretty new for anna. i've realized that at her 3:30/4pm nursing, she gets all comfy and wants to fall asleep. sometimes she'll sleep while nursing, sometimes she stays up but wants to stay in my arms. so we cuddle up on the couch until 5pm. sometimes she stays awake, most of the time she gets in a cat nap of about 30 min. but it's a really nice time of day for both of us. no matter how much work i've had over the past couple weeks, i know that i have an anna date at 4pm. and we just snuggle together and enjoy the moment. it's awesome. i hope this keeps up just as much as i hope the naps keep up. =)
anna jae seems like she's over a bit of her stranger anxiety too, which she developed in her 8th month. instead of staring at people like she's skeptical of their prescence and clinging to me with a death grip, the past few days have shown her to be smiling and giggling at people she meets. it's nice to have miss social back.
ok, i'm off to do more work. i know the pics are late. they're coming, i promise!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
things i love about my girl
yesterday anna had a rough day -- and therefore so did i. 11 hours straight of cranky baby with pretty much no naps or breaks. but i realized at points during the day that no matter how tough they are, there's always stuff we love about our kids that keep us happy and going. and i thought that i'd share the current "i love anna jae because..." goodies with everyone.
i love anna jae because...
- she talks, yells, makes noises with her mouth and throat all day long! a little jibber-jabber this one. but it's so funny. she'll just start yelling and talking in a grocery store so loudly, but it makes everyone around her laugh and smile. and if i laugh, she just does it more. awesome.
- she tries to make me laugh. she'll sit there and just start squealing or laughing just so i'll laugh, and then cracks herself up. it's hysterical. she's just so funny.
- she's so damn attentive. since birth, our girl has loved to watch, observe, take in the world around her. not a second is missed. and you can see her figuring it out. it's amazing to see every single day.
- her breath smells good. it does! sweet baby breath...
- she has definite affection for certain toys. she loves the shaggy stuffed dog she has, and she adores her elmo doll. she still smiles every time her musical elephant's cord is pulled. all of this is so fun to watch.
- she learned how to hug (kisses came a while ago). and she's just so cuddly now. she hugged me on request 3 times this morning.
- she loves to explore. as most babies do of course... but i love to watch her explore. and she doesn't just want to grab and destroy -- she studies what's in her hand and tries to figure out how it works.
- she still can't crawl, but she's working on it. and her roll is still the best floor routine ever!
this is an ever evolving list. but i need to note the best stuff as we go along. i can't forget this stage in a few months when i'm chasing her around the house.
i love anna jae because...
- she talks, yells, makes noises with her mouth and throat all day long! a little jibber-jabber this one. but it's so funny. she'll just start yelling and talking in a grocery store so loudly, but it makes everyone around her laugh and smile. and if i laugh, she just does it more. awesome.
- she tries to make me laugh. she'll sit there and just start squealing or laughing just so i'll laugh, and then cracks herself up. it's hysterical. she's just so funny.
- she's so damn attentive. since birth, our girl has loved to watch, observe, take in the world around her. not a second is missed. and you can see her figuring it out. it's amazing to see every single day.
- her breath smells good. it does! sweet baby breath...
- she has definite affection for certain toys. she loves the shaggy stuffed dog she has, and she adores her elmo doll. she still smiles every time her musical elephant's cord is pulled. all of this is so fun to watch.
- she learned how to hug (kisses came a while ago). and she's just so cuddly now. she hugged me on request 3 times this morning.
- she loves to explore. as most babies do of course... but i love to watch her explore. and she doesn't just want to grab and destroy -- she studies what's in her hand and tries to figure out how it works.
- she still can't crawl, but she's working on it. and her roll is still the best floor routine ever!
this is an ever evolving list. but i need to note the best stuff as we go along. i can't forget this stage in a few months when i'm chasing her around the house.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
HUGE recap... hope you're comfy!
i know, i know, i've been very delinquent on here. i'm sorry. i've been trying really hard to get work done on my website, and it's impossible to do a long update on here while i'm doing that.
but, i'm here now, and i promise good things.
well, our little anna jae is now 8.5 months old. where has time gone?!! we are talking about what to do for her first birthday and how to keep our christmas tree safe from her. ha! she's still not crawling, and we don't know if she's going to or if she's just going to go straight to walking. she does try to drag her belly across the floor though, which is funny to watch. and she's still rolling all over the place. and, for better or worse, she's started to pull herself up to standing. i say worse because our little angel threw herself out of her crib last week and landed on the floor. yes, that's right. no signs of pulling herself up at all, but that morning i found her for the second time sitting up in her crib after a nap. so i told dave that we should move down the mattress more that night. and during her nap that afternoon, i hear a loud thump followed closely by a scream. i ran in and found her on the floor. eek! i kept calm until i checked her out -- event though she was screaming, she didn't have a mark on her. i called dave, the pediatrician, and my mom, and then got her calmed down. once she was back to her usual self, i was then free to lose my mind. let's just say that i took anna out for a walk after that just so i could buy some wine for that night. =)
still no teeth for anna jae! but the teething went through another bad stage -- a lot of crying and whining for a couple of weeks. i don't mind that she doesn't have teeth yet, but it would be nice if she didn't teethe then! argh. i feel like i did at the end of my pregnancy. going late wouldn't have been as bad if i didn't go through 4 weeks of false labor!
anna now says da-da. she said it for the first time when we were away in the catskills (update on that weekend to come in my next post, with pics). in fact, since she had to sleep with us the last night we were there, she had to keep on our good side -- so she said "da-da, ma-ma," when she woke us at 5am. we both melted. then she decided she NEEDED to nurse. good moment over.
eating has taken a wonderful turn. she has started doing finger foods, and now happily eats for us! it's so great. she was such a difficult baby to feed, and we could never get her to eat willingly, even foods that she liked. i decided to try puffs with her, since they melt in her mouth and we didn't have to worry about choking. and lo and behold, she loved them! i showed her how to pick them up and she got it right away. now she uses her pincer grip like an old pro! we cut up pieces of strawberry for her to eat (which she loves, but they are so slippery and frustrate her no end!), give her some table food, and she thinks it's the greatest thing ever. and now when we spoon feed her, she's more than happy to eat for us. it's a nice change. feedings were becoming anxiety-inducing events.
we're still working on her napping, but it's getting marginally better. her separation anxiety is still present, but is also getting easier to handle. and she sleeps like a dream at night. she LOVES to talk, and yammers away all day long. she also sings, and can hold a note like nobody's business! we sit around all day babbling and singing to each other. fun times!
coming up on the blog will be the summary of our trip to the catskills, as well as pics so far from her 8th month!
but, i'm here now, and i promise good things.
well, our little anna jae is now 8.5 months old. where has time gone?!! we are talking about what to do for her first birthday and how to keep our christmas tree safe from her. ha! she's still not crawling, and we don't know if she's going to or if she's just going to go straight to walking. she does try to drag her belly across the floor though, which is funny to watch. and she's still rolling all over the place. and, for better or worse, she's started to pull herself up to standing. i say worse because our little angel threw herself out of her crib last week and landed on the floor. yes, that's right. no signs of pulling herself up at all, but that morning i found her for the second time sitting up in her crib after a nap. so i told dave that we should move down the mattress more that night. and during her nap that afternoon, i hear a loud thump followed closely by a scream. i ran in and found her on the floor. eek! i kept calm until i checked her out -- event though she was screaming, she didn't have a mark on her. i called dave, the pediatrician, and my mom, and then got her calmed down. once she was back to her usual self, i was then free to lose my mind. let's just say that i took anna out for a walk after that just so i could buy some wine for that night. =)
still no teeth for anna jae! but the teething went through another bad stage -- a lot of crying and whining for a couple of weeks. i don't mind that she doesn't have teeth yet, but it would be nice if she didn't teethe then! argh. i feel like i did at the end of my pregnancy. going late wouldn't have been as bad if i didn't go through 4 weeks of false labor!
anna now says da-da. she said it for the first time when we were away in the catskills (update on that weekend to come in my next post, with pics). in fact, since she had to sleep with us the last night we were there, she had to keep on our good side -- so she said "da-da, ma-ma," when she woke us at 5am. we both melted. then she decided she NEEDED to nurse. good moment over.
eating has taken a wonderful turn. she has started doing finger foods, and now happily eats for us! it's so great. she was such a difficult baby to feed, and we could never get her to eat willingly, even foods that she liked. i decided to try puffs with her, since they melt in her mouth and we didn't have to worry about choking. and lo and behold, she loved them! i showed her how to pick them up and she got it right away. now she uses her pincer grip like an old pro! we cut up pieces of strawberry for her to eat (which she loves, but they are so slippery and frustrate her no end!), give her some table food, and she thinks it's the greatest thing ever. and now when we spoon feed her, she's more than happy to eat for us. it's a nice change. feedings were becoming anxiety-inducing events.
we're still working on her napping, but it's getting marginally better. her separation anxiety is still present, but is also getting easier to handle. and she sleeps like a dream at night. she LOVES to talk, and yammers away all day long. she also sings, and can hold a note like nobody's business! we sit around all day babbling and singing to each other. fun times!
coming up on the blog will be the summary of our trip to the catskills, as well as pics so far from her 8th month!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
meeting sofia!
jodi came into town in september so that we could meet her new daughter sofia! so much fun to have all the babies together!
gabriel and carlos.
the lopez family! meredith, carlos, gabriel.
anna with her new best bud, elizabeth.
the girls and our kids!
jodi and sofia.
gabriel and carlos.
the lopez family! meredith, carlos, gabriel.
anna with her new best bud, elizabeth.
the girls and our kids!
jodi and sofia.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
just a quick check-in...
hello all. i'm so sorry i'm way behind on my updates. anna has kept me really quite busy these last couple weeks, so i'm trying to catch up on everything -- work, cleaning, and updating. but she's 8 months old now! really, i need to start giving this kid coffee in her bottle to slow down her growth.
just a recap of what i will go into detail about:
- our trip to the catskills with the block clan, including anna's new cousin mila.
- anna's new word -- DA-DA!!
- anna's first evening out going to bed at someone else's house, and then being taken home!
- the resurgence of the teething.
- the remaining issues with solid foods.
- anna's obsession with weird mouth sounds, and how many new ones she has come up with.
- her decision that rolling WAY trumps crawling.
- anna's lovely singing voice and jibber-jabber.
- her continuing separation anxiety issues.
all this, pictures, and more, on the next update of GROWING BLOCK!
just a recap of what i will go into detail about:
- our trip to the catskills with the block clan, including anna's new cousin mila.
- anna's new word -- DA-DA!!
- anna's first evening out going to bed at someone else's house, and then being taken home!
- the resurgence of the teething.
- the remaining issues with solid foods.
- anna's obsession with weird mouth sounds, and how many new ones she has come up with.
- her decision that rolling WAY trumps crawling.
- anna's lovely singing voice and jibber-jabber.
- her continuing separation anxiety issues.
all this, pictures, and more, on the next update of GROWING BLOCK!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
update time! anna jae at 7.5 months
yes, our girl gets bigger and bigger every day. i honestly can't get over it. dave and i are talking about her first birthday already -- can you believe that? geez... i wish i could stop time just for a little while. i'm really loving her 7th month of life.
anna is just so incredibly smart. she really looks at things, analyzes them, takes them apart or figures out how to take things off. she can spend an hour just on the floor, sitting or laying there with a toy, an empty water bottle, or a catalog to rip up, and study them. she figured out immediately when we would purposely make her laugh to stick the spoon of food in her mouth, and began to just smile with her mouth closed when she doesn't want it. i played patty-cake with her twice in a row, and she figured out when the tickling part would come, so she starts to laugh at "one-slice, two-slice". it's just so amazing to watch her in action.
as i always love to tell people, anna's funny. she's so funny. she'll sit there and laugh at you just to get you to laugh. she makes funny faces and noises and entertains you. she will play peek-a-boo with you if you give her a cloth to put over her face. she's got a great sense of humor and keeps me smiling (at least for most of the day).
she is not as active as she used to be. she'll jump in her jumper and sit on the floor and play, but she's become a lot more cautious. anna was trying to crawl for a bit, but kept face-planting on the rug. so now, she's started to simply lower herself to the floor from a seated position, and then roll over to what she wants, since she's been a master roller from 3 months old. she's also not pulling herself up on objects, only when someone gives her their hands for her to pull from. she's become a bit of a girly-girl in that way. however, if we put her by an ottoman or the side of a couch, she'll stand there while holding on. i think she just likes to feel safe.
most of anna's energy seems to be going into chattering and yelling! she loves to talk to herself, is imitating adult speech patterns (though everything is in "ba-ba-ba" with a "mama" thrown in here and there), and yells at the top of her lungs for fun. she's actually quite loud. everyone says she gets that from me... i'm starting to get insulted. =)
eating is going better. anna jae didn't start out as the best solids eater in the world. she has texture issues galore. and she's very dramatic when she doesn't like something -- gagging and throwing a fit. but... she's definitely getting better. her foods have caused some constipation issues, but we're fixing that by incorporating LOTS of prunes.
separation anxiety is still an issue, but we're working hard on it. i make her sit by herself during the day as often as i can, assuring her from afar that i'm there and that she's ok. it's helping her cope. putting her to bed at night or down for a nap always brings on a crying fit, but if we just say goodnight and leave the room, that seems to keep it short -- if we stay and try to soothe her it actually makes it worse and lasts longer. it's sad, because she hangs onto our hands and clothes and doesn't want us to leave, but when we stay, she keeps looking up to make sure we're there. so she never goes to sleep. if we kiss her goodnight and leave, she only cries for about 5 minutes and then konks out.
all in all, the 7th month is my favorite so far. i love that anna jae can play games, give kisses and hugs, is learning to wave, laughs and giggles and entertains all of us. i love that she can sleep well at night by herself, and that she talks as much as possible. i love that she looks for her daddy when i mention him, even if he's not there. i love everything about this girl. she's the coolest chick ever.
anna is just so incredibly smart. she really looks at things, analyzes them, takes them apart or figures out how to take things off. she can spend an hour just on the floor, sitting or laying there with a toy, an empty water bottle, or a catalog to rip up, and study them. she figured out immediately when we would purposely make her laugh to stick the spoon of food in her mouth, and began to just smile with her mouth closed when she doesn't want it. i played patty-cake with her twice in a row, and she figured out when the tickling part would come, so she starts to laugh at "one-slice, two-slice". it's just so amazing to watch her in action.
as i always love to tell people, anna's funny. she's so funny. she'll sit there and laugh at you just to get you to laugh. she makes funny faces and noises and entertains you. she will play peek-a-boo with you if you give her a cloth to put over her face. she's got a great sense of humor and keeps me smiling (at least for most of the day).
she is not as active as she used to be. she'll jump in her jumper and sit on the floor and play, but she's become a lot more cautious. anna was trying to crawl for a bit, but kept face-planting on the rug. so now, she's started to simply lower herself to the floor from a seated position, and then roll over to what she wants, since she's been a master roller from 3 months old. she's also not pulling herself up on objects, only when someone gives her their hands for her to pull from. she's become a bit of a girly-girl in that way. however, if we put her by an ottoman or the side of a couch, she'll stand there while holding on. i think she just likes to feel safe.
most of anna's energy seems to be going into chattering and yelling! she loves to talk to herself, is imitating adult speech patterns (though everything is in "ba-ba-ba" with a "mama" thrown in here and there), and yells at the top of her lungs for fun. she's actually quite loud. everyone says she gets that from me... i'm starting to get insulted. =)
eating is going better. anna jae didn't start out as the best solids eater in the world. she has texture issues galore. and she's very dramatic when she doesn't like something -- gagging and throwing a fit. but... she's definitely getting better. her foods have caused some constipation issues, but we're fixing that by incorporating LOTS of prunes.
separation anxiety is still an issue, but we're working hard on it. i make her sit by herself during the day as often as i can, assuring her from afar that i'm there and that she's ok. it's helping her cope. putting her to bed at night or down for a nap always brings on a crying fit, but if we just say goodnight and leave the room, that seems to keep it short -- if we stay and try to soothe her it actually makes it worse and lasts longer. it's sad, because she hangs onto our hands and clothes and doesn't want us to leave, but when we stay, she keeps looking up to make sure we're there. so she never goes to sleep. if we kiss her goodnight and leave, she only cries for about 5 minutes and then konks out.
all in all, the 7th month is my favorite so far. i love that anna jae can play games, give kisses and hugs, is learning to wave, laughs and giggles and entertains all of us. i love that she can sleep well at night by herself, and that she talks as much as possible. i love that she looks for her daddy when i mention him, even if he's not there. i love everything about this girl. she's the coolest chick ever.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
sleeping success!! no more swaddle!!
i don't have much time, but i just wanted to report that we are no longer using the swaddle for sleep. and after a couple of rough nights, anna jae is sleeping happily and peacefully on her own, for the entire night with no wakes. it's incredible! this time she was ready, and i'm so glad. she sleeps with her toys and on her belly, and she seems to be loving it. so from around 8 or 8:15 at night until around 6:30 in the morning, she's out cold.
go anna!
go anna!
photos from 7 months (so far) -- the aquarium!
we took anna jae to the aquarium for the first time this past sunday. she was more interested in the other babies than in the fish we think... but she did like to try to catch the fish and loved to watch the walruses and seals swim. it was a really good day.
photos from 7 months (so far) -- anna jae's 7 month birthday!
anna jae and i had fun taking pics in her stroller to mark her 7 month birthday. the outfit she is wearing is from aunt loren's mom and stepfather, phyllis and rich. and her baby flip-flops are from grandma.
photos from six months -- pearl's birthday party
we had a great time celebrating aunt pearl's 94th birthday party!
anna jae surrounded by love -- cousin chris, uncle howie, nana, and aunt joan.
having fun with aunt joan.
uncle howie keeping her entertained.
xiao-bin actually calmed her down...
and made her laugh with his funny faces!
cousin jeff talks a good game, but he looks like a natural.
anna jae surrounded by love -- cousin chris, uncle howie, nana, and aunt joan.
having fun with aunt joan.
uncle howie keeping her entertained.
xiao-bin actually calmed her down...
and made her laugh with his funny faces!
cousin jeff talks a good game, but he looks like a natural.
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