Christmas day

Here are pictures we took of Anne playing with her presents on Christmas morning. Not the best pictures ever, but you get the idea. The little red dress with her name embroidered on the collar is from Gram Sheri. She loved it -- she twisted and twirled and spun all over church to make it balloon out. It seemed fairly clear that Anne felt really pretty. The bow in her hair has a letter "A" on it, too.

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It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you

Anne could not have enjoyed Christmas dinner more. Her best friend C was over to spend the evening with her. When Anne likes someone, she sits on him or her. Hence this picture. The girls were giggling and shrieking and playing all evening. They're not supposed to really play WITH each other at this age, but these two seem to.

Ho ho ho (video)

We'll post more pictures from Christmas morning, but for now, here's a video of Anne playing with her new tea set from Uncle Sam and Uncle Chuy. Anne loves teatime!

Santa Claus is comin' to town

I was worried a visit with Santa might not necessarily go well. But Anne thought Santa looked like a jolly old soul. She walked right up to him and raised her arms to be picked up. I think she told him she wants crackers and Elmo for Christmas.

Anne's got the moves (video)

Anne's been taking music and movement classes since September. We just started a new "semester" last week, and we were listening to the CD tonight. In the video, Anne gets up to look at herself dancing in the reflection of the fireplace door.

(Today's were our best pigtails yet!)

The kissing bandit (video)

Anne knows what kissing is, and she likes it. Here she is kissing her girlfriend C. They had pizza for dinner tonight with their parents (Anne is still holding hers in this video). Anne usually goes for people's lips -- sometimes she won't stop trying to plant a kiss on someone's lips even if they've offered a cheek.

Anne says "I love you" (video)

And today is also brought to you by the number "4" (video)

Daddy and Anne have also been working on the first number she's been interested in, "4." For reasons she can't explain, that's Mom's favorite number.

She's actually been demanding that Mom make her cookie jar toy (from Gram Sheri) say, "4." Anne acts a lot more shy than she is in this video!

She's wearing a little scarf that Mom loaned her. As mentioned, Anne likes soft things and occasionally likes to accessorize with a softie.

Today is brought to you by the letters A, B and sometimes C (video)

We're skipping ahead from Halloween to now just because Anne is doing some sweet things we don't want to forget.





First, when she woke up Sunday, Anne started singing, "ABC" for Mom. She'd been working on it with Daddy while Mom worked on Saturday. It seems hard for kids to say three syllables at once. You can't quite hear the "c" when she says it on this video -- she has been getting a little more shy and quiet with the camera. But you can definitely hear lots of "a-b!"

Big changes

Mom finally went back to work at the end of October. She's only working two days a week -- Thursday and Friday, or Friday and Saturday.

It's a big change for Mom, but not so much for Anne. Her nanny is Lucia, who has helped to take care of Anne since a couple of weeks after she came home. In fact, the most upset Anne has been was when Lucia went home at the end of Mom's first day back to work. Anne loves Lucia to pieces.

Like most little kids, Anne has trouble with the "L" sound, so she usually calls Lucia "Noo-noo" or "No-no."

This is Lucia with Anne when the weather was still warm outside.

BOO!

Our little piglet was, well, a piglet for Halloween! She also had a spectacularly spooky Halloween dress, too. All from her Gram Sheri!

Tiptoe through the pumpkins (video)

Once Daddy got home from his conference, we took a trip to the pumpkin patch. There were pumpkins galore, scarecrows and a corn maze, apples, gourds and a couple of roosters. The rooster was the first animal sound Anne learned to make.

The difference between ours and Anne's (video)

Anne often wants what we're eating, but she usually understands (or is diverted) when we talk about the difference between hers and ours.

Anne and Mom reach a milestone

We made it through 7 full days without Daddy in mid-October, by ourselves without any help from grandparents or from Lucia, Anne's nanny. Anne was in a great mood all week. Mommy got smart and napped when Anne did. We spent most of our time at the park because the weather was great. The week was a reminder of how much Daddy does with Anne and around the house. He was sorely missed.

We started off the week with an overnight visit from Anne's Great Auntie Peg and her Great-great Auntie Mary Ellen. They had a wonderful time with Anne, and we were so glad to have them. We took pictures during this visit, but Mom is still looking for them and will share when she finds them.

Anne and the giant eraser

A lot of people didn't know what this sculpture was supposed to be when it was posted on Facebook. It's at the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden, where Anne and her girlfriends C and S had a lovely visit several weeks ago.

Anne's BFFs

These girls to the left and far left of Anne are her best girlfriends -- I will call them C and S, since this blog is not password-protected and they're little kids and we didn't talk to their parents about blogging.

Anne likes to do a roll call of her friends several times a day, and these two always start off the list. The girls get excited when they see each other and sometimes squeal like, well, girls. Anne and C have been kissing hello and goodbye for about a week.

Of course, you can always accessorize ...

Anne loves anything that is soft and resembles a blanket -- a scarf, an actual blanket, her sleep sack, her dad's fleece jacket. Her daddy calls them all "softies." So Anne asks for them when she sees them: "SOF-teh!" If it's a blanket, she flops down on it and pretends to nap.

Fun with food (video)

Though Anne would like nothing better than to walk around the house snacking all day, we try to keep her in her high chair for meals and snacks when we're at home. So she spends a lot of time there! She loves whole fruit -- in the pictures, she's eating a peeled mango. And she likes to play games and sing while she eats. Who doesn't? The video is of Anne playing peek-a-boo.

Anne is back!

We've been woefully inadequate when it comes to blogging for the past couple of months. Anne is on the move, and we have lots going on in our house! We're going to get back on the ball.


Here's a picture of Anne enjoying a coconut popsicle with her dad. It's not popsicle weather, really -- although that doesn't stop either of them -- but this picture is from September, when we took an unintended break from keeping everyone updated.

Popsicles are a good example of what Anne likes to eat -- anything Mom and Dad are eating. We're lucky she's not picky, at least not yet. Popsicles also helped with the pain of teething, which Anne has really struggled with.

Anne at 16 months

Anne had a checkup at the pediatrician today. Here's what we learned:

Anne weighs 19 pounds, 2 ounces and is 29.5 inches tall. This places her around the 3rd percentile for weight, meaning 97 percent of kids her age weigh more. We don't worry about her being small, considering she's a great eater and continues to grow at a normal pace. And Anne is in the 25th percentile for height.

The pediatrician was also not too worried about the fact that Anne is, unfortunately, a biter. She said many kids bite at this age and that Anne will grow out of it. And she said Mom and Dad are doing all the right things to respond when Anne tries to bite. (She goes after other kids if they shove her or take toys away, but she also sometimes bites Mom unprovoked.) Anne has gotten three new teeth in less than a week, so she's feeling lots of pain in her mouth.



(Photo by Grandpa Dan)

At the zoo with Gram Sheri and Grandpa Dan

We took Anne to the zoo with Gram Sheri and Grandpa Dan, who took some great pictures. The dark one is of Mom running through mist with Anne. Anne also ran into her girlfriend Alexa at the lion exhibit. Anne's favorite thing at the zoo? Curbs that are just her height for sitting.




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Belly laughs (video)

Anne's discovered her belly.

A bedtime stroll

Anne is a big walking girl now, you know. She likes to carry her flashcards around.

Someone's in the kitchen with Anne ...

That's Annika, our next-door neighbor. She's really been enjoying Anne, who is trying hard to say, "Annika." "Ah-bee-ka?" "Aaahn-ka?" "Ahhnn-ka-ka?"

Another Sunday, another Gram Sheri outfit ...

That's Anne standing in the OPENING to her playpen. By opening, we mean we've opened the gate and will probably be removing the whole thing soon. She's a big walking girl now, and was trying to climb up and over the gate around her playpen, anyhow ...

Popcorn popper (multiple videos, if you have time to watch)

Anne got a Fisher Price popcorn popper in the mail from Grandma Gloria today. It was so much fun to watch her try to figure out how to make it work. Mom did not record Anne very briefly shrieking and crying when she wanted Mom to stop touching it. Big girls like to figure stuff out themselves.

More corn (video)

A picture doesn't do it justice. We thought you might like to see Anne in action eating her current favorite food. She fusses if she sees corn on the cob on our plates but not on her tray. Other summer favorites are whole peaches and cherries.

Dressed by Dad

Dad thought it would be nice to let Mom sleep in Sunday since she's been a little under the weather. So he took Anne to early church, and dressed her up in a Grandma Sheri outfit, and chose the perfect white leather shoes. Made Mom's day. Good job, Daddy!

Playing ball with Dad (video)

Do not attempt to come between this small person and a cob of corn

Anne is still such a good eater. But we've never seen her as enthusiastic about any food as she is about corn on the cob. We can't even touch her corn while she's holding it. Apparently it is just too precious. Dad says she loves the tastes of summer -- whole fresh peaches, corn on the cob and cherries. Yum!

These Stride Rites are made for walkin' (video)

Cool in the pool

Anne's recent trip to Oklahoma City started with a three-day family reunion that included an afternoon of swimming at the home of our cousins Mike and Susan. Grandpa Tom had Anne in the pool before Mom knew what was happening! Anne liked swimming, especially when there was a dog involved ...

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Swingin' in OKC

Anne and mom traveled to Oklahoma City a couple of weeks ago. The trip was full of firsts -- first airplane ride, first swim, first trip to the zoo. And first time in a swing! Most D.C. parks don't have swing sets. Mom and Grandma Gloria were surprised their fearless girl was so uncertain about the bucket swing. Took three days, but finally, Grandpa Tom coaxed her in. And then Anne refused to get out!

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Learning to walk (video)

Anne saw her developmental pediatrician at Children's Hospital today -- likely for the last time; the verdict is that Anne has pretty much caught up from being a preemie! The doctor says Anne can obviously walk; it's a matter of when she WANTS to. She's beginning to get comfortable with walking, as you can see in this video. Her neighbor friend, Owen, gave her his walker toy to play with. (She stops to play with some boxes at the end, and stands while she picks one up.)

Put the ball in the hole (video)

Anne's friend Alexa (and Mommy's friend Malia) gave Anne several toys for her birthday, including this one with little balls that poke through a hole. There's a mallet for when Anne is old enough. Mom was so surprised to see Anne pick each ball up, set it in a hole and push it down. That's new -- for a long time, Anne could push a ball through a hole, but she didn't pick it up and try to push it through herself. That's a big developmental step.

(There are also some Russian nesting dolls from Alexa that Anne was trying to open in the video.)

Anne's friend Alexa came to play last week. She brought Anne some wonderful gifts for her first birthday. One was the pink-and-green tunnel in these pictures. Another we'll post video of soon. Anne LOVES bigger girls and trying to keep up with them.

Anne's 13-month pictures, as she turns 14 months old ...

Seems like we always put off taking Anne's monthly birthday picture till the end of the month, and as usual, we didn't get the 13-month pictures taken until Anne turned 14 months old TODAY! Our neighbors Roxie, Paul and Annika spotted us taking pictures in our front yard and suggested we move to their lush, pretty backyard. So Anne had lots of entertainment while we took her pictures. Of course, Anne the dog lover went for their dog's bowls.

What does Anne do at 14 months? She can:

Crawl and climb on everything, from our stairs to playground equipment and things you didn't know could be climbed on

Push her walker and other toys around, on her knees but also while standing. She's ALMOST walking.

Say "up" as well as "mama" and "dada" and, once, "dog"

Pick up, touch or look at familiar things whose names she knows, such as "ball," "choo-choo" and "yculos" (that's Porguguese for "glasses)

Respond, usually with tears, to a sharp "NO"

Give us something, such as a spoon, if we ask for it

Play hide-and-seek

Drink her milk by herself (finally) and find her pacifier and put it in her mouth ... and toss it out of her crib

Drink from a real glass with assistance

Go to sleep by herself without being rocked

Let us brush her teeth

Turn books right side up and turn pages in the right direction

Put a small ball in a round hole

Push a ball and chase after it

Make up her own games with her toys

Open and close doors large and small

One year ago today ...

Anne was discharged after 29 days in the NICU. I think we may have gotten only an hour of sleep among the three of us that night. It's been a long year, but today, Anne is doing so well! And she sleeps for 10 or 11 hours most nights.

She reached another milestone today -- first ear infection. Poor kiddo had a cold that left her with a runny nose for a couple of weeks; the drainage settled in her ears. Fingers crossed she starts feeling better soon!

The park! The park! The park!

A highlight of most days for Anne is the playground at Stanton Park in our neighborhood. Anne is not walking yet, but she is crawling, and she is into everything. Here are some pictures Grandma Gloria took this week. (Click to enlarge.)





Bigger version of Anne spinning -- Dad says Aunt Sarah loved spinning this much, too. See this smile?

Our good eater (video)

Anne is slowly transitioning from baby food to table food, and she is quite the good eater. By good, we mean that she tries everything we give her. And she likes nearly everything, too!

Daddy was out of the country all week, so Grandma Gloria was here to help mom, and she cooked up a storm for Anne. Here's a video of Anne trying Grandma's pot roast, carrots and potatoes.

Catching up with Anne

Anne has lots to say these days. Sometimes "mama" and "dada," but mostly just lots of interesting syllable combinations.

Birthday girl

Anne's first birthday is today, April 26. We did our celebrating over the weekend. It was eventful, though most of those events did not go as planned.

First, Anne came down with a stomach virus and was feeling very poorly all weekend (she even got sick in church on Easter Sunday, poor kiddo). Then, her Gram Sheri and Grandpa Dan got grounded by the tornado in Missouri and couldn't come visit. Then mom and Grandma Gloria came down with the stomach bug, too!

Of course, we know all about things not going as planned. We never planned to have a baby five weeks early, and we never planned for her to weigh only three pounds when she arrived. We never planned for our baby's first weeks and months to be so challenging. But we made it! And today Anne is a happy, laughing, healthy little girl.

Here are some pictures from her birthday celebration. We kept it low-key, with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Gloria; Anne's nanny, Lucia; and our neighbors, Roxie, Annika and Paul. Anne was just feeling crummy, although her big-girl friend Annika was pretty good at cheering her up.


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One of Anne's gifts was a play kitchen from Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Tom. Anne helped Grandpa put it together before her party.


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And don't feel too badly that Anne couldn't really enjoy cake for her birthday -- she had some cupcake beforehand, for Grandpa Tom's birthday on Thursday. She went right for the icing and loved the whole thing.

Our cherry blossom tree

Last time the pink cherry blossom tree outside our house bloomed, Anne had just arrived and was still in the hospital. This year, she got to see and taste it!



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Anne times eleven

Anne's getting ready for her big birthday weekend, with grandparents galore and a cake to celebrate. Unfortunately, she seems to have come down with a little tummy bug, so she may not get to have cake when Mom and Dad had planned on Saturday evening. (Confession: We know Anne likes cake, because we let her have some for her Grandpa Tom's birthday on Thursday. Photos to come!)

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Eleven months!

Anne's Denver man

Anne had a playmate for an entire weekend last month -- Cooper, who came to visit with his parents, Kate and Bryan, from Denver. Cooper is only a couple of months older than Anne, but he's very big for his age, and Anne is very small for her age. So Mom was worried Anne might get steamrolled. Nope! Anne crawled on Cooper, pulled his hair, licked him and tried to take his toys away. Cooper is used to pushy girls and took it all in stride. It was fun that even though Cooper is learning to walk, he still crawls a lot, so he and Anne had a lot in common (they both wanted to go wherever Cooper wanted to go). (click to enlarge)