Just a Minute Moore...

11 Months Old

Keri — Tue, 22 May 2012 03:02:39 GMT

I'm finding it hard to believe that it's time for Anna's 11 month blog post. This means we are now less than one month from the time she turns one! How can that be? Our sweet girl at 11 months:

--Into everything! Crawling like a madwoman, pulling up, cruising around the furniture. Will take a few steps pushing a toy. Can stand independently for a few seconds.
--Says Mama, Ma (for Max), and makes noises for vroom-vroom, meow, and woof woof. Usually calls Jeff Mama also.
--Signs all done, water, thank you, ball. Waves hi and bye.
--Gives hugs, kisses and blows kisses on command
--Still makes a beeline for the laptop if it's on the coffee table. Has discovered that the dishwasher is also very entertaining if the door is open.
--Still cries when I leave for work, but usually only for a few seconds.
--Likes to play with doors, lots of opening and closing them. "Draws" on the Magnadoodle and chalkboard. Puts cars on the car tower. Loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals, gives them lots of hugs.
--Wearing mostly 12 month clothing. Nine month shirts and dresses still fit, but not pants. Tall and skinny. Just moved into size 4 shoes.
--Often cries when I lay her down for a diaper change, but can usually be distracted with peek-a-boo and songs. Very squirmy during diaper and clothing changes!
--Sleeps 11-12 hours most nights. Naps are unpredictable--some days, it's a grand total of 20 minutes for the day. Other days we get a good hour or more in the afternoon, which is cause for celebration.
--Loves her big brother, wants to grab whatever he is holding, likes to pat him and poke his eyes. We're working on the concept of "gentle touches."
--Does a fake cough about 30 seconds after one of us coughs. SO cute!
--Is absolutely adorable and we love her more than I can describe.

Photos!

And a couple of the awesome big brother. Max likes to watch videos on Daddy's iPhone. Yesterday he said he was going to show Chester some videos on his phone. He went and got the calculator (aka phone) and he and Chester "watched" some videos together.

Mother's Day 2012

Keri — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:19:03 GMT

This was my first Mother's Day as a mom of two, and it was wonderful. Mother's Day weather out here can be iffy, but it was gorgeous this year--sunny, warm, nice cool breeze. So we packed a picnic lunch and headed to a nearby park that looks out over the sound and the mountains. It was a perfect way to spend part of the day, then we went back home to relax together, and Jeff grilled our dinner.

Anna and Max continue to be as cute and entertaining as ever. Anna is showing a bit of a flair for drama these days, making me fear a bit for the teenage years to come. If we take away something she has, or she wants me to pick her up but I can't do it right away, she starts crying as she leans forward to rest her forehead on the ground. Oh the emotion!

A couple recent cute Max stories:

Monday after Max's rest time we were sitting on his bed talking and playing. I was running my hand over his head. After a minute he said, "Well, don't pet me Mama. I'm not an aminal."

When Anna's sleeping Max likes to get out his piggy banks (one is big, one is smaller) and play with the coins and the banks. The other day he told me, "This one is the Mama, and this one is the big brother. The baby is still growing in the Mama's tummy, and the Daddy is out golfing. "

Pictures!

My friend Angel found this vintage dress and it's so pretty on Anna:

Mother's Day fun at the park!

And to close, I can't think of anything much cuter than a baby in jammies:

May

Keri — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:15:22 GMT

It's hard for me to believe it's May already. That means Anna's birthday is next month. Next month, people! How did that happen? It's a good thing it's such fun to watch her grow and learn new things, because she is zooming through babyhood altogether too fast if you ask me. She now signs "All done" and has started blowing kisses. She hugs baby dolls and stuffed animals, and crawls all over the place now. We hear a lot of "Anna is grabbing my things!" from big brother. Whatever he is holding is instantly coveted by her.

Max continues to be a master negotiator, plotting strategy to extend bedtime whenever possible. He really likes to play pretend these days and often wants us to talk to his stuffed animals or the toys he's playing with. He had a haircut today and did a great job sitting still, though I'm sure it didn't hurt that they put an Elmo show on for him to watch. It's so much fun to talk to him and hear his perspective on things. The other day when Jeff got home from work we were in our front room playing. I don't even remember what we were doing, but Max went running to greet Jeff at the door and exclaimed, "Daddy, you have to come see what we are doing, it's so cool! You will say, 'That is so cool!', come and see!"

I have a few pictures from our week to share!

Sitting in the doll high chair, aka his "Thinking Chair" like Steve on Blue's Clues. Holding Montgomery Moose, whom he calls "Montduckery Moose" for reasons known only to Max.

To Anna, anything has the potential to be a hat. Except, perhaps, an actual hat, which she will tear off no more than 3 seconds after I put it on.

Our friends Laura and Dave came over this weekend. Laura and Max have birthdays close together, so we usually get together in late March and have a cake. Our original dinner was rescheduled for Saturday, but there was most definitely cake!

We're working on the concept of eating cake with a fork, but it usually gets abandoned in favor of the more efficient hands.

Tulips 2012

Keri — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:01:27 GMT

We didn't make it to the tulip festival last year, but I really wanted to go this year. Last weekend we lucked out with a free day and beautiful weather, so off to Roozengaarde we went. We went right away in the morning before the crazy crowds and had a great time. I'm sure the highlight for Max was the ice cream cone he got to have after we saw the tulips, but he did enjoy looking at the flowers also. Anna was more interested in trying to crawl away than in sitting for pictures, but we did manage to get some. Whenever Max sees flowers, even those that I'm quite sure have no aroma, he says "Oooh! These flowers smell so good!" It is pretty cute. We heard that a few times while we were there.

Pictures!

I had to share this series of three because it's a good capture of how Max talks. We just adore how expressive his with his face, hands and whole body.

We set Anna down next to Max for these pictures and he leaned over and gave her a hug. Be still, my heart!

Ten Months Old

Keri — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:17:40 GMT

I can't believe I'm writing another monthly post for Anna, wasn't she just turning nine months old a week or two ago? She is marching toward one year old entirely too fast.

At 10 months old, Anna:

--Crawls all over the place! She worked on it gradually for a few weeks and then bam! took off last Sunday and hasn't stopped since.
--Pulls to a stand on just about anything.
--Cruises sideways on furniture. Favorite activity right now is to crawl to the coffee table and then cruise around it until she reaches the laptop.
--Will occasionally take a step or two forward when holding our hands, but not doing much in the walking department, which is just fine, she's hard enough to keep up with just crawling! She is thinking about it though, when she's standing holding onto something, sometimes we'll see her eyeing another spot a foot or two away. You can almost hear her thinking, "Now how do I get over there?"
--One bottom tooth and the one next to it broke through this week
--Wears 9 month and 12 month clothing, and size 3 shoes
--Says "Mama," "Ma" (for Max) and the occasional "Dada." Waves hi and bye, claps hands, holds toys and food out for us to take.
--Sleeps 11-12 hours most nights lately. Usually asleep between 6:30 and 7:00 and up around 6:00.
--Two naps a day, 20-30 minutes each. Surprised us with a couple afternoon naps this week that were an hour, but I'm not getting used to that.
--Tried salmon tonight for the first time and liked it pretty well. Basically just eats what we eat, except for dairy. Nurses five times a day, drinks from a bottle and a cup.
--Loves baby dolls and toys that light up or make noise. "Dances" when music comes on.
--Delights us every day, we are so lucky to have her.

Monthly pictures are getting more challenging each time now. Today I had Jeff help. He acted as spotter so Anna wouldn't crawl off the chair and attempted to distract her long enough for me to snap a picture before she was on to something else.

Max wanted to sit in the chair with her. So cute!

There was a lot of this:

Which led to crawling right up on my lap:

Max Three Year Photos

Keri — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:32:55 GMT

We just got Maxwell's three year photos back from the amazing Justine. The timing worked great as we were also able to get nine-month shots of Anna. Justine always captures our family so beautifully, and she went above and beyond this time. I really wanted to post all the pictures, but I managed to choose some of them to share.

We've had a good week. Crawling clicked for Anna on Sunday and she has not looked back! All of a sudden she is crawling, pulling herself up, just moving all over the place. Nothing is safe now. The other day Grandma was singing "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" to Anna when Anna started waving midway through the song. After a minute Grandma figured out that she was waving in response to "Up above the world so high"--she waves for "hi" and "bye" now, so she was waving "hi" when prompted.

Max is loving the warmer weather we've been having and likes playing outside with Daddy after dinner. When Jeff tucks him in at night and says "Have a good sleep" Max will often respond, "Well, I will just talk to my bears." He usually snuggles with Chester and Puzzle Bear all night and often talks to them during "nap" time as well. It's so cute to spy on him with the video monitor.

Okay, on to pictures!

Happy Easter!

Keri — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:20:25 GMT

We had a wonderful Easter this year. Max really understood the whole egg hunting concept this time and was so excited to find eggs when he came downstairs Sunday morning. For some reason he pronounces "register" as "ree-gister" so when he exclaimed, "There is an egg on my cash ree-gister!" it instantly became one of those classic Max-isms that we like to randomly quote. Anna was happy to watch the action and play with some empty eggs. Then we were off to my grandma's house up north for Easter dinner and an outdoor egg hunt. We were blessed with warm sunny weather, good food, and family.

Friday we went to Artis Photography, where we have Santa pics taken, for bunny photos. Max liked Patch the bunny and even got to hold him. Anna's Easter dress comes from good friends and has been worn by Isabelle, Eva and now Anna. I love it and I love knowing that it has been enjoyed by friends before coming to us!

We have bunny ears for both kids. Max has been wearing his around the house for a couple weeks now, but Anna rips hers off as soon as I put them on. I managed to get a couple pics of her wearing them this week:

Max was thrilled to find two new books in his Easter basket:

Anna got a new stuffed bunny:

Mid-egg hunt, Maxwell stopped to read his new book.

Anna's first Easter!

With Jeff's help, I got a couple pictures of both kids in bunny ears. This involved me getting ready with the camera, Jeff putting the ears on Anna and then jumping back out of the picture, and me snapping off as many photos as possible before the inevitable ear removal:

Enjoying the nice weather at Great-Grandma's:

Ready to hunt eggs with his cousins:

Anna slept through the egg hunt.

Checking out the haul:

Nine Months Old

Keri — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:55:34 GMT

Anna has now been out of me as long as she was inside me--she is nine months old. She impressed her pediatrician with her good temperament at her nine-month checkup. We were partway through the exam and Anna was smiling away at the doctor, who asked, "Is she always this cheerful?" Thankfully yes, she usually is. Unless of course Mom is leaving, or teeth are trying to break through, or we take away something she's enjoying playing with.

Official nine-month stats:
Weight: 19 pounds, 10 ounces (63rd percentile)
Height: 29 inches, 74 centimeters (90th percentile)
Head circumference: 18 inches, 46 centimeters (95th percentile)

So she's following in Max's footsteps still: tall, skinny, giant head.

At nine months, Anna:

--Sits up like a pro. Occasionally topples over, but can sit and play for long periods. Really good at getting onto her stomach from a sitting position.
--Is rolling all over the place! It is amazing how much territory she can cover by rolling.
--Makes diaper changes and getting dressed into challenges for us due to above mentioned rolling plus squirming, etc.
--We're pretty sure we've heard "Mama," "Dada," and "Hi." Also waves hi/bye and does head bonks, wiggle-wiggle, bounce, and sometimes patting on command.
--Drinks from a cup with assistance. Continues to do a great job feeding herself. Loves carbs and avocados.
--Adores big brother
--Not quite crawling but gets up on all fours. Did very brief forward motion this weekend, but usually goes back down on her tummy or goes backwards a little ways then plops down.
--Loves books and shaking toys. Lately likes to reach up with whatever she's holding and put it on her head for a minute.
--Still only naps 20-30 minutes twice a day. Nighttime sleeping isn't quite as amazing lately, we suspect teeth are to blame. Usually up once a night lately, occasionally sleeps straight through still, sometimes up twice.
--After a bit of a reprieve on the car riding, has started crying every time I put her in the car seat. Can sometimes be distracted with toys or songs.
--Has the cutest laugh! I'll try to post a video soon.
--Nurses four-six times a day.
--Is just about the cutest thing you can imagine. We love her so much and treasure every moment.

Nine month pics!

Hey, who's this next to me?

Look Mom! A bear!

Chillin'

Happy Birthday, Max!

Keri — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:10:08 GMT

Dear Maxwell,

Happy Third Birthday! I can't believe my baby boy is three years old already. It seems like just yesterday I held you for the first time. You are the baby who made me a Mama. I love the way you talk, with so many cute gestures and facial expressions. I love the hugs and kisses you give all of us and the "I love you"s that you share. You bring me so many smiles and so much laughter--sometimes even when you are pushing your boundaries, as is your job, I have to turn away so you don't see me smiling. You are such fun to be around and I love your perspective on life.

At three years old, you are:

--Talking up a storm! Those cute mispronunciations are getting fewer and fewer.
--Loving swimming and gymnastics classes. You can do so much more now in gymnastics class--climb the ladder alone, do a somersault, jump into the foam block pit.
--Still not interested in potty training, but we'll get there.
--As you have since you were a baby, you love books. Current favorites are the Little Bear books from when I was a little girl and the Berenstain Bears "New Baby" book.
--You love balls and can often be found carrying a small one in your hand throughout the day.
--Such a wonderful big brother! You like to say "Hi Anna, I love you Anna!" and give her hugs.
--Full of curiosity! We hear "Why?" many times a day.
--Chester Bear is still your most special friend, though Puzzle Bear is close behind. Usually they both travel with you up and down the stairs.
--You can count to 20 and with some help even higher. You know all your colors and a lot of shapes, and recognize most of the alphabet in capital letters.
--A master staller, especially at bed time.
--Even better than the best son I could have imagined.

We love you so much, Bug. Happy Birthday!

We had a great three-year checkup for Max. His official stats:
33 pounds, 64th percentile
39.8 inches tall, 90th percentile

We had a small party for Max this year at The Little Gym. Much fun was had by all! Here are some pics.

Amazing cake and cookies by Dawn! Locals, if you need baked goods, she is the woman to see.

Fun in the gym!

Eva was so cute with Anna:

After playing, a break for cake and presents, then more play!

It took a few tries, but he blew out the candles all by himself!

Max started off with the fork, but abandoned it for hands for quicker cake consumption:

Bubbles were a hit!

Florida 2012

Keri — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:49:41 GMT

We were lucky to spend another fabulous week in Florida this year with Grandpa and Grandma Helen. There was sun, warmth, beach, pool, fabulous food and wonderful family time. Of course the days went too fast and we are already itching to go back! The kids did great on the plane. Thank goodness for "Blue's Clues" for Max, he got to watch more of those than usual and it kept him entertained. Anna was a trooper and even took some naps in my arms. Both kids got lots of compliments on their cuteness and what good travelers they were. We took a few (cough*about 500*cough) pictures while we were there, so even though there are quite a few in this post, it was really hard to narrow it down. Thank you Dad and Helen for an amazing vacation.

Anna's first plane ride!

Watching Steve:

We had a lot of stuff to schlep through the airport, but we managed it. Here we are in Atlanta waiting for the shuttle train:

I love her in these sunglasses!

My uncle Alex meeting Anna:

Beach! Max loved digging holes, finding seashells, and feeding the seagulls.

First time in the ocean:

So nice to dine outside!

Can't beat the background view at this playground.

We had a picnic by the beach for an early birthday celebration for Max.

Opening presents. He said, "Oh, thank you! I wonder what's in the other one?"

We love you, Grandma Helen and Grandpa!

Eight Months

Keri — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:27:46 GMT

Our sweet baby girl is eight months old already! Oh how the time flies by, I swear it goes even faster the second time, if that's even possible. At eight months old, Anna:

--Delights us every day with her smiles and laughs--there really is no better sound than baby laughter!
--Has started doing "wiggle wiggle" in imitation of us (this game developed when Max was a baby and Jeff has been working on teaching her)
--Does the sign for "milk" and it seems to be at the appropriate times, so I think she is actually doing the sign
--Sits up like a pro, though still falls backward once in awhile
--Not getting up on all fours yet but sometimes pushes her buns in the air during tummy time
--Still loving solid food; carbs, avocado and sweet potato remain favorites
--Sleeps great most nights, only naps 20 minutes 2-3 times a day
--Likes to play with anything that makes noise, "read" books, and loves to watch Max do just about anything
--Stranger anxiety has arrived! If other people are over and I leave the room, odds are good she will start to cry

Big brother Max is his wonderful self. He finished up a session of parent-tot gymnastics on Saturday. We've done that on and off for about a year and a half now, and it's amazing what he can do now--climb the ladder up and down, walk on the balance beam forward and backward, jump by himself into the foam block pit, turn a somersault, and more. Lately before naps and bed he will give Anna a hug and then he wants to give her a kiss on her shirt. Not sure why, but I'm sure he has his reasons! He also likes to pick out toys for Anna to play with and will say "hi" to her throughout the day.

Before the official eight-month pictures, a couple others from our week. This one from Valentine's Day, showing her cute outfit from Oma and Opa:

Eight months old!

The days of sitting quietly next to the bear are over!

Max got in on the action. We didn't have time to adjust the backdrop but it's just too cute:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Keri — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 03:45:19 GMT

New blog posts two days in a row! Am I on a roll or what? We did a Valentine mini-session with Justine and we love the pictures so much! Hope you all enjoy them, a very happy Valentine's Day to you!

\

This and That

Keri — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 03:44:13 GMT

I'm happy to report that we had a wonderful, ordinary week. Everyone was healthy, we got to get outside in the sun, and we watched the Super Bowl with friends while eating a lot of yummy food. What more could we ask for? Max is still doing well with his bed, though he certainly doesn't stay in it at "nap" time for long. At least he hasn't been opening and closing the door again. He's just started getting out when he wakes up in the morning as well, but hasn't come out of his room yet. Anna is doing really well with standing (holding onto our hands for support of course) and continues to enjoy exploring a variety of solid foods. This is quite a messy process but it's so fun to share our meals with her and see her enjoy them. Tonight she had meatballs, broccoli and rice for dinner with us.

Some pictures from our week!

We enjoyed time with Eric, Angel, Emmeline and Penelope for the Super Bowl. Penelope and Anna once again own matching hats (thanks NEW Project, formerly Tiny Toppers! Visit the shop here). Penelope's is quite a few sizes larger than Anna's, but we made it work:

The big kids checking out an insect outside:

This one is blurry but so sweet, they were running holding hands:

Sunny weather called for a trip to the park! Anna is all set:

First time in the swing!

Checking out the grass:

It's harder to get pictures of Max at the park since he's pretty much moving the whole time, but I got one:

We brought the stroller inside when we got back, which we don't normally do. Max enjoyed pushing his bears around in it:

Max helped me make cookies:

Handsome boy!

And a beautiful baby girl. Note the curling tongue, she was cracking us up:

Anna got a new hat from the NEW Project, I had to get a couple pictures.

Big Boy Bed

Keri — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:40:13 GMT

Our boy is growing up! He's officially out of the crib. Last weekend Max and Jeff put together his new bed. Thankfully he didn't protest sleeping in there and has done great. He goes right to sleep at night just like he did in the crib. Nap time is a different story...faithful blog readers will know that actually sleeping at nap time is a rarity. In the crib he would walk laps, jump, etc. We were curious to see how this would play out in the bed. The first couple days he stayed in bed, but now he's been getting out and walking around the room, and today he was opening and closing his door. We talked about how the door needs to stay closed, so we'll see how that goes tomorrow.

As if moving to the bed wasn't enough to tug at a parent's heartstrings, this week I toured a preschool. It came highly recommended by several friends, and I really liked it, so we're planning to send Max there in the fall. But how can he be old enough for preschool?! Good thing I have until September to adjust to that idea.

Life with an almost-three-year-old is never dull, and we love it. Sample conversation:

Max: "Opener closer, opener closer, opener closer."

Me: "Opener closer?"

Max: "Yeah."

Me: "What's that about?"

Max (completely serious): "Yellow."

Okay then.

Pictures! Here's Daddy explaining to Max about the various parts of the bed:

Using the drill:

Bed assembled, better test it out!

This one is blurry but I had to share it, all tucked in on the first night:

We got to visit with our good friends Eric, Angel, Emmeline and Penelope last Sunday. Here are the little girls enjoying a snack:

A friend of Jeff's mom made this cute hat and sweater for Anna:

Then she figured out she could pull the hat off, and that was the end of that photo session

Anna's Six Month Photos

Keri — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:21:24 GMT

I'll be back soon with a regular post, but we just got Anna's six month photos from Justine and I have to share! I really wanted to post every single one, but I made myself pick just some of them to share. We love them all!

My friend Amy sent this diaper cover to Anna when she was born, I was happy it fit for these pics!

This rocker is in her nursery

Such a handsome big brother!

Seven Months, and Snow

Keri — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:36:30 GMT

So my last post talked about how we had a snow day. Well, that little snow day was nothing compared to the week of snow we just survived. When all was said and done, we had 15 inches on the ground, and from Monday night to Friday afternoon, we didn't leave the house. While cabin fever certainly set in by the end, it did make for a beautiful sight outside. Here are a few shots looking out:

Max and I got out to play in the snow a couple times. He liked it much more than he did last year. We made a snow man and on Max's request, made a bed for the snow man to sleep in. We also made some snowballs, which he was eager to taste.

Max wanted to be sure I had a taste as well. No, he's not wearing snow boots because he doesn't have any yet. We had such a dry December I was remiss on acquiring some. He does have long johns under his pants though.

Then we came inside to warm up and made maple snow "ice cream." That was a big hit.

A couple random ones from the week:

Anna turned seven months old on Friday! Just when we think she can't possibly get any cuter, she manages to do it. At seven months, she is:

--Sitting up really well, though there's still the occasional topple
--Sleeping 11-12 hours most nights
--Napping two or three times a day for 20 minutes to 1 hour at a time
--Enjoying exploring solid foods; bread with hummus is a new favorite
--Always entertained by Max, especially when he runs or jumps
--Not too interested in rolling over
--Grabbing and chewing on anything and everything, but no teeth in sight yet

Official seven month pics!

Snow Day

Keri — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:12:49 GMT

We've gotten snow here yesterday and today, with more predicted in the next few days, so it's a good day for blogging, warm cup of coffee in hand. We've had a great couple of weeks, just enjoying time with the kids, seeing some friends, relaxing around the house...well, and laundry, dishes, cleaning the bathroom, all those other around-the-house things that have to get done. Anna is getting really good at sitting up now. We still stay close just in case, but she has gotten much better at it just in the past week. Max continues to crack us up with his talking. The other day Jeff said something about a filter and Max asked, "Does it filt things?" He's also started to sometimes preface a sentence with "You know" as in "You know, I should go and get that ball." And the "Why" trend continues as strong as ever. I had to laugh yesterday. Max and I were driving to my mom's to drop him off for some one-on-one time at Grandma's house while I got together with friends. Jeff and Anna stayed at home. For several minutes we had a back-and-forth "why" marathon along the lines of,

"Is Daddy coming?"
"No, Daddy is staying home today."
"Why?"
"He's taking care of Anna."
"Why he is taking care of Anna?"
"She's too little to stay by herself."
"Why she is too little to stay by herself?"
Etc etc etc

We're starting the process of converting Max's room from nursery to big boy room. We just ordered him a new bed, but I think we need to sell it a little more...when I mentioned it to him, he said, "Can I just sleep in my usual crib?"

The fabulous Justine did Anna's six month photos last weekend, and shared a sneak peek here. We absolutely love them! She did such a great job capturing our beautiful girl.

Speaking of photos, I have some to share. First up, more adventures in self-feeding!

Asparagus requires great concentration:

Showing off her sitting up skills!

Our friends Angel and Eric got these cute shirts from Threadless for the kids when Anna was born. I put them on the other day when Angel and the girls were coming over to play. So cute!

The little girls chilling on the couch:

And hanging out on the floor:

Love this:

Max and Emmeline still do a fair amount of independent playing when we get together, but they are also starting to do more actual playing together too, and it's so fun to see. I took some pictures of them playing with construction trucks in the comfy chair:

The cuteness!

Max checking out our winter wonderland today:

We had to take a picture of this. Max wanted a carrot today (not cut into smaller pieces, thankyouverymuch) and wanted to eat it while sitting on the heat vent, enjoying the warmth.

Christmas 2011

Keri — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:14:53 GMT

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was very special to celebrate Anna's first Christmas and to spend time with family. We journeyed over the mountains to Greg and Leah's, and were lucky to encounter clear roads in the pass both directions. Oma and Opa had flown in the previous week, and we brought them back home with us to stay through New Year's.

Max really understood Christmas this year and enjoyed opening presents. Though in typical two year-old fashion, he would open one thing, play with it for a bit, and then get up and run around for a while. Anna of course had no idea what was going on, but was her usual happy self, charming the family as always. Max loved playing with Lizzie and Emma and spent lots of time with them this trip. They are so good with him and it is great fun to watch them all together. Of course there was lots of good food, including the traditional Christmas Eve fondue dinner.

Here's Opa and Anna when we arrived:

Uncle Greg getting his baby fix on Christmas:

Too bad there weren't any presents under their tree....

Let the present opening begin!

Hmmm, let me see how this outfit tastes....

Max was excited to find that Lizzie and Emma have a copy of "Guess How Much I Love You"--one of our favorites. Opa was happy to read it to him:

Greg has some construction safety gear for times when he is on-site. He thought it would be fun to outfit Max in his hard hat, vest and safety goggles. We all thought this was a great idea and would make for such a cute picture. Max, on the other hand, was not so interested. So this is the closest we got:

We always do Christmas crackers after Christmas day dinner. Here we are decked out in our festive crowns:

Max had lots of fun with Opa and Oma this week at our house. Turns out Opa can do shoulder rides just like Daddy!

My mom came over for dinner a couple times. We are so lucky that both sides of the family get along so well!

I had to try these new, cute Converse shoes on Anna:

Such a cute Santa baby!

Finally, not Christmas-related, but we tried solid foods for the first time this week. We're doing "Baby-Led Weaning" with Anna and it's working well so far. Basically the idea is to just skip the purees and go right to regular foods (prepared with safety in mind, of course). Anna is already a pro at grabbing the pieces of food and getting them to her mouth. So far she's had sweet potato, carrot, broccoli and even did a little gnawing on a piece of my steak!

Six Months

Keri — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:25:25 GMT

I have a Christmas post with lots of pictures coming soon, but in the meantime I wanted to put up a post to celebrate that our sweet Anna girl is six months old! It is such fun to watch her grow and change. Her official six months stats are:

Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces, 52nd percentile
Height: 27.17 inches/69 cm, 90th percentile
Head circumference: 17.4 inches/44.2 cm, 89th percentile

Her pediatrician said everything looks great, and Anna charmed her with lots of smiles and "talking." She's not quite sitting unassisted yet, but she's close. She can do the tripod sit for 10 or 15 seconds, and she can sit up and hold a toy for support briefly, but we keep our hands close by! We have seen her roll both tummy to back and vice versa, but she doesn't do it often. Mostly she'll get really close and then still can't quite figure out how to negotiate that arm. She continues her pattern of short naps and (mostly) great nighttime sleeping. She loves to watch Max do just about anything and laughs when he is running or jumping. She is very good at grabbing things and bringing them to her mouth, and really loves grabbing hair and glasses whenever the opportunity presents itself. She recently discovered her feet and it's so cute watching her play with them and chew on them. I got a couple pictures the other day:

Official six month pictures:

Look at those eyes!

Why?

Keri — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:47:56 GMT

Well, the "Why?" question has officially arrived and settled in in our household. In the past few weeks Max has been asking "Why?" to almost everything. We actually find it really fun to see his curiosity about how the world works. It does remind me that I should probably refresh my memory on some of those basic concepts I learned in elementary school. The other day Max asked, "Why is it foggy outside?" and I gave a general answer involving moisture in the air, but then I realized that also applies to rain...

Max still says the cutest things. The other day I had my hair pulled back, which was a change from how I usually wear it down. Maxwell noticed right away and commented, "Mama, your hair looks a little bit different!" He paused and then added, "But it's still you." Whew! Glad to know I am still me.

Anna is as cute as ever. Saturday I got my hair cut and was gone for a couple hours. She did great, had some tears at the bottle but ended up drinking a lot, so hopefully she continues to take the bottle (hopefully minus the tears!) come January when she's not coming to work with me any more.

We are having lots of fun with the Christmas season and the kids. Last weekend we went and cut down our tree. Yesterday we visited Santa. Last year's visit involved some tears, and Max wasn't too eager about this year either, but I'm happy to say it was a success! Max didn't want to sit on Santa's lap, but he sat next to him. Anna was a trooper and spent some time staring up at Santa before looking at the camera. We had plans to decorate our tree yesterday as well, but it turns out our lights need to be replaced. We put the tree up and got the decorations out while Max was upstairs for "nap" time. Last year he really liked an ornament that's a little Fisher-Price barn. You can open the door and it makes a "moo" sound and has little animals inside. We packed it away with everything else after Christmas and haven't talked about it since that we can remember. When Maxwell came downstairs he was thrilled to see the tree. He asked about lights and we explained those would be coming, and then he said, "Where is that little barn?" Wow. His memory is scary amazing sometimes.

Picture time!

One of those days where we feel so blessed to live here. Blue sky, sunshine, crisp air, and all the mountains were out:

Max admiring the "really big trees!"

This photo is totally blown, but I have to share it. Max said "We should get this one!"

The farm had sleds available for hauling the tree back. Maxwell thought it was pretty fun to pull:

Daddy hard at work on the chosen tree:

Anna and I supervised:

Success!

A couple randoms to close out: