Category Archives: Ana

A Letter: Eleven Months

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Dear Ana,
Today you turn eleven months old, which is so close to a year that I can’t even wrap my brain around it. When you turn a year old you will become a toddler and no longer be a baby. So this is officially the last month we get to use the excuse that you don’t know any better because you are “just a baby” so make sure you use this last month well my friend!



While the big news last month was the fact that you are mobile, this is the month you got really good at it! You can make your way around the house like a pro. You crawl only as a means to get to something you can pull yourself up with and then you walk around the entire house. You have even figured out how to climb all the way up the stairs! Tables, chairs, walls, even the animals, are all just tools to help you in your quest to continually be in motion. But while you have gotten better at getting around, you sure haven’t gotten much faster. You are very deliberate with your mobility and don’t take a single step without thinking it through. I think it is because you hate falling or slipping more than anything! So much in fact, that you very gently lower yourself to the ground to transition from standing to crawling. It is so cute and just about the most prissy, girly thing I have ever seen you do.



In the last couple days you have increased your confidence in yourself and started standing. That is, letting go of my hand (or the nearest piece of furniture) and standing all by yourself. The first couple times you did it were entirely on accident: you would be standing up and holding on to something then pick up a toy and without realizing it, you would let go of the furniture entirely and stand all on your own. Then as soon as you realized you were doing it, you would panic and grab on for support. But now you have started doing it deliberately and even get excited and squeal with happiness, knowing what an accomplishment this is.



Even though you have started standing, you are still using your hands to steady yourself as you walk around the house the majority of the time. So you needed to figure out how to bring your toys, or whatever you happen to be playing with at the time, with you. Ever the little problem solver, you started using your mouth to carry your things. Let me tell ya, you are one creative little girl… that or you have been paying a little too much attention to the dogs.



Watching you eat has become quite the entertaining event at our house. There are some days you will only eat food you can feed yourself, which makes for some rather mess meal times. As the meal progresses, and you get more tired, you start rubbing your eyes and ears, and more often than not your hands stray into your hair. Once there, you run your fingers through your hair and depending on what you have eaten, create some pretty interesting hair styles. But seeing how proud you are when you finish all your peas, carrots, cheese cubes, and pasta makes the clean-up totally worth it.



As your developments increase and your abilities broaden, you are becoming quite the analytical little girl. You are always concentrating and studying the world around you. Just like your Auntie Jeni and your Daddy, when you are really focusing on something your “thinking tongue” comes out. Your father and I are always looking at you and wondering what is going on in that head of yours, but before we know it you will be talking and I am sure you will be more than willing to tell us every little thing!



My favorite quirky think you are doing this month has to do with when I put you down in your crib. For awhile there as soon as I would lay you in bed, you would stick your feet straight up in the air, drop your legs over to one side and curl up to go to sleep. While you still do this, you have added a little more to the trick: now you curl up, then tuck your legs under you and end up in the crawling position. Most of the time you squirm around enough that you end up sleeping on your stomach, but sometimes you are so tired you just fall asleep, with your butt up in the air, as if you are about to crawl away. All I know is you are lucky you are young, because if I were to sleep like that I would be so sore the next day I wouldn’t be able to move at all!



Oh Ana, I just love you and all your little quirks so much. You amaze me in so many ways. I want you to know that while this is technically the last month that you are a baby, just know that you will always be my baby.



All my love,
Mama

Baby’s First Bully

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Lately I have thinking a lot about getting back into shape (I never really had any baby weight to lose since I actually lost weight when I was pregnant, but I am still no where near where I would like to be) and I know the first step is going back to the gym. Simeon and I have a membership to 24 Hour Fitness that we used pretty regularly. That is, before we had Ana. Sim has actually been working out lately, but I haven’t gone since I was pregnant. I called around to the clubs in my area and found out about the day care they offer. It was reasonably priced, and super convenient, so I checked out the class schedules and decided to commit. This morning I got up, decided I would start with a Pilates class, and today Ana and I would go to the gym.

Knowing there would be paperwork to fill out, I arrived a little early, paid for my book of child care passes, and brought Ana into the Kids’ Club. I completed all the paperwork, said good-bye to Ana, and set her down to play. She quickly crawled off to check out all the new toys without giving me a second glance, so I felt comfortable sneaking off to my Pilates class.

When I came back to get Ana after my class (which, in case you were wondering, kicked my ass in the best possible way) the first thing I noticed was one of the ladies was holding Ana. Then I saw that her face looked a little red. Assuming she just fell and bumped her head or skidded on the carpet, I signed her out. The lady handed Ana over to me and I honestly gasped out loud. I quickly turned Ana around to face me and noticed her face was red and puffy, completely covered in scratches, and there were even a couple cuts that were actually bleeding. I asked what happened and the lady had the audacity to ask me if Ana had a rash when she got there. I turned Ana towards her and said this was not a rash. She was obviously scratched to the point that blood was drawn. I asked what happened and all the employees got quiet and kinda looked at each other. One of the other moms was picking up her child and said she was sure they couldn’t assume responsibility, but she was sure it was her daughter’s fault. I told her I didn’t think she should leave her daughter in day care knowing she was likely to attack the other children. She yelled back at me, “I don’t know how many children you have, but this is just something they do!” and then proceeded to slam the door on her way out.

I turned back to the workers and told them this was absolutely unacceptable and demanded they refund my money for the Kids’ Club because there was no way I was going to pay for my child to be neglected. One of the ladies told me she would take me to the manager so we could deal with the situation. He apologized, promptly refunded my money, and said he would have a talk with the other employees. While we were still talking, another mother came in with her son in her arms and pointed out his face which was covered with marks similar to Ana. Seeing that both children were clearly attacked by the same person, he said they would make a note on the other girl’s chart and not allow her back into the day care center. I thanked him for trying to handle the situation, gathered up Ana and headed to our car. As soon as I got into the parking lot I completely lost it and started crying. I felt so guilty for dropping off Ana, for leaving her in sub-standard care, and for the marks all over her face. Of course the first time I ever leave Ana without close friends or family something awful has to happen. I am seriously going to have a hard time leaving her any time soon!

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand things happen. I know how children, especially babies, don’t always understand that their actions have consequences. I know babies get hurt all the time and turn out just fine. What I cannot understand is how something like this can happen. There were three employees working the day care and only four children. The workers clearly were not watching the kids. Ana could have been scratched before they were able to separate her from the other girl, sure. But the number of scratches in multiple places means it didn’t happen in the blink of an eye. And certainly the fact that TWO children were cut and scratched obviously means there was a lapse in supervision.

But the employees are not the only ones to blame. The mother of the “bully girl” knew her daughter was the culprit, which means it has most likely happened before. I don’t understand how she could, in good conscience, leave her child knowing she has a tendency to lash out on other children. At the very least she should have mentioned something to the workers so they could have kept a closer eye on her.

I took some pictures a couple hours after the fact. Keep in mind that I washed off the dried blood and the majority of the redness and swelling had already gone down. What you still see on Ana’s face are the deep cuts and scratches. And even those don’t look nearly as bad in the photos as they do in person. My poor baby!

Happy Halloween-Part II

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We dressed Ana up in her cow costume for playgroup first thing in the morning. I wasn’t sure how she was going to react to everyone in costumes, so we thought we would expose her to other babies first.



Beckham was Micky Mouse and Katie was a ladybug. Aside from the hat on her head, Ana didn’t seem to notice the costumes at all…on her or other people!



In the evening we went “Trick or Treating” at some of my families homes. Ana got to see her cousins dressed up before they headed out for some real trick or treating!



All in all her first Halloween was a success., making us one big happy family! All the pictures are here.

Our Pumpkin Family

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The tiny pumpkin we picked out just for Ana was already starting to shrivel and turn gray after only two days, so I decided she needed a new one. Luckily, someone left an extra pumpkin in our garage after the carving party the other day so I didn’t even have to venture out of the house for a new pumpkin.



Since I wasn’t hosting a party, I was able to spend a little more time making my daughter’s “first pumpkin” extra special.



Ana’s new pumpkin fit in nicely with the pumpkin version of ourselves; making us quite the cute “pumpkin family.”

A pumpkin for my pumpkin

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On Sunday Simeon and I met up with a bunch of our friends and family at Lakeview Farms for my favorite fall activity: the corn maze and pumpkin patch!



After conquering the corn maze in about an hour, we all boarded the train and crossed the lake to search for the perfect pumpkin. This was Ana’s first pumpkin patch outing and you could see the excitement (and slight confusion) on her face. She wanted more than anything for us to set her down and let her climb among the pumpkins…



…but she settled for being released from the Baby Bjorn and propped up on a giant pumpkin for an adorable photo opp.



Once we selected our pumpkins (Ana even got her very own tiny one!) we boarded the “Pumpkin Harvest Express” train which brought us back to the farm. Then we all headed to my house to carve our pumpkins and enjoy some warm chili and corn bread.



We had a fabulous time and I am already excited to go back again next year! You can see all the pictures from the corn maze, pumpkin patch, and the carving party in the
Pumpkin Patch 2007 gallery. Enjoy!

A Letter: Ten Months

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Dear Ana,
Today you turn ten months old. Double digits: WAHOO!



The big news of the last month is you officially became mobile. But more amazing than you actually crawling, was the fact that I was there to witness it. You see, I was worried you would crawl for the first time while your father and I were in Europe. You were so close to crawling before we left that in the days leading up to our departure I told your caregivers if you didn’t crawl before we left they were not allowed to set you down. Ever. Because I knew if they did, you would crawl and I would miss it. It was the scariest thing about leaving you behind. Sure, I knew I would miss you more than anything, but I also knew you were in loving, capable hands and you were going to have a great time. No, the scariest thing about leaving you was knowing that I could very well miss something you did for the first time. And you just don’t get another “first.”



Being the wonderfully considerate daughter that you are, you waited just under a week after we got back to crawl for the first time. I watched you lean down onto your hands and knees, getting stuck on your chubby right thigh, like you had done a thousand times before. Then you twisted just right to free your leg, rocked in place like you had done a hundred times before, but instead of rocking until you were tired, giving up and laying flat on your face, you actually moved your tiny hands and knees and crawled! You moved about a whole foot and a half, in the direction you intended before plopping down on your tummy. The funny thing was you stopped about six inches short of the toy you were crawling toward, laid on your tummy, and reached the rest of the way. Apparently you were unaware that you can actually crawl all the way over to things you want.



Just before you started crawling you started pulling yourself up to standing on furniture and “walking” around the room. You discovered there was a whole level of the room above the floor that you weren’t experiencing and this had to be changed. Oh my do you love to stand! Any moment not spent standing is a moment wasted. It is this very reason we were sure you were not going to crawl at all, but simply proceed straight to walking. As it turns out, there are some things you couldn’t get to from scooting along the furniture and that was the only reason you ever crawled–as a last resort.



Now that you are mobile, that is crawling and walking along the furniture, nothing is safe. You are into everything. And I mean everything. I cannot leave you for more than five seconds before you are off to discover something new. Most of your time is spend chasing the animals around the house, which can keep you quite busy because we have two cats and two dogs and more often than not as you are chasing after one you spot another and get distracted. It is a vicious, but quite entertaining, cycle.



Oh and we cannot forget about the climbing. You have discovered how to climb around in your crib. Just the other morning I walked in only to find you half way up the edge and practically over the side. Needless to say, we lowered your crib that night in an effort to slow down your escape. However, in the lower position the slats (or bars) are totally visible over the bumper and your once cozy little bed has now become a baby prison. You even peak through the bars with your big eyes and beg to be released. You are such a crafty little inmate.



Every day I am amazed at how quickly you are growing up. Not only in your mobility, but at meal time as well. You are such a good eater; trying all the different foods we give you, keeping your mess contained to your high chair, and only occasionally “sharing” with the dogs. Your daddy and I have been giving you more finger foods, or small bites of our dinner, and allowing you to self-feed. Nothing makes you happier than picking up a piece of food and feeding yourself. It is so fun to watch your eyes light up when I sprinkle tidbits of food in front of you and watch you go to town. More often than not you tend to gather up every speck of food I give you and pack them into your cheeks, chipmunk style, so I have to slowly ration your food. On the rare occasion you have a meal of purely pureed foods you spend the majority of the time peering over your highchair to see what we are eating and wondering why you don’t have the same thing.



Over the last month your development has been exponential and you have been learning or discovering something new every day. I simply cannot wait to see what you have in store for me next. I know this adventure we are on is only just getting started, Ana, but I want you to know there is no one I would rather share it with than you.



All my love,
Mama

Hop Across the Pond

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I am not sure if I have mentioned this or not, but Simeon and I are leaving tomorrow for Europe. Yep, that’s right. Tomorrow. Simeon is speaking at RailsConf Europe, in Berlin, Germany. Not wanting to pass up a chance to visit Europe, I decided to tag along. Since we didn’t know when we will ever get back to Europe, we decided to extend our trip beyond just Berlin. We are only going to be there for ten days so we had to prioritize what we wanted to see, and decided upon Paris, France and London, England. While we are there (on September 21st) we will be celebrating our five year wedding anniversary. I think spending our anniversary in Paris, the city of romance, couldn’t be more perfect, so if you also want to live romance and sex you should check this site to find big tits near me if you want to.

Oh and did I mention we are leaving Ana stateside? She is going to be splitting the time between her Grandma Nana and her Auntie Jeni (and all the cousins that come with her). What is even more surprising, is I am actually handling leaving my daughter for the first time (for more than a few hours anyway) very well. I know it will be harder once I actually leave the country, but at least I will have Berlin, Paris, and London to distract me! Plus I know Ana will be in very capable hands and she loves her Nana and Auntie very much. But worst case scenario? She is totally miserable for ten days. In that case, it is a damn good thing she will be too young to remember it, eh?

9 Month Doctors Appointment

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Ana had her nine-month doctors appointment this morning. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 28 1/2″ (80th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile)
Head: 44.25 cm (60th percentile)

The only things of note from the appointment were the test for anemia, which she passed (meaning not anemic) and a flu shot, which she barely fussed over. Fairly uneventful as check-ups go. Her pediatrician said she is doing wonderfully and meeting all the milestones perfectly. Ana played very nicely for her doctor, wiggling to get down and show off her ability to stand. She even got a little cocky and tried not holding on…thankfully Mama was right behind to help her stay balanced. He gave us the green light to go ahead and get her toys that encourage standing and walking since she is doing so well. Hmmmm. A walking baby? I don’t know if I am ready for that just yet!