Can I just say that having a little girl is wonderful if for no other reason than I have someone to pass along my obsession for socks?
That’s right, Ana’s sock collection contains such classics as ballet slippers, Mary Janes, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Minnie Mouse, and a couple funky John Deere stripes. Who knew John Deere made socks? And such cute ones to boot!
Yesterday was the annual Evers family reunion. For those of you who don’t know, my family is huge. I personally have three siblings (eight if you include step-siblings), while my father is one of 12 and my grandfather is one of 14. Yeah. So you can imagine the multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins that would create. When we all gather in one place it gets a little daunting.
The hightlight of this particular reunion was that Ana got to finally meet her cousin Lucia (my step-sister, Mandy’s nine-month old daughter). Ana was excited that there was a little girl so close to her same size. As a result, she was very happy to “play” with Lucia…
…until she realized that Lucia would “play” right back! When Lucia reached up and pulled on Ana’s headband, Ana gave me a look that clearly said, “Mama, why didn’t you warn me she could do that? Aren’t you doing to DO something?”
You can see all the pictures from the reunion here. Enjoy.
That’s right! Ana rolled over for the very first time today. For the longest time she was perfectly content to just lay wherever I put her. The closest she got to trying to move at all was to slowly rotate in a circle. I would set her down and after awhile she would be 180 degrees from where she started, yet some how I never noticed her moving. Until now. Ana rolled over several times today (so it wasn’t just a fluke) and I managed to catch one of them on video…just ignore the enthusiastic mama talking throughout the clip. What can I say, I was excited!
Dear Ana,
In the relative scheme of things, five months doesn’t seem like much, but the things you have learned or done in the five short months of your existence amazes me each and every day. Your hand-eye coordination has improved drastically this last month. So much in fact, that you can put your binky in your mouth. All. By. Yourself. I now have to accept the fact that you no longer need me. On the plus side, this new skill now keeps you busy for several minutes. I no longer pop the binky in when you are upset, rather I hand you the binky and you put it in yourself. Occasionally you even put it in the right way.
But this months most entertaining accomplishments involve 1) your feet and 2) your tongue. You finally discovered your feet a couple weeks ago. I have been showing them to you (slightly by accident) each and every time I changed your diaper, but only recently did you realize they were actually connected to you and not another toy your mama busted out to distract you. But in the last few days you realized your feet could reach your mouth. Now there has been no stopping you from chomping on those tiny toes like I have been doing since the day you were born.
As for your tongue, you mostly use it to blow raspberries, make tiny spit bubbles, or allow it to slowly sneak out of your mouth like a curious snake (the cutest thing ever, by the way). But while we were in Minnesota, walking through the Mall of America, you started making the strangest noise. I even stopped pushing the stroller to make sure you weren’t choking on something. You had discovered that you could use your tongue to draw in your top lip and make the strangest sucking, slurping sound. I thought maybe you didn’t realize your pacifier was out and slipped it in for you. You promptly spit it out and went back to sucking on your own face. Good times.
We all know how much your father loves soccer, and without wanting to push you into anything, he wants to share this love with you. Even your “baby exercises” involve drills like quick feet and high knees. When you guys hang out he often has a soccer game on in the background and you just love it (I am sure the bright colors in HiDef have something to do with it, but don’t tell your father). Imagine his excitement when this month you actually went to your very first game! We took you to watch your cousin Emily play. Daddy can’t wait to take you to a Timbers game, but I told him he has to wait until there is a game that starts before your bedtime. Don’t worry, that time will come before you know it.
Another great thing about this past month is that we have really nailed down a bedtime routine for you. We start with a bath, followed by a baby lotion massage, then we get you into your jammies and read you a bedtime story before one last feeding. You love reading books with Daddy. He does great voices and sometimes even lets you chew on the pages. Just the way you like it. But the best part is just before you start getting fussy and super tired (about the time we start the feeding) there is this tiny window where you are the happiest baby ever. I mean deliriously happy. The other day your Auntie Megs was over during this window and each time you looked at her you burst out in uncontrollable laughter. You giggled nonstop for about five minutes straight, and I can honestly say that was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Oh and have I mentioned just how much you love chewing on your foot? Specifically your right foot?
All my love,
Mama
Well, Ana and I survived our first
cf.Objective conference. And it was actually quite entertaining. At first I was a little scared to be surrounded by such a vast concentration of geeks, but they were surprisingly well adjusted and highly entertaining group. I finally got a chance to meet a lot of Simeon’s good friends, as well as catch up with ones I already knew.
Ana did great staying in yet another hotel. She didn’t even mind the “cage” the hotel gave us to use as a crib. Typically (I say that like we do it so often) the hotels provide a Pack n Play, or something similar. But this hotel gave us a tiny metal crib. Ana wasn’t use to the bars because we have bumpers on our crib at home, so she kept grabbing on to them or accidentally hitting them when she stretched out her arms.
On Friday Ana and I decided to take a break from the conference and be tourists. We headed over to the Mall of America. It was so huge. The place has four floors, three food courts, an underwater aquarium, a museum, a racetrack AND an amusement park right in the middle of the 520 or so stores. Can you even imagine? Ana and I wandered through the amusement park and around 2.5 floors before we had to call it a day. I was even sore afterwards. From a freakin’ shopping mall. But it was so worth it!
I would have to say the only downside of the trip was our flight home. After a leaking engine, two gate changes, and four hours we were finally able to leave the damn airport. You could say Ana was less than thrilled by this. Even so she was a trooper and only cried on the plane when she pulled on her headband and it smacked her directly in the eye. But don’t worry, Simeon took care of that “mean” headband by accidentally throwing it away when the flight attendant cleared our garbage. Take that headband!!
You can see all the pictures Simeon and I took on our trip here. Enjoy.
Over the weekend Simeon, Ana, and I took a trip to Bend, Oregon. Simeon presented for the Central Oregon Web Professionals’ Usergroup (COWPU) on Thursday night and we decided to make a long weekend of it and stuck around for a few extra days. Sort of a mini vacation. One of the perks of being a stay at home mom is my ability to travel alongside my husband whenever he goes any place I deem worth visiting. I don’t even have to ask for time off…I just bring my “boss” along with me.
The 4-hour drive was Ana’s longest traveling period to date (via car and/or plane) and she did great. We just stopped a couple times to let her out of the car seat, stretch her tiny legs, and get a little something to eat. She spent the rest of the time sleeping away while Simeon and I listened to an audio book (the latest Artemis Fowl, The Lost Colony, if you are curious). If you need integrated amplifiers, then you can get them from here!
When we booked our hotel we made sure to get one with an indoor pool so we could take Ana for her first swim. I picked out a cute little swimsuit (I intended to get her a one-piece, but the ones in her size were all ugly. Plus I reasoned that she wouldn’t outgrow it as fast since the majority of her growth is in length.) and a reusable swim diaper. So as soon as we had a spare moment, we slipped on our suits and headed to the pool. Ana did great. Simeon had me take her in first so he could catch her first swim on video (are we total first time parents or what?). At first she was a little scared and kinda shaky, but she quickly warmed up when she realized I wasn’t going to drop her. By the time I switched off to let Simeon play with her while I took some pictures, she was splashing around and kicking her feet in the water. So freakin’ cute!
We played around in the water for a while until Ana started to get cold and went back to our room. We decided now would be the perfect time for her to have her first shower. Up to this point she has been strictly a bath girl. At home it’s just easier in her own little tub and the last time we were in a hotel I gave her a bath in the sink since Sim wasn’t there to hand her off once she was done (I don’t know how to wash and then dry off myself and a baby at the same time. I am just not that good yet).
Once again, traveling brings out the milestones for Ana. She took an extended car trip, had her first swim in a pool, and took her first shower. My goodness! I wonder what new things we can have her do when we are in Minneapolis, Minnesota next week for cf.Objectve.
I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of our household: The Shriek. Ana just started making this lovely noise in the last couple days. Sim thinks it sounds like a pterodactyl, but I think it’s more like that scene in Splash where Daryl Hannah says her mermaid name and all the TVs explode. In the clip there are several moments where it seems like she is quiet, however she is still screeching but she has just reached a pitch only dogs can hear. The downside of practicing her new sound is the more she does it, the more she starts to sound like someone who has been smokin’ a pack a day for the last 20 years. Go hear for yourself…just know you have been warned:
Ana had her four-month doctors appointment today. Here are her stats from the appt:
Height: 25 1/4″ (87th percentile)
Weight: 13 lbs 14.5 oz (50th percentile)
Head: 41.7 cm (75th percentile)
Ana had her second round of several immunizations today. Only difference from her last appointment is this time she knew what to expect and started crying as soon as she saw the nurse bring in the tray of medicine. Poor little girl! As for the rest of the appointment, the doctor confirmed what Simeon and I already know: we have a healthy, happy little girl. He said she is developing on schedule and was quite impressed with her physical strength–she grabbed onto the paper they cover the table with and refused to let go. Then she kicked and squirmed just to prove how strong she can be. Yep, that’s mama’s little over-achiever! So the doc said she is now ready to play in a exersaucer or johnny jump-up. She has been trying to stand up a lot lately, so I am sure she is just going to love that! We mentioned the fact that she has been biting/chewing on everything recently, but he said he doesn’t see any sign of teeth yet, looks like I get to avoid that nightmare for a bit longer. Our next appointment is at 6-months, so stay tuned!
Dear Ana,
Today you turn four months old. Or 17 weeks. Or 121 days. Well, no matter how you look at it, those have been the best days/weeks/months of my life. I now appreciate each and every moment in a way I never imagined possible. Yes, even when you are crying inconsolably, huge crocodile tears streaming down your chubby cheeks, and you cling to me with every fiber of your being. I try to keep in mind that you are just telling me that you need me. I especially want to cherish those moments because I know as you grow up those times will grow far and few between.
You are becoming such a little person now. Do you know how I know? Because in the last couple weeks my dad, that’s Grandpa Larry to you, finally held you. Up to this point he considered holding you “for Grandma’s” but I know it’s because you were just so tiny and fragile looking. However the other day I had you lying on the couch between us and he kept scooting closer and closer to you and finally he propped you up–right onto his lap. Your father and I exchanged looks realizing what a momentous occasion this was! Your Grandpa was finally holding you! Neither of us dared to take a picture, fearing we might scare him off and he would never come back again. So we just smiled to each other and knew that this meant you are becoming more than just a helpless baby, but growing into an exciting real live person.
As you are growing, your physical skills are developing. You no longer have any trouble getting things into your mouth. And so into your mouth everything goes. You are particularly fond of your hands and blankets. I have to watch you when you chew on your tiny fingers because you tend to get so excited that you can get your whole hand! into your mouth! all at once! that you often gag yourself with your long fingers. But even that doesn’t slow you down.
You have discovered that when your hands are in your mouth your repertoire of vowel-sounds change. You like to coo and talk, then stick your hand into your mouth while making the same noises to hear the difference. I am sure you also like the vibration the sounds make on your fingers. You express your happiness by getting louder, wriggling your body, and kicking your feet enthusiastically. I just love watching your excitement physically consume you!
Yesterday you laughed for the second time. I was in the shower and your father came running into the bathroom screaming, “She giggled! She giggled!” He was so excited, not only because you actually laughed again, but because this time HE was the one who made you laugh. I told him a little later that running out of the room screaming was probably not the best response if he ever wants you to laugh again. Silly Daddy.
Not only are you learning, but I am as well. I am having to learn self-restrain on a level I never imagined. When you are asleep in your crib, I often sneak in to watch you sleep and it takes all the power I have to not wake you up just so I can see your smiling face. Or pick you up just to feel your body pressed against mine and have you snuggle your face into my neck. I just love you so much it overwhelms me.
All my love,
Mama
PS Oh and before I forget, I wanted to mention that your eyes are finally starting to change color, but we can’t yet tell what color they will be. I personally am hoping you have green eyes like your mama. So if you want to work on that, it would be great. Just know I am not above bringing up the fact that I carried you around for nine and a half months or the 19 hours of labor…
Wishing you all a very “hoppy” Easter…
…from our little honey bunny!