Top Tooth, almost ready to munch on Christmas cookies!

Anora has been hard core teething for the past several weeks.  We can see lots of bumps where her teeth will be popping through.  Just a couple days ago (12/15/14) her top right tooth came barreling through and is totally visible!  Her smile is completely adorable with these mini teeth.  She is starting to look more and more like a little girl and less like a baby - Wahh! :(

She is going through a bit of a stranger danger phase and is a bit clingy to mom and dad.  This can be hard for me during the day when I'm working because she will cry for me if she hears my voice.  If I go down and pick her up she immediately stops crying and is ready to play. Then the instant I even consider going back upstairs, her sixth sense kicks in and she climbs all over me to stay.  Mostly I love it, but it's challenging when I have a lot to do.

We are so excited to celebrate Christmas with Anora this year.  She really loves her plush nativity scene from Gammy and discovering the tree.  More than anything she wants to plug and unplug the Christmas lights. She did help us set up the tree and waved at the new decorations as she noticed them.

9 months

Anora turned 9 months old on Thanksgiving day!  We spent it with her cousins in Utah and had such a blast.  We got to join the Schauers clan at the ultrasound that revealed my sister was going to have a BOY!!!  Everyone was so excited, especially Lexi who could hardly bare the wait!  She was especially anxious when the baby's legs were crossed at first.  Oh the agony of anticipation!! We felt so special to have the chance to join them and find out first.  SO fun!

On thanksgiving day we went over to Aunt Wendy's house to enjoy a tasty meal with most of the Schauers family.  It is so fun to be there and I can't wait until Anora is old enough to run around and play with the other kids.  It was a beautiful day and we even got to spend some of thanksgiving outside playing in the leaves. 

 

 On Friday we ventured to the HOT SPRINGS for a day of swimming and soaking.  There were several pools that ranged from freezing, to bath water, to hots-ey tots-ey (as Lexi called it).  Then we had a good down home meal at a steak house that had delicious rolls!

 Saturday was especially exciting for me because I got to hang with my big sis while the boys watched the girls.  We went shopping at the outlets for a few hours and found some cute cloths for the girls and for baby boy!  We even found some things for ourselves :)    The boys hung out in the sun and hit up the "Get Some" gun store. 

 That night we went to see Christmas lights at Thanksgiving point.  We ate dinner at a little cafe first and checked out the reindeer. Then we got the kids out of the car seats and drove through a spectacle of lights!  The girls loved it.

 Sunday was our last day :(  We decided to go to a movie!  The Box Trolls.  It was Anora's first film.  She lasted for about 40 minutes before I could no longer entertain her in the confines of a seat.  :)

That night we ate a scrumptious homemade dinner, complete with homemade Swig sugar cookies.  MMMmmmm.  Then at around 7pm we went on our way to make the long overnight journey home.  Anora slept all the way home (except for a few wake ups when we stopped for gas).  Otherwise she was such a trooper!  We came home to snow in Seattle!

 We are still missing our Utah family ... even DUSTY!


Here are Anora's 9 month stats.

Weight 16 lbs 2 oz  / 15.45%
Height 26.73" / 15.28%
HC 43cm / 16.93" / 25.03%

She had to get two shots and a toe prick this visit.  Each time she does better and better with the shots.  She still loves being at the doctor and even showed off how she can wave when Dr. Hott was leaving the room. :)

She's mobile!

Well, our little Anora is crawling.  She learned how to crawl on Nov. 2 while chasing after Papa's drill bits.  She has been working on it for a long time, but this was the first time she sustained the crawl for any length of time before sitting down.  Now, she is constantly on the go. But she will quickly be walking we think because she loves to be on her feet.  She pulls up on anything and everything.  I generally feel like a climbing post these days when I play with her.

She still hasn't been sleeping great, but luckily she is slowly becoming more interested in food which I think will help her sleep through the night. Lately, the food packets seem to be a favorite.  I'll take it!  Whatever food stays in her mouth is good food!

Anora is interested in everything and I think it is a sign of her smarts :)  She likes to be involved in all that we are doing.  She cries quickly, but smiles and "blah blah blahs" just as easily.  She still brings smiles to everyone's faces :-)

First teeth!

Anora cut her first two bottom teeth in the same day, Oct. 30th 2014.  She had been out of sorts - not sleeping or eating well, feverish, and generally fussy - for about a week.  Now we know why!  She is seemingly back to her old self again. The two teeth are still hard to see, but they are there!  I can feel them.  I was at a fundraising breakfast that morning, and when I came home, my nanny shared the news.  It feels like such a huge milestone.  Like she's really growing up.  I do love her gummy smile, but I will also love her toothy smile :)  

 Along with her teeth she is about to reach another milestone...she is just days away from full on crawling.  She can do it a little bit, but then gets nervous about balance and sits down.  Any day!

Eight Months Young!

Our sweet girl is eight months old today!  She loves to stand as you can see in these photos.  She pulls up on everything, including me.  She can even take steps if you hold her hands.  As for crawling, she is getting so close! She gets on all fours and can move forward a little bit to reach for things, but doesn't go much further.  She often pushes back into plank and then sits back on her butt.  Then, turns and goes a new direction.  She can certainly get around where ever she wants to go, it's jut not a direct route. 


She has been fighting off a bug over the weekend, but she is a strong girl and seems to be back in full force today.  She is back to giggling and playing.  She really gets in the zone when she gets playing and can be easily startled when she realizes there are other people in the room.  She likes to open and close things and knock down block towers.  She still loves jumping in her exersaucer and being outside.

 

Anora Updates - Fall 2014

Well life moves quick when you've got a little one.  I can think of a bunch of changes that have occurred in the last few months and I have had little time to document it all. 

Anora is a few days shy of 8 months old and she is so smart and silly. She knows how to fake cry already to tug at your heart strings.  She likes attention and will do her best to make sure you know she is there.  She laughs often and gets lots of smiles where ever we go. She is such a sweet girl.

Anora loved spending time with Gammy!

Looking at the birdies!

My mom was here for 2 weeks at the beginning of October and helped me take care of Anora on the interim between nannies.  My sis came out for 5 days too!  We had a bit of a girls weekend :) My mom helped me put together a playroom for Anora in our "dining room".  It turned out sooo cute. I still have a few last minute touches to add, but we got a LOT done.  She also cooked us delicious meals every night and made enough so we could store some in the freezer for another day.  Love those freezer meals!!



When Amy was here we had a couple market days and went to Pikes and the Fremont market.  We also went to the MOHAI museum which I had been wanting to check out for months now and it did not disappoint.  Lots of neat exhibits and a great view of Lake Union.  We also spent time at Alki and ate lots of yummy treats.

















They both left within a day of each other and it was back to reality.  On the upside we started our nanny share!  Anora gets to spend each day with Eleanor.  They are so cute playing together.  Anora gets a little possessive sometimes of her toys, but Eleanor takes it in stride.  Yeni (pronounced Jenny) is doing great with two girls and has even gotten Anora to eat solid food without gagging, choking, or pursing her lips.  It was a miracle!  I think it had something to do with the spoon we were using too, oddly enough.  Crazy how particular these kids can be, right?!  But, at least she's eating!!

This leads to sleep.  For the past couple months Anora has NOT slept through the night.  It has been dreadfully exhausting for mama.  She was waking up multiple times a night needing cuddles and sometimes to eat.  She was eating twice a night for a while.  Now we are down to eating once a night.  I'm already feeling victorious.  I think eating solids will help .... just in time for her to start teething :)  She keeps us on our toes, but we love every minute of it.

Besides all the ins and outs of eating and sleeping, she is truly a joy to be around and such a sweet baby.  You can tell she has a sensitive side and needs connection.  She is very smart and figures things out quickly.  She is starting to figure out crawling. She can crawl backward, and spin in circles.  She can also pull up to standing and transfer her hands from one object to the next while keeping her balance.  I'm impressed!  Any day she will be cruising around the house.  She is a bold baby.








Last week we planted a tree on our boulevard in honor of Anora.  It's a Japanese maple and right now it's just her size.  I am looking forward to watching it grow along side her.  She loves trees so it's a perfect addition to our yard.