4th of July fun

As usual, we went to our friends, Hartley & Mark's penthouse in capitol hill to watch the fireworks display over lake union.  It was a small gathering this year and we BBQ'd, talked, and even did a little dancing.  Anora stayed awake the whole night (eek). She was the only baby in attendance and was doted upon.  She was wide eyed and alert taking it all in.  By dusk, lake union was full of boats and the show was about to begin.  We went out to the roof top, and watched the fireworks.  Anora LOVED them and watched nearly the whole show.  It was a long show this year, so after about 20 mins she kind of dosed off, only to wake once we all went back inside.  She was well behaved all evening, but by the time we got into the car, she was cranky and overtired.  We finally got her in her crib by midnight and she was out!  She is getting to the age where she fights sleep so hard.  It's so difficult because she works herself up so much and is simply exhausted but won't sleep.  "Too much to see and do mommy!"

Anora watched with her ear muffs on!

 The next day we went to our other mama & papa friends house and had a baby bbq party.  Anora wore her tutu and was very well behaved. 

The rest of the weekend was scorching hot, so we took a lot of walks and even went down to enjoy the water on Alki.  Menchie's froyo topped off the day :)  It was hard to go back to work on Monday, but we really enjoyed our nice long weekend.

Four Month stats

Anora went in yesterday for her 4 month check up.  She is hitting all the milestones she should and growing just fine!  The next few months are going to be exciting!  We are going to start giving her sips of water from our cup...she's very interested in water glasses!  (Maybe we'll be able to by pass the whole bottle situation and just give her milk in a cup.  This would save me some heartache!)  We can take her swimming now, which will be fun, especially on these hot days we've been having. (It was 90 degrees yesterday!)  She has been doing some rolling over, but I anticipate a lot more of this to come!  Unfortunately it will mean, goodbye swaddle :(  She is smiley and giggly and so much fun.

Here are her growth stats:
Height: 24.75 inches - 59%
Weight: 13 lbs 1.5oz - 23.5%
Head circumference: 15.94" - 43.32%

She's not feeling great now since she got her shots yesterday, but we are hoping she bounces back quicker than the 2 month shots. Here are a few photos from the past week.

Baptism

This post is long over due!! We were fortunate enough to have the whole Meier family in Seattle in May for Anora's baptism, and the Kim's too! We had so much fun and excitement with all the cousins in one place. Our house had never seen so much action. 

 

Having everyone in town to celebrate Anora gave me so much joy.  She is SO worth the excitement, the travel, and the joining together!  She is such a light in this world already. We are truly blessed that God gave her to us and entrusted us to love her, guide her, and teach her along the way. 

The baptism was beautiful.  She was the only babe baptized that night so it felt extra special.  The whole congregation was there to witness it.  There was a special focus on the symbol of the dress and blessing it.  Gammy Meier made her beautiful gown! She received a candle and was anointed with oil.  The homily was done by a woman instead of our priest (he was sick and losing his voice) and she spoke about the holy trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  She also spoke about visions.  It was a special homily not only because it was for Anora's baptism, but because it was the first time I had ever seen a woman give the sermon.

God placed His Holy Spirit within her and gave her a new heart and a new spirit to remain righteous, obeying His Holy ways.  This is the most beautiful thing that happens during the Sacrament of Baptism.

Grandpa Meier & Aunt Heidi are Anora's godparents and showered her with love and attention.  She has entered this world with a strong foundation of those who love her and support her.  She is a great reminder of the beauty of God as she is so fresh from his arms.

Thanks, dear family, for visiting and making Anora's day extra special!

17 weeks and counting...

Anora smiles a lot these days, but only giggles if she finds you truly funny. She is trying SO hard to figure out how to blow raspberries and it's hilarious to watch. She attempts to blow air out of mouth with her lips pursed tight. While she still loves mirrors and crinkle paper, nothing bears the great outdoors. She could sit and watch the trees wave for hours. She also loves listening to, and watching the waves. She is going to be a nature gal indeed. She greets me each morning with smiles and toes touches. I am so in love!!

Here we are at Lincoln park right after a jog in out new BOB!

I am 17 weeks old today, hooray!!!

Father's Day 2014

Took a surprise Suree bike for a ride along Alki for Fathers Day. It was sunny then heavy rain then sunny again. Awesome fun!

Four months old!

Anora has been such a fun baby these days! She likes to grab her toes and will even tolerate tummy time. She is a natural lover of music and enjoys staring at Jacob while he plays. She also loves staring at herself in the mirror. She has a gentle spirit and likes things mellow and calm. She is always peaceful outside admiring the trees.

This week our nanny started and Anora loves her! They have so much fun together :) here they are

Lastly, she's gotten pretty good with her hands and can pull her binkie in and out.

Toes!

Anora just had all her cousins visiting for her baptism. It was so much fun! But she is a born introvert and clearly needed down time from all the people. She would cry and cry, then once alone upstairs she would smile and play.

This week she has had two firsts and it's only Tuesday :)
One: she grabs and pulls her toes!

Two: I made her giggle multiple times yesterday! It was soooo cute.

She is so visual these days and needs a change of scenery often. To keep her entertained m mom helped me craft a mobile. She loves it!

LAstly we need to talk poop. She didn't go for a whole week - totally normal for a breast feed babe. The funny thing is, I have noticed she can only go when she feels calm, safe, and relaxed. Now that our house isn't full of people she has felt safe to dispose again. Funny girl.