In her own room - finally

Some of you may know that Anna has been sleeping on our floor since she was 13 months old ( 4 months ago! ). She gave up her crib and we finally took it down after countless nights of trying to get her into with no success. Well, we weren't sure what to do with her then! We put her crib mattress on our floor near our bed. She has been fine there for the past four months, but I finally decided, enough was enough! She snores, she wakes me up, I wake her up, Karl wakes her up, we were all up all night most days. This past weekend, I had enough. She's old enough to learn how to sleep in her own space, so I said, to your room you go! We bought her a toddler bed and she's been sleeping there for three nights. I thought for sure, I was going to have a fight on my hands, but no, her big girl bed hasn't even phased her. Makes me wonder if I should have moved her long ago. Also makes me wonder who's running this show? Doesn't seem like it's me :) It isn't Karl either. Hmmmph.

Musical Genius

Karl bought Anna a harmonica the other day. You should have seen the total delight on her face when he played it for her. She immediately started her little dance ( you know the toddler dance, right? - completely adorable and mostly bouncing up and down without any rhythm whatsoever! ) It only took her one day to figure out that she, too, can make fun noises by blowing or sucking air into the harmonia. Now it's impossible to pry it out of her grubby little hands. Next up, guitar lessons!

No No No No No No!

Well, it finally happened, Anna learned the word 'no'. Oy vay. I know we say it to her enough through the course of the day. I read all sorts of books about not using that horrible two letter word with your toddler and trying other tactics, but the word just pops out of my mouth all of the time! It's sort of like cussing. You just can't help it. So, now we get our pay back. She sings it like a song all through the house, yelling no at anything that crosses her path, the dog, her dolly, a chair, etc. Thank god she hasn't got the finger point to go with it just yet!

Lists - 8/11/08

I have been meaning to keep track of Anna's new fun words and phrases.


Words

Bye
Baby
Hi
Hello
Mama
Dada
Car
Plane
Mine - really, our very favorite word of hers
Banana
Blueberry - said only once so far - this is a tough one


Phrases:
Updown - all one word
Allgone - also one word, but done with proper hand motions
Iloveyou - said only once so far and to her Daddy, who is very proud
Blessyou - again, all one word but she knows when to say it!

Body Parts:
Nose - loves to pinch people's noses and she's not gentle
Ears
Hair
Toes
Belly Button - prefers to touch other people's belly button and see their reaction

Animal Noises:

Many people know we call Anna our Monkey, her latest affection is putting her hands under her armpits and going 'ooh, ooh, aah, aah, eeh, eeh', while stomping around. Thanks Karl for teaching her how to really 'be' a monkey!

Baa - said mostly to sheep, but also to all farm animals

Woof - said to all animals that are not on a farm

Grandma was here

This weekend, Anna got a special treat. My mom, aka, Grandma Missy, came to visit! We picked her up on Thursday night and she stayed and hung out with Anna on Friday while I went to work. I understand they took a trip to the grocery store and Anna got to ride in the car shopping cart. She loves pretending to drive while at the store! Grandma was a big help to us, it's so nice to have an extra set of arms for hugs and all those dishes:) I know Anna enjoyed her visit too, she was especially vocal and that's usually a sign of supreme delight. Grandma was even the recipient of the ever elusive 'blow a kiss' from Miss Anna as we dropped her at the airport on Sunday. We will miss you lots Mom!

Where did my baby go?

I was looking through old pictures today ( yes, I am working hard, I swear! ). I had not looked at Anna's newborn pictures for a really long time. I can't believe my sweet 16 mth old used to be such a tiny little thing. Ok, except for the day she was born - at 6lbs, 11oz, she's never been tiny. She grew quickly into yummy rolls and huge cheeks. Sometimes, I look at her now and see the little girl that she will become and sometimes I still see the pudgy baby she was not so long ago. For instance, she still has humongous cheeks and there's a roll of tub or two along her thighs. I can barely remember when all she did all day long was sleep and eat. Granted, Annabanana is a lot more fun now, but sometimes I really miss the baby in her. Then there's that ability to put your infant in a swing or on the floor with a toy and either thing will keep them occupied (& happy! ) for a good long time. Long enough to start dinner/ make a call/ fold laundry. Now, there's none of that. Anna is go, go, go, all day and night long! Oh where did my baby go? Guess it's time to start bugging Karl for baby #2!

Anna in 'school'

It has come down to this: Anna love daycare. We don't call it daycare though, for Karl and I, it is school. Makes is seem so much more palatable. I can't believe I ever worried what it would do to her. Here is the list of things it has done for her: new words almost twice a week, more social skills, sleeping through the night ( most every day! ). Every day when we go into her school, she points excitedly at the play ground and giggles. As soon as we're in her room, she wants down and goes to her favorite friend - Soloman - and gives him a toy or a hug. Of course, Soloman likes Anna quite a bit, but his favorite thing to do to her is bite her. No, Soloman, no! - you only get three tries before you're kicked out and Anna would miss you! Anna is also quite enraptured with her teacher, Namila. She is known in her school for being the happy babe and a good eater! The school's director pulled me aside the other day to ask if Anna was going through a growth spurt - I guess she had seen her devour her lunch. Naturally, all of you who know Anna, know also that she loves to eat. I had to laugh, I doubt very much that Miss Anna banana is hitting a growth spurt! She's still not so big on the growth charts - 50% not 90 or 100% like most people think when they see her eat! When I pick her up at the end of the day, I always watch her first through the doors, Anna is always screeching, clapping and happily banging on whatever is nearby. As soon as she sees me though, she runs for me and waves bye bye at her friends. Soloman tries to follow us out the door almost every day. Sorry buddy - I only have enough patience for one toddler at home right now! Maybe in a few years when you stop biting.