Just some recent photos

Scarlett is quite the cuddler and a total daddy's girl. She loves hats, pulling Frankie's tail and sitting in/on things other than chairs. She also a big eater and already talking up a storm at 18 months. Some of her favorite lines are:

"Say cheese!"

"Oh no!"

"Uh oh!"

"Thank yoooou."

"Dadddddddddy!"

"Bubbles."

"Bobbob."

Anabella is my shadow and has developed an independent side ... as well as a love for video games, Wow Wow Wubbzy, singing and running. She loves to help out around the house ... feeding the dogs or doing the laundry ... and could spend all day, every day at a bounce house. She has an aversion to clothes and tends to "lose" her pajamas in the middle of the night. She and Taz (the last of our 3 cats) have developed a strong bond, so I think we might be getting her a kitty sometime soon.

I adore these girls.

Bad, bad mommy

I know it's been forever. I suck.

Scarlett has turned one and Anabella is approaching 3-1/2! They are becoming more like sisters every day, sharing little laughs, taking things from one another ... the good and the bad.

Scarlett is always happy. She's a great eater, she loves to laugh, she enjoys climbing the furniture, and dancing, and she loves the dogs. She's also a great sleeper, so that's how I know she is mine.

Anabella is quite a little personality. She has definite opinions and she wants things done a certain way. It's like having a Mini-Me. She has the cutest laugh and the most gorgeous hair and she is a total mommy's girl ... which makes mommy very happy. She also loves books and "Wow Wow Wubbzy."

Here's a few recent photos:

Bad Mommy

I have totally neglected this blog...I have no excuses. Well, I do, but no one wants to hear them. So here are a few recent photos of Anabella:

She is 2 years 11 months old and already the Queen of the roost. She's quite bossy ("Mommy dance!", "Mommy sit down!", "Milk, mommy!", etc.), but in the endearing way. She loves Mickey Mouse, Dora the Explorer, books, swimming, stickers, and being tickled.

And is she is so sweet and gentle with her little sister. It took some time...like 6 months...but she is finally happy to have Scarlett with us. I think.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Today is Anabella's birthday! I can't believe how fast the past two years have gone...and at the same time, it's hard to remember life without her. She is such an incredible addition to my life...I love seeing things through her eyes and I really appreciate that she makes me laugh every day. Oh, and I am totally envious of her skin! ;) Here are a few recent photos.

After stalking Elmo at Chick-fil-a for an hour. I couldn't pry her away.

Once she moved into a toddler bed, she decided she liked sleeping in her dresser drawers.

So I took out the drawers, and this was her solution for that!

She's #1! :)

Hanging in Miami and first haircut

With daddy at the hotel pool in Miami.

Anabella chillin at the Miami Aquarium. She wore these sunglasses everywhere that weekend.

Trying on daddy's boots in the hotel room. I promise this was not posed!

Anabella's first haircut. We only had bangs cut...no other curls were harmed in the process.

Anabella around town

Just a few photos of Anabella from last weekend... at the Rodeo and from brunch at Brennan's.

Waiting for the pig races to start



Getting to know every animal in the petting zoo

One little pat and then on to the next animal

Anabella's new favorite restaurant game...take the sugar packets out, put the sugar packets back in, take the sugar packets out....

Who knew that Aunt Robin's hair clip could be so entertaining?

Anabella Update - 20 months

Hard to believe I haven't updated since Christmas. It's not that there has been a lack of things going on in Anabella's world. It's just that "free" time is harder and harder to come by.

Anabella is doing great! She still loves to dance. She also likes throwing food, spitting water/milk, and playing with tupperware. Other recent milestones include:
- She has an extensive vocabulary and even puts a few words together at a time. (e.g. "Bye Daddy" or "NO NO NO")
- She loves Sesame Street. She would watch it all day every day if we let her. Elmo is her favorite, but she also loves Cookie Monster.

- Bathtime has become a stressful experience, after several incidents of pooping in the tub. These days, it's all about washing and getting out and back in a diaper ASAP.

- She's mastering the fork and spoon, and especially loves feeding the dogs off of her fork. Ugh! Needless to say, the dogs now go outside during meal time.

Here's a few recent photos.

This was Dan's "1st" birthday (last week), not AB's. (meaning the only candle I had was a spare "1" from her last birthday.

Anabella and Santa -- Part Deux

Guess fake Santa just didn't cut it.

Anabella and Santa

Luckily she liked Santa a lot better than she liked the Chick-fil-a Cow.

These are a few of my favorite things -- Part Deux

Anabella asked me to share some of her new favorite things with you.

1. Throw things with great force onto the floor and then say "uh oh."
2. Climb up on top of the bathtub surround and start screaming my head off when I realize I can't get down.
3. Stick things in Winston's butthole. Why stop at fingers?
4. Bang my head against the wall, floor or refrigerator when I don't get my way.
5. Give open mouth kisses. This is Frankie's favorite.

No DNA Test Necessary

This is definitely my child! Today, she very carefully took her sippy cups off the table (one of ice water and one with milk) and then WIPED UP the condensation with a paper towel. HOLY CRAP! Just when I thought I couldn't love her more. :)

We've been practicing what to do with tissues and what to do with paper towels. Apparently, they have been "cleaning" with tissues at MDO. Well, here at home, she decided to wipe her nose with a tissue and then "clean" with it. Eeek!

Bubbles

Last night I heard a noise similar to the one Anabella makes when she is laying in a bathtub full of water blowing bubbles. Of course that can't be, I thought, because Anabella is running around here, freshly bathed, and no where near water.

My mistake. She figured out how to get the lid off her cup, which had just been filled with milk, so she decided to make a milk pond in my living room. There she was, laying belly down in this huge milk pond, blowing bubbles.

I should have taken a picture, but I was focused on getting her out of the milk and back into the bathtub (her second bath in about 30 minutes). So this photo will have to do for today...it was taken 10 minutes ago.

Happy Halloween from our cute little kitty

We went to a Halloween brunch at my friend Stasa's house today. Surprisingly, Ms. Thang didn't seem to mind wearing her costume. Hooray!

Anabella and her future boyfriend, Noah. (He's a little younger, but that's all the rage these days.)

MEAL, MEAL, MEAL!

We thought it was a good idea to teach Anabella words, but we are now reconsidering. She has it in her cute little mind that "meal" ("milk" to you and me) is what you say when you want something...anything...not just milk. And over the past few days, her desire for things has increased exponentially. So, our little tyrant runs around the kitchen screeching "MEAL, MEAL, MEAL" at least 10 times a day. It's bliss.

These are a few of my favorite things

1. Closing doors -- and then freaking out when I find myself trapped, because I can't open doors.
2. Getting large mouthfuls of water or milk and spitting them onto the floor --then rubbing the liquid into the floor/carpet/hair of dogs, cats, self/etc.
3. Taking off diapers -- and then running, running as fast as I can!




If only I could use all this energy for good.

Two new words in one day

The first new word is "MEAL!" To you and me, it's "milk," but we understand. We've taught her a few signs, so now she can do the sign for milk (which she has interpreted at furiously shaking her fist up and down) while screaming "MEAL, MEAL!" :)

The second word is "nice." She's heard that a lot, because she always beats on our pets and we try to teach her to pet them "nice." So yesterday, while she was thumping the crap out of our cat Eddie, she looks at me and says "NICE!"

No, that's not nice, but good job on learning the word.

The answer is "15 months"

The question is "when do babies learn to lounge around?" She can't say her name, but she can kick back with a bottle of milk and watch Baby Einstein like a champ. :)

13 months old, on the go, and hell on wheels!

A lot has happened in Anabella's world since the 8-month mark...
- She started walking and talking at 11 months. She doesn't have an extensive vocabulary yet (her words consist of hi, bye, daddy, mommy, kitty, dog, bottle and bear), as she is concentrating more on her career as a stunt woman. She enjoys standing on things that she shouldn't...like toys that have wheels, shopping carts, etc...and now that she has figured out how to climb onto the couch, she spends a lot of time looking for new and interesting ways to jump/fall/dive off of it.
- She's a world traveler! We took a 10-day trip to Venice in June (she already has TWO stamps in her passport) and I am happy to report that she is an excellent travel companion. She slept the entire flight over to Europe, was pretty easy going no matter what we were up to, and thoroughly enjoyed being treated like a little rock star by all of the friendly foreigners.
- She loves books (yeah!) and she still loves to dance. As soon as music comes on (stupid commercials, a musical ring tone, anything!), she is up and shaking her groove thing...she's got some pretty good moves for a toddler. (thank goodness she didn't inherit Dan's lack of rhythm!)

As for me, I love being a mommy...Anabella melts my heart every single day. Of course, I am still addicted to Target, Starbuck's, and buying stuff from infomercials (ask me about the TurboJam workout). I still watch a lot of worthless TV shows (has anyone seen Junk Brothers, Workout or Meercat Manor?) and I spend lots of time being introspective...in a crazy, bored kind of way.

Eight months old and into everything

It was all I wanted a few months ago, but now I know what people mean when they say "be careful what you wish for!" Anabella started crawling at 7 months, and went from 0 to 60 in just a few days. Now, she pulls herself up to standing on anything she can get her little hands on, and has even stood without holding on for a few seconds here and there. So, it's just a matter of time before she is walking and creating more havoc. ;)

What's new...
- She enjoys playing with the wires to our electronic equipment, chasing the animals around (pulling tails is fun too), banging on things, and babbling LOUDLY.
- She is still all smiles and is a joy to take out in public. Everyone stops to talk to her...it's amazing to see what a smiling baby does to people.
- She said her first word the day after she turned eight months old, but it hasn't been heard again since. My mom was here, so I have a witness that she actually said "hi" in a very calm and adult manner. Since then, it is more like "HHHHHHIIIIIIIEEE."
- Her two bottom teeth have been in for a few months, but one of her top teeth just broke through today. I feel that the breastfeeding might be coming to an end soon...woohoo!
- I have attempted to teach her how to kiss, but apparently she thinks she is French...she tongue kisses everything, including herself in the mirror (see photo) and yes, I have caught her trying to tongue kiss Winston on several occasions. Yuk.

As for mommy, well apparently I am still referring to myself in the third person, which I find completely annoying. I killed the Chia herb garden in a matter of weeks. I am getting more sleep, but still find myself buying things from infomericals, which leads me to believe it might be an addiction. (ask me about my new PetVac or my Scunci Steamer!) I have officially been vomited on, so I think I deserve some sort of medal for that. I still haven't lost those last pregnancy pounds, but for some reason I don't care very much. I have almost finished a whole book, which hasn't happened in about...8 months. And I am still taking almost daily trips to Target, where I drink Starbuck's and spend money on stuff I don't need. So, I guess life is pretty good.

Six months old and mommy's still sane...ish

Yes, my little bundle of joy turned SIX months old last week. While I still moan a lot about all my lost "me" time, I thoroughly enjoy her company...she's a total hoot! She is always smiling and laughing...and she is CRAZY about jumping (almost "crazy" crazy if you know what I mean). We have to take her out of the jumperoo sometimes because she is all sweaty and whiny, but still jumping like a mad woman. She can jump for HOURS, which means she has Dan's energy. Which probably also means I will never sleep a full night again.

Recent Milestones:
- She got her first tooth on Christmas Eve. Tooth #2 peeked through on Jan.11, her six-month birthday. And if you think you can't be bitten with just one tooth, THINK AGAIN. She has literally taken a few chunks out of the "hand that feeds her," but has steered clear of more sensitive areas. Smart baby! :)
- She's ready to crawl. Every day she is up on all fours, rocking forward and backward, but still hasn't quite gotten that forward momentum.
- She LOVES grabbing things, especially handfuls of hair out of parents, dogs, cats, etc. She even ripped a handful out of her own head last week!

As for me, I have taken up gardening…Chia Herb gardening to be more specific. (Yes, that is about all I have time for these days.) I am happy to report that my chives, basil and dill are doing very well, but the parsley is kind of wilted and puny. Dan says it’s a fake spice, so I am not going to beat myself up over it. ;)