Today is brought to you by the letter 'B'

***I began this post weeks ago....there is no use in finishing it because she is a lot different now...so I am posting this and will work on a new post this week that is more up to date...

B..... ah ah ah

Yea, Annaka will never understand the opening of this post. I have not found Seaseme Street on anywhere for her to watch. Instead her favorites are "Bob" (veggie tales), Backyardagains, "Mimmie" (Minnie...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and "Mam-o" (Nemo....or Elmo depending on the context). Infact we have even had naptimes that she has woken up for and instead of calling for Mommy she has called for Nemo. Imagine the conflict of ...should I go in and get her...or is she playing and should I let her be?... Its so much fun to see her imagination come alive!


When we returned from our six week support trip Thanksgiving week, we knew Annaka was getting tall and we should be thinking about a toddler bed. She was throwing fits one day that no discipline we gave tamed. We decided she needed to calm down so we put her in her crib to calm down some. Not long after we left the room did we hear a huge THUMP! She then walked out of her room rubbing her red forehead. She had climbed out of her bed! Needless to say, that was her last time in her crib. She loves sleeping in a big girl bed and most nights will stay inside. Clint and I dont wake up to much, and the only time she wanders out of her bed is early in the mornings when we clearly did not hear her! We are working on that! :) As she was having to learn to stay in the bed until we told her she could get out. I had punished her a few times and finally sat on the bed beside her to 'discuss' this issue. When I sternly said "look at mommy" she quickly moved her face to literally an inch from my nose. Then I began telling her that she needed to stay in bed..bla..bla..bla...and when I was finished she, still an inch from my face, said "MEOW" in a sweet little girl voice. You try not laughing at that one!


Back to the B.....Annaka tends to throw the letter 'B' in front of many words. Milk is not Bouk, Apple is Bapple, etc. Even sometimes to our surprise, words sound much 'different'. Imagine sitting at friends house having dinner when Annaka begins asking for another chip...yet she reverses the syllables and throws in a B sound in the beginning. Use your imagination. We are working on getting that one changed. Now I never say the word Chip but say Ch Ch Ch Chip...to which she repeats ch ch ch b..... oh no! It does not help that everyone (including Clint and myself) cannot help but laugh!

Potty training. Those two words should be enough to make any mom shutter. I feel like I am saying Mufassa Mufassa Mufassa and we all should be shuttering as the hyenas did in Lion King. Or how about the old Paula Abdul song that sings two steps forward, two steps back. I guess we are doing a little better than that. Maybe three steps forward, one step back. We tend to have three or four great days with no accidents and then the dredded 'step back' day where we have two accidents before 9am. Its only week two. She is getting the hang of this. Just as I am getting frustrated thinking "maybe I started this a little too early" we are in target and she grabbs her pull up and yells "POOP". Of course we were in the back corner of the store and had to book it to the front, leave the cart (full) in front of the bathroom and assess the damage. To my surprise, there was NO damage! She had a dry pull up and went in the potty! I think anyone in the front half of the store could then hear me shouting "Yea! Big Girl!" as I danced around the bathroom stall. Yes, mothers have no shame:) We are getting there. We will not have to take diapers when we leave in a few months!


The past week and a half have brought a new level to our conversations. She picks up everything and now will relay anything....when she wants to. Today she asked me where her blankie was and I began to lead her on a hunt around the apartment calling "blankie....blankie..." She then busts out with "blankie...where are you?" Then when put down for her nap she decided she did not want to take one and shouted "Mommy, all done"! Two weeks ago we still would have heard only the single word 'Blankie' or a repeating of several words. Now she makes it all up herself! Her sentences do not all revolve around food or getting something as what has been the norm ("mommy, more please") but tell us about something or express herself in a new way. Now I am starting to feel old! I no longer have a baby!

I have never had a picky eater, a fussy eater, any issues with eating at all. She just wanted to eat and wanted to eat NOW. I had always fed her in order to avoid a mess. I realized I needed to let her feed herself more often, despite the mess, so that she will learn not to be so messy. It has been a stretch for me, but she is getting better. As long as I keep a close eye and find that line of 'done eating' and 'lets play'. When I leave her too long in her high chair with her food it ends up on her head....or her entire fist in her yogurt then wiping it on her face and hair. Here is a photo of spaghetti night.....

...this was after she picked up a meatball and said "ball"! I jumped and caught her before she 'threw the ball'. I guess weather she threw it or not, it is better than when asking her if she wanted a hot dog, her response was "Puppy?"

I had better close before this is entire toooo o long!


Ok, I said the end but lied. One more story. Not that I am expecting anyone to still be reading this since I am so poor in updating, but more for me to have record of to remember later.....

Annaka knows her letters and her colors. i LOVE how she sais Pink and practically spits in your eye as she makes the P sound! We are working hard on numbers now.

Oh, one more.....We had sooo much fun at Kaleidoscope:) Here are some photos from that day....



I love this photo from Christmas time...