New Uses for a Rubber Spatula

Little did they know when pampered chef was inventing these expensive little cant-cook-without gadgets and other kitchen must-have's that they were inventing multi purpose items. Not only are these rubber spatulas (or rubber scrapers as a good friend calls them) used for scraping the rest of the brownie batter out of the bowl....but are also wonderful for teething babies.

Annaka was having quite a rough day/evening after cutting her third tooth. She just wanted Mama to hold her...so as I was blanching the broccoli for dinner... I handed her the rubber spatula thinking it would buy me some time to finish dinner. Little did I know it would be Annaka's new favorite toy and that she would gnaw on it while I finished making dinner AND while we ate dinner! She would bite on one end, pull it out of her mouth to inspect it, turn it around and bite on the other end. So my recommendation for my many friends who have had babies this past year...........no need for expensive 'teether' toys and such just give 'em a rubber spatula to chew on! Tylenol, Orajel, and teether toys did not work today...just the rubber spatula:)



P.S. Ku won again today. Annaka is their #1 fan:) She likes watching sports until people shout at the TV....then she cries. At least she looks cute during the games:)

Two of our many new tricks!

I have learned how difficult it is to capture things on the camera! As soon as I get the camera out, she does not smile....does not wave....does not do anything on command. She is more interested in the electronics:) I will try to get a better video soon but here is our first shot......

"Clapping"




"The Wave"
(Sorry I dont know how to turn the video.....so you will have to turn your head)

Our little girl is growing up! Soooo Quick!

Christmas....was soooo much fun! Annaka has learned to tear paper on presents and loves having all eyes on her! She even will wear the bow on her head if I take it off a gift and put it there.
Grandpa got her a Christmas dress. This is the only picture we have of her not lifting the dress up to chew on it. :) It was so cute! Grandma B also got her a Christmas sweater. I have to say one cousin did comment on how many wardrobe changes Annaka had in one day! She is a baby...she is allowed:)



One last thing about Christmas...Holidays have not been quite the same since my Grandma passed away two years ago. I am very sad my Grandma did not get to hold Annaka or experience her first Christmas with us. An amazing thing happened though. My sister decided to hold Annaka up to a picture of my grandma on the wall to 'introduce' them. All of us sat in amazement and tears as Annaka would 'talk' jabber and hug the picture. Every time Natalie would show her the picture Annaka would get so excited, kick her legs and do the same thing. It was like she already knew Grandma.


Skipping steps....I find myself saying quite often that Annaka has 'skipped a step' or is doing things a little out of order. It started at birth with forgetting to be born first before trying to suck her thumb. The day Annaka turned six months old (the 29th of Dec) she busted a move and showed us her independence. Forgoing mastering the crawling skill, she has now walked (while holding onto the edge of the toy box) from one side of her toy box to the other to get a toy she wanted. With out me holding onto her. Of course then she forgot she had to hold on, let go to grab the toy and fell backward. She thought she was so cool while it lasted:) She has done this more than once so I know it is not a fluke.

She has yet to walk on her own but she went straight from the army crawl/scooting around to now wanting to stand up all the time. She wants to walk from one things to another but after taking a few steps (while holding onto someones fingers) she steps on her own foot which prevents her from picking up her opposite foot. We can just see the frustration of "why isnt this working?" on her face!

I do have to say though, the biggest step she has skipped so far is sleeping through the night! She has conquered many things but still cannot make it all the way through the night. What a party we will have when she finally does it consistently and not just every blue moon!

To my surprise...Annaka can now pull herself up. She skipped a step here too. She cannot get from laying down to sitting up on her own but she can get from sitting to standing on her own. I set her in her crib with a toy while I picked up her room when to my surprise, she grabbed the bars and stood up. Later today she was sitting beside me when she grabbed my arm/elbow and pulled herself up to a standing position again.


Also to my surprise...baby teeth are razor sharp. Annaka bites on EVERYTHING! Anything that gets in the way...your finger... her toy... the hem of her pant leg... use your imagination... everything. One of her favorites is the side of her crib....


Well, this post is too long as it is so that is it for today. I will post more later this week.

:)

Little Bunny Foo Foo

Favorite Things (3 1/2 months old)

Oh where to even begin. I will put a disclaimer at the beginning here warning that this is going to be a long, photo-filled, post...and the favorite things are in no particular order.

Favorite thing #1: Luk2 and her Bumbo Seat

Luk2 is Annaka's new best friend. This little green stuffed elephant is soft, cuddley....and tastes good too. He and her lion that lives in the carseat keep her happy....which in turn keeps mommy happy too:)

Favorite thing #2: Little Red Wagon

Our friend Rhonda brought over gifts for Annaka and Harper. They both got clothes, books and this fun red wagon. Neither of them know how to sit up well yet so we just put them in it for the picture. No, Annaka is not eating Harpers hand, but I think Harper is trying to escape.

Favorite thing #3: Her Pink Blanket

This photo was the day last week that Annaka started to notice little details. She had messed all over her outfit so after I cleaned her up, I put her in the swing wearing only a diaper. I put her pink blanket over her to keep her warm while I cleaned up the rest of the mess. When I came back in the room she was holding the edge of the blanket in her hand and was moving it closer to her face, then farther away from her face. She was noticing the light brown trim around the edge. I grabbed my camera and could not get the video to work so this is the best I got.

Favorite thing #4: Exersaucer

A friend is letting us borrow this wonderful toy. It is so much fun for her and is building up her attention span. Kind of. I think she is just learning how to do what every woman does best.... Multitasking. Except for when the little dog head on a purple spring (cut out of the photo) scares her. Then she cries and wants to get out of dodge....quick!

Favorite thing #5: Friends

Annaka has her first boyfriend! :) She and her friend Jackson were playing today. They were both smiling and having fun looking at each other until we put them side by side. As soon as they were close together this is what happened...

I guess Jackson thought Annaka had cooties or something. Actually we did not even know this happened until we saw the photo. I love how you can see Annaka's little cheek smooshed through the blurryness. Her daddy needs to teach her to not let boys push her around! Really though, they are good friends and love to play on the colorful mat together. He is ten days older and is such a cutie!

Favorite thing #6: Meeting New Friends

Maybe I should say Turbans. She was smiling at her new friend...then her eyes jogged upward and she stared at his turban. She was still smiling:)

Ann-a-ka

I knew when we named our little girl that there would be a bit of explanation when first meeting someone. People are used to a different pronunciation. Many think On-a-ka and we simply smile and tell them its Ann-a-ka.

Since Annaka was born at a birth center and not a hospital, and with midwives rather than doctors, the pediatrician wanted to see her two days after birth. Clint and I took her in and were sitting in the waiting room when we encountered a pronunciation we had never expected. *Note to self here...I was still dealing with crazy hormones and no sleep with a 2 day old* The nurse opened the big door to the examination rooms and called for A-nok-a. "What? Surely she does not mean us" I thought. I felt my face turn red as I got offended. My calm husband simply got up, chuckled as we walked past the nurse and said "That rhymes with Binaca!" I had to stop and laugh. Here I was getting overheated about it and he simply made a joke. I am so glad he was with me.

I was reminded of this story on Friday because I had to take Annaka to the pediatrician's office and yet again they got her name wrong. (dont worry at least it was closer than A-nok-a this time) She was sick for the first time. Oh my! It broke my heart to hear her wheezing all congested and sad. She was so cuddly and slept a lot during the day. She did not sleep at all at night and would not eat at all! She then slept mostly in her swing so she could be upright....
The Dr. said her congestion was in her head and not in her chest yet which was good. She did scream when they were taking her temperature in a not-so-normal place. I was holding her hands and talking to her...reminding her that it is not as bad as the five shots she got at her last appointment. Annaka was not amused, though the nurse seemed to be. Sometimes I dont know which is worse though....her 5 shots, having her temp taken at the Dr's, or using that squeegie ball thing on her nose. Hmmm, the hardships of being a baby.

Then Saturday Clint and I got sick too. All I could think of was "Oh no! I hope she did not feel this bad!"



She is balding. Definitely has the 'old man' head right now. I am hoping her hair will grow in soon...but it is unlikely since I was bald until age 3. I mean come on...this bald spot is as smooth as her cheek. Not even any stubble or peach fuzz.

I had better go for now. Its almost bathtime.

Likes vs Dislikes

Annaka let me in on a few of her likes and dislikes....


Like: My Bumbo Seat!

"What is this?"
"Have you seen this Mom?"

"This is soooo cool. I feel like a big kid!"
"oooo this is a new view of my playmat!"

Dislike: Haven't found anything wrong with it yet....I'll get back to you.

Like:Walmart Brand Diapers
Dislike:Luvs Diapers
(Pampers comes in second place)

Like:Pampers Wipes
Dislike:Walmart Brand Wipes (rough and tough)

Like: Picking out my clothes with mom each morning.
Dislike: When mommy puts outfits or sleepers on me that are toooo small so that I can wear them "just one more time"

Like: Going to the grocery store with mom.
Dislike: When Mom takes too long at the grocery store. Boring, but she does let me help hold the grocery list.

Like: My awesome playmat.
Dislike: When I scoot over too much and end up going under the bed.

Like: One word..."Bathtime!"
Dislike: When the bathwater is too cold.
(I also like how daddy jumps every time I pee on him during bath time...ha ha ha)

Like: My thumb.
Dislike: Chocking myself while sucking on my thumb.




P.S. Only when you are 3mo old do you get to show off your underpants....

Does this look familiar to anyone?

Thats because she is wearing her diaper cake! Thanks Linda!

Escape attempt

You would think Mommy would know by now that I don't want to take a nap. I want to eat constantly all morning and be held. She had the nerve to put me in my crib and leave me there to cry for a while! That left me with some time to think about how to escape the tall bars of the crib. First I needed to figure out how to get out of the blanket...then the sleep positioner...then examine the parameter of the crib.

I turned on my Mission Impossible theme music in my head, stuck my toung out, continued crying and began this venture. This is where I started......
and this is how far I got before mommy came back in the room....


Maybe I will inspect the other half during the next 'nap' attempt...

6 Weeks Old

Annaka is 6 weeks old! Well, almost 7. So much has gone on in the past few weeks I don't even know where to begin. She finally made it back up to her birth weight. At her 4 week weight check she was 9lbs....one ounce away...and on her five week weight check she was a whopping 9lbs 12 oz. She feels heavier now ... its just good to know she is finally gaining weight!

1. We cant leave her anywhere anymore. At 4 1/2 weeks old she rolled over! I thought it was a fluke but she did it again the next day! Then today, Friday the 15th, we put her on her tummy on top of the boppy pillow and she crawled over it onto her play mat. I have a feeling she is going to keep us on our toes!



2. I have added an accessory that I cannot do with out. I have had maybe 3 watches my whole life. None were worn more than a week or two. When we started thinking about a schedule and trying to moniter things closer I realized all of our clocks said different times. Our computer, our cell phones and the alarm clock (which is satelite or something...it sets itself) all said different times. Sure its only a few minutes here and there but it gets confusing. I decided to go to walmart and get the cheapest watch I could find to make sure it was something I really did need/use. This $7 watch has become one of my best friends! If I forget to put it on after my shower I feel lost! Wierd.

3. Her cry is changing. She started out so quiet....then it was like someone took the mute out of the trumpet and we heard exactly how loud her lungs are. It was a cute little lamb cry that I am imitating as I type out this post. Now she only cries like that when she is REALLY angry or frustrated. Her face gets all red and yesterday she began shreaking every once in a while.

4. I need to teach Annaka the definition of this very important word....NAP. She does not like to sleep. She wants to be up all day long. She wants to see everything. Some days I try for three or four hours to get her to take a nap before she finally falls asleep. I am still learning how to get anything accomplished during the day. Cleaning our room, folding the laundry, take a nap, anything.
One day she fell asleep and I knew I would be in our room the whole time so I laid her on our bed and this is how she slept.....I laughed so hard! How dramatic...which is perfect to explain some of our moments. She definitely is dramatic.

5. Lastly, Our friend Jonathan (www.jonathandurling.com) took some family photos...here are a few...

Here are some links to more photos....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2165876&l=8f8f3&id=55704549

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2159587&l=9049b&id=55704549

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2156032&l=00956&id=55704549

One Month Celebration

Happy One Month Old Annaka!

It may just be one month but we sure celebrated! Cake and all:) I am not sure how thrilled Annaka was about her cake. I think she knew she did not really get to eat it or touch it.

We even lit a candle and sang happy one month birthday in English, Spanish and Hindi. Lets see how much we can confuse her language already!

She even almost got her first bite! After blowing out the candles, Clint and I grabbed a fork to dig in. My first bite fell off my fork onto her head. I found chocolate cake crumbs all over her for the rest of the evening.

I cant believe how fast this month has gone by! I always heard people say that and I kind of snickered...but now I am the one saying it and really cannot believe it. Where has the time gone! She even smiled yesterday for the first time (on purpose...not just gas). No, I did not get my camera, but cried like the emotional mom I am.

I will try to make posts longer and with more content as I learn how to manage time with an infant better. For now, we are learning how to stay awake while we eat(both of us)... attempting to get on a schedule... re-reading baby wise...and having fun with pictures!

"Oh, forgot to mention practicing our dance moves..."

"Uhhh, Mom, thats not where my pants go. Are you really going to take my picture like this?"

"... this is what I think about that."

Three Weeks Old....Oh My!

Oh my, I cant believe it has been three weeks already! I can already tell she feels longer, and she is finally an ounce away from being back up to her birth weight. I am labeling her already as a 'snacker' since she loves to eat constantly but falls asleep while eating all the time. She would rather sleep while eating than to take a nap. This is one habit we are working on.

Last Saturday we went to a friends house who has a pool. What a great excuse to put the adorable little swim suit Aunt Crystal gave Annaka on and show off. She did not get in the pool, but did get to feel a little bit of a cannon ball splash! I think she liked it:)


I have also learned a few important things about our little Annaka. She does not like to be hungry...she likes to walk outside with her daddy...she likes to sit in her swing and look at the mobile...she loves staring at the ceiling in the living room...just when we think we are getting on track with somewhat of a schedule she mixes everything up...she has a cute little birthmark on the outside of her right thigh...and she cannot/will not sleep unless her hands are by her face and her feet are free.

If we try to swaddle her, she will wiggle and cry until her hands are free and will kick her feet until you open the bottom so she can move her legs. Enough of this being squished in a little ball.

Sorry for not blogging much right now....I am trying to learn how to balance taking care of her and getting things accomplished. The day our room is clean, laundry put away, and I get a shower before noon there will be quite a celebration!

Here are a few pictures...they were taken on her two week birthday:)