Fun with Dad

Anali's nine weeks old, and she's getting pretty good at communicating just what she's thinking. In this case, she's glad to see her Daddy!

Sweetheart

It's hard not to be a mushy mommy. I look at pictures like this after I've put Anali to bed, and I want to go right back upstairs and wake her up and hold her all night long.

Today she had her two-month "well baby" check up. She weighed in at 11 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 24 1/2 inches long. She's growing so fast! The pediatrician even suggested contacting the women's basketball team, Seattle Storm, to let them know she's headed their way. This one's going to be a tall one! Poor Pumpkin had four shots today in keeping with her immunization schedule. It was hard to watch, but she was a brave girl and was comforted pretty easily. I think it was her parents who needed a band-aid. 

Bright Eyed

Anali and I really enjoy our walks. This was a new day for us; she arrived home awake. Usually, we walk to the swings several blocks south, and we swing until her head droops. There is nothing quite like sharing your favorite things with your favorite people. 

A Whole Night's Sleep

I'm going to eat Taco Time every night! Anali slept through the night for the first time! She woke up at 1 a.m., like usual, but I wasn't fooled! After stirring for a few minutes, she fell back asleep and didn't wake until 4:00 a.m. That's EIGHT HOURS of sleep for baby and mommy! And Brandon got to visit with us when he woke at 4:15 to get ready for work. A nice little family morning. I'm so proud of her! I've been sitting here thinking, "I'm so proud of her!" all morning. Amazing how it all changes in a night. I'm excited for bedtime to see if it'll stick! It hasn't been too hard getting up in the night. In fact, she's very polite about eating quickly and going back to bed. But with my starting work next week, I'm very glad to have a child who sleeps longer!

Updating our Blog

Anali likes to give her input in the blog. She agrees with Gina that it's been too long since our last update. It's been a busy week. We've gone from fighting a 24-hour flu to celebrating - I'll get to our classy festivities in a moment - our fourth anniversary.

So...even a year ago, my expectations for our anniversary were much higher. Last year, Brandon gave me a beautiful, gem-adorned band to go with my wedding ring. An extraordinarily meaningful gift. This year, I looked forward to our anniversary like any other year, but my priorities were different. After a full day away from my little family, all I wanted was to be with them...both of them. So we celebrated our fourth year of marriage with take-out Taco Time, which we drove to a pretty neighborhood in Lake Tapps to eat, while Anali snored in the back seat. Hey, it's as good as a picnic, except we never really got out of the car, and we spent half the "picnic" cleaning salsa from between the seats. And, yes, I did it again! I ate an entire spicy meal before I realized, "Ahhh! I'm eating a spicy meal!" You'd think I'd learn: Spicy, greasy food + nursing mother = .... You fill it in this time...Pray she sleeps tonight! Pobrecita! Lo siento! 

Conversations with Anali

Leon and Tana love having "conversations" with Anali.Leon says often, "She's a real talker." So often I look at her and expect her to say what she's thinking at the moment. It's incredible how on-the-verge-of-talking she looks. It startles me more when nothing comes out of her mouth than it would if she were to break out in song. Her cooing is so adorable! I could be anywhere in the house, and if I hear her talking to herself, I'll drop anything to be with her in those moments. They are so precious.

Today was my first day back to work. A hard morning. The first days of the school year are scattered at first, then we'll meet regularly in the next couple of weeks. It is sure going to be hard to leave her every morning. She changes so much every day! I'm just thankful I get to leave her with two loving grandparents.

Brandon and I were talking just yesterday about how fun it is to watch our parents become grandparents. There can be no greater compliment than watching your own parents adore your own children. It feels even sweeter than their love for us.  

Barbeque, Birthday, and Baby

On Thursday, our little family traveled up to my sister Shannon's home in Bellingham for a barbeque with the Coughlins, as it was Matthew and Letha's last day in Washington before driving back to their home in Victorville, California. It's been nearly a year since all of us were gathered under one roof! Shannon made a colorful and eclectic spread of dishes that we all thoroughly enjoyed; I even copied a few of her recipes for a dinner I hosted last night. Before we left on Thursday, they even surprised Brandon with an early birthday cake! 

Carson's Birthday

Brandon and I enjoyed celebrating his friend Carson's birthday with him and the crew. A merry time was had by all...almost all...mostly merry. OK, so Anali put a bit of a damper on things with her wailing. I apologized profusely for the taquitos I ate (breastfeeding + spicy, greasy taquitos = selfish mother of wailing party POOPER).

That's Brandon, Anali, and me with Carson's neighbors Scott, Erin, and their son Reed, Carson, and his lovely girlfriend Sidney.

This post is dedicated to my mother, Talona, dedicated reader of my blog, who would call crying if I just posted a picture of a BUG and not one of her precious granddaughter.

You can tell by the size of her feet in this picture, at seven weeks old, that Anali and I won't be sharing shoes when she's older. 

Summer of the Bugs

Brandon found this praying mantis on our lawn the other day. Made him reminisce about the pet mantis he kept as a kid. He used to collect crickets and zip them into the pocket of his parachute pants to carry home to feed her (Napoleon Dynamite, anyone?)! One of the many funny things I love about his man!


Is it just me, or is it the Summer of the Bugs? I can't remember the last time I've had so many bugs in my house. Oh, scratch that, yes - it was in the Summer of 2000 and I was living on the farm in Brandon's uncle's attic with 900 mating moths. Our house is not filthy, so what's the deal? I just killed a spider with a dirty diaper. That's poetic justice, if I've ever seen it! And the flies! What have I done to deserve this? They wait until I'm sitting comfortably nursing Anali to attack. 

Six Weeks Old

Anali is growing so fast. For an early morning walk today, I put her in a little cap she wore in the hospital. It used to cover her ears, and now it hardly stays on her head. It's amazing how rapidly she grows without our even noticing it!

What we do notice it how she's developing. Her smiles and cooing sounds are becoming even more defined. It's precious how she mimics the sounds we make. Isn't it incredible the personality they show so early on? Talk about "fearfully and wonderfully made"! Lately, God has been reminding me of passages I've read over the years, and they are taking on remarkable new meaning in motherhood. I'm finding that in growing closer to my infant daughter, I'm growing closer to Him, as well. Both are effortless to love!