The first part of the weekend in pictures...

Todd & Tracey's dog, Lilu, stayed with us for a few days. Anya & Lilu became fast friends

Playdate with Noah. Being older and wiser, Noah explains the ways of the world while Anya intently listens

Conversation interrupted

Anya and me

Tasty, tasty swing

Checking out the new playground with Noah

Hanging out with Grandma Lodwig

10 months

Today Anya is 10 months old!

Here we go....

Locomotion

• Anya is such a fast crawler these days. I turn my head for a second and I have to go look for her. So I guess this means no more turning my head. Ever again.
• She is also still cruising like a champ
• Over the past month, she has stood without any support (as in, lets go of the coffee table or hand) more often and for longer periods of time
• In the past week, she has managed to go from a sitting position to standing using nothing for support. We have witnessed this twice so far.
• This morning, Anya was standing unsupported and took one step/stumble into Chris' arms. Since it was much more stumble than step, I won't call it her first step yet, but, boy-oh-boy, it looks like she's on her way there. The idea of her walking scares me. I don't know if it should scare me any more than her crawling and getting into everything, which she is already doing. But it would probably mean her getting into more stuff.

Speech

• August has been a month of big leaps in Anya's speech development. Let's see if I can remember all the words she's started saying: kitty, dog, duck, ball, baby, dada, light, clock, "what's that?," (yes, she actually says this phrase), milk (pronounced mim), no. She still doesn't say mama in reference to me. Pfft. I am chopped liver.
• Her diction is far from perfect and we are very disappointed in her for this fact. To a stranger, only some of these words would be obvious. Light and clock, for example, are probably only recognizable to Chris and I.
• Anya repeats the sounds of words and phrases more and more often. Just random stuff
• This week, she has been noticeably repeating things from her books. I often read Sandra Boynton's book Moo, Baa, La La La. One of the pages reads "...some other dogs go BOW WOW WOW" (and Anya repeats bow wow wow!) ..."and cats and kittens say MEOW" (and Anya repeats meow). This has happened at 3 or 4 sittings this week. Bow wow wow really seems to crack her up. And when I get to the horse saying neigh, that is pure comedy gold right there.

Other development

• More pointing and waving. I think clapping is now boring to her.
• Anya clearly understands the word and concept of no. There are a few things that are off limits, such as the DVD player. At this point, she knows she's not allowed to mess with it. And its obvious when she wants to. She'll get close to it as if to touch it, stop, shake her head no and then say "no", and then look at me. I confirm it's a "no", she shakes her head no again, pauses, and then crawls away. This is very cute and probably the only time she'll respect my authority. I shall cherish it.
• She might finally be getting a top tooth in. It's been 5 months since her first two teeth came in, so we're overdue. She's got the lump in her gums and has been having trouble with sleep the last week. But you never know. I have seen those signs and expected teeth where none ended showing up before. Those baby teeth can be tricksey like that.

Food

• As Chris noted the other day, Anya has weaned herself. She refused me a handful of times and then stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Lodwig the other weekend. And refused me when she returned, only wanting the bottle. So there ya go. I was hoping to nurse for a year, but I can't force her. At least I can eat all the peanuts I want now.
• Anya is now an omnivore. I've given her bits of chicken, turkey, and pork. She likes them fine. She also started eating beans.
• It's possible her bout of mild diarrhea (which caused her first diaper rash) a month ago was from eating wheat per the pediatrician. So now we need to wait until she's a year old before reintroducing it. I reallyreallyreally hope it was a fluke or a little virus and not a wheat sensitivity. A wheat sensitivity would make life more difficult, since virtually all baked goods are made with wheat. Yeah, I know I can purchase items made with other flours, but it would limit her at social engagements with food...("oh, sorry honey. I know those cupcakes look good, and all the other children are enjoying them, but YOU can't have any. Here, how about some of this yummy broccoli instead"). So let's keep our fingers crossed that it was a fluke. At least we do know its not a gluten issue (as she can handle other glutens fine), just possibly wheat.
• Yogurt is not an issue. Anya has it for breakfast (with fruit and oatmeal) every morning.
• Favorite foods lately are bits of cheese, O's, and cut up grapes. She always has room for these.

Right Side Upright Piano

Here is a still if the sideways video below gets to you.

Great Balls of Fire

video taken with Chris' phone. This is at our friends Brock and Andrea's house.

meal surprises

Surprise baby lunchtime success:

steamed, pureed cauliflower with a little garlic and parmesan

~~~

Surprise baby breakfast failure:

peaches

El-phant!

When we went to Ohio back in June, Anya's great-uncle Carl and great-aunt Marion * gifted Anya with a giant stuffed elephant that makes 1) a farty sound when you squeeze its belly and 2) a sort of elephant sound when you squeeze its wrist. It's cute and snuggly and we had no idea how we were going to manage to fit it in our suitcase. Good thing we figured it out as it has since become probably Anya's favorite inorganic presence in the house. El-phant gets greetings, cuddles, and coos several times a day....very much like what I imagine she'd give the cats if they would sit still. What a great gift.

*Dad, doesn't that make you feel old that your brother is someone's great uncle?? Probably not as old as it makes you feel to be someone's grandfather I suppose ;-)

Toybox

Anya now has my old toybox in her room.

When I was a kid (probably in Ohio), my dad made me a hefty toybox out of scrap plywood and my mom decorated it with pretty decals. I loved that toybox. In my childhood, it housed various toys and stuffed animals. Being a weird kid (or possibly a very typical kid), it sometimes housed the dog and/or cats (who had no say in this) or things I found in the yard. Sometimes I would clear it out and hide myself in there. I covered it in stickers, drew on it with crayons, used it as a seat, and generally abused the thing. When I was older, it mainly housed books, "junk", and art supplies. And after I moved out, it sat in my mom's house for years.

A month and a half ago, my stepfather Bruce took it apart and shipped it to us. Over the course of a few weeks, we put it back together, filled in all the gouges and holes with putty, put on a few coats of primer and paint, and added a mechanism to slow the lid down when being shut (it's very heavy and I don't want it to smash baby fingers). Last night I finally finished it and this morning we put it in Anya's room.

It means a lot to me that I can pass something important from my childhood down to Anya. And I wonder what kind of memories she'll make growing up with this toybox.

After. Light yellow paint instead of white, to offset the yellowing of the decals. It's not perfect, but, hell, Anya is just going to cover it with crayons and who knows what else anyway.

She's weaned

While this isn't very entertaining, and pictures seem decidedly inappropriate, I thought it was historically important.
Anya weaned herself a couple weekends ago with very little fanfare. I believe August 16th she officially liberated her mother. I didn't even know it happened until the other day I asked Amy, and she said Anya quit her while hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa L.
Another milestone quietly passes.

rainy day playdate

Amelia gently nibbles on her shoe while Anya ferociously tries to devour hers

still working on the shoes...

Anya: future evangelist?

cute

Last week I started going to the gym because "but I just had a baby" is no longer a valid excuse for the state of my thighs. They have a great little childcare area so moms can go work out. Anya seems to really like playing with the other kids...once I drop her off, I get not so much as a glance back as she takes off after other children or something that catches her interest. No love, I tell ya.

Anyway, today I met a mom of a kid Anya has been in childcare with over the week. I'm not sure how old he is...2 or 3 maybe. She tells me that he's been talking about Anya each time after the gym. And the other day he told his mom he wanted a baby. This took her by surprise. She gently explained to him that this couldn't happen because they weren't going to have any more children in the family. He gave her an exasperated look and said "but there's a really good baby at the gym we can have. Let's just take that one" (referring to Anya). The mom then had to explain that that's not how it works, but he could see and play with Anya on days when they are at the gym together.

That's right, kid. You aren't stealing my baby! I thought that was pretty endearing. Anya, however, seems somewhat indifferent to the boy. Apparently she got mad at him the other day for hugging her too much and complained and pushed him away (aww, like mother like daughter).

Sleepless in Seattle

Infant sleep patterns are counterintuitive and so not like adults'. For example, generally, the earlier they go to bed at night, the later they will sleep in the morning (to a point, there's that "sweet spot" hour you have to find). And if they go to bed late, they tend to sleep fitfully and/or wake up early. And it's not every time; it's sort of a gamble. Then there's that whole issue with daytime naps affecting nighttime sleep. If the daytime nap schedule is normal, then nighttime sleep tends to be normal. But if they miss naps or don't get as much sleep as they need, nighttime sleep can suffer. And that's what we had the luxury of dealing with last night.

Anya took 3 very short (~30 minutes) naps yesterday (don't know why) and was pretty tired by bedtime. She woke up at 11:30pm, and then was more or less awake until sometime after 3am. She just wanted to be up and playing, not stuck in her crib. I am actually not sure what time I finally got to go back to sleep. And to add insult to injury, poor Chris had to get up early today for a hellacious day of meetings at work. For his sake, I hope the coffee kicks in and he can stay sharp.

Our little angel is currently sound asleep. I'm awake and groggy and cranky. I'm also halfway tempted to be spiteful and walk into her room right now and yell "Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" I of course won't, since a) she's just a baby and didn't do it on purpose (I'm a mature, rational adult *ahem*) and b) I'd be the one suffering more if I had to deal with a cranky, tired baby on top of being a cranky, tired mom. Man, I don't do well when I don't get enough sleep.

But last night prompted me to jot down the main song I sing to Anya when I'm trying to lull her to sleep. I sang it when she was a newborn, substituting verses each time until it eventually morphed into the lyrics below. Knowing my brain, I'll forget it in a year or 2, so here it goes for record-keeping:

My version of Hush Little Baby

Hush little baby don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird
and if that mockingbird don't sing, mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring
and if that diamond ring turns brass, mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
and if that looking glass should break, mama's gonna buy you a coral snake
and if that snake slithers away, mama's gonna buy you a piano to play
and if that piano's out of tune, mama's gonna buy you some wooden shoes
and if those wooden shoes should rot, mama's gonna bake you some Tater Tots
and if those Tater Tots should burn, mama's gonna buy you a potted fern
and if that potted fern should die, mama's gonna bake you an apple pie
and if that apple pie's too tart, mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart
and if that horse and cart won't budge, mama's gonna make you some chocolate fudge
and if that chocolate fudge is too sweet, mama's gonna knit some socks for your feet
and if those socks get holes in their toes, mama's gonna pick you a sterling rose

Future President!

Anya's at least as smart as the President! (note their similar book orientation.)

This was actually really neat. She crawled out of my lap when I was reading and picked up her own book and "read along".

Diaper Changing Song

Latest diaper changing song, sung to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell"...

It's diaper changing time
It's diaper changing time
Hi-ho the derry-o (alt: my, what a silly rhyme)
It's diaper changing time

We'll clean you over here
We'll clean you over there
We'll clean all the dirty spots
around your derriere

It's diaper changing time
It's diaper changing time
Hi-ho the derry-o
It's diaper changing time

Anya is lucky to have such a funny mother ;)

Rambling thoughts after a long work week

The baby's at the Grand Folks' because Amy and I are using fumy chemicals to stain our new[ish] windows. Of course the benite treatment took us all of an hour to finish, leaving the rest of the night to sneak out to a nice dinner, watch some loud TV, steal Anya's air conditioner and hang it in our window (take that kid!)

Ah the embarrassingly simple pleasures of being a parent.

Anya is entering a fascinating stage. Not only has she begun playing with books and turning the pages while I read--thus allaying my fears that she'll be a mouth-breathing book hater--she's really starting to get the whole talking thing. She won't be giving commencement addresses any time soon, but I can tell she's getting the whole signified/signifier concept. This heralds the end of the developmental stage I was most terrified to experience: The random-crying-no-verbal-skills period where--in my pre-paternal imaginings--I saw my child exasperatedly trying to indicate her urgent need for an appendectomy while I insisted on shoveling strained peas in her mouth in hopes of getting her to stop wailing.
Now that it's almost over, I must admit it wasn't so bad!
As it turns out babies are pretty easy to understand. They have about three things that make them cry, all of which are pretty easy to remember, even when a kid is screaming. They don't simply cry because "the world is pain" until they're...adolescents!

Ah the simple needs of a child. How I'll miss thee!

But soon I'll have my first "remember when...?" nostalgia collector's card.

Today

Quiet day today. We mostly are staying around the house (minus a walk earlier), since it's hot out there. We were supposed to go visit with our friend Angelina, but a certain baby (who shall remain nameless) decided to wake up at 4am & mess up her nap schedule, and we won't have time to go over there now since she just fell asleep. But like I said, I'm not naming names, so this baby will remain anonymous.

A few shots from throughout the day (in case you haven't tried, if you click on a photo, it will enlarge)...

Anya reading this week's favorite book

Baby sneaks taste of baby gate, while dog sneaks taste of baby

Done eating beans and rice for lunch. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's everywhere.

Andrea visit

So my "BFF" Andrea just came back from the states after a year stint in Kurdistan (and 5 years in Egypt before that). The plan was for her to be a bum in Washington for a year and then finish up grad school in Minnesota. She's only back 2 days and finds out she got an assistantship at her university and needs to leave in a little over a week if she's going to take it. I don't blame her for taking it (they pay for grad school, plus it gives her more working experience in her field), but...DAM*IT!

She's been staying with us the past week and we've had a grand time. Chris spent more time with Anya, and I went out a lot more than I usually get to. So it was a win for all. But Andrea just left this afternoon, so life will be back to normal. I miss my friend :(

The only not-so-fun time: on Friday we (me, Andrea, Anya) drove down to Olympia to have lunch with Andrea's grandma. Anya seems to have developed a 20 minute tolerance for car rides and then gets irritated at being unable to roam free. So of course, 20 minutes into it, she gets cranky. And then gets crankier and crankier, which results in screaming at the top of her lungs the rest of the way down there. It certainly doesn't help that traffic sucks.

So we get to the restaurant. I give her a bottle. All is well. And then I put down the diaper bag with bottle in the side pocket and the bottle shatters. I have no idea how (side note, Born Free glass bottles are NOT tempered and break into a million little pieces that stick to and rip right into your flesh. Ouch). So without a bottle it was going to be difficult to feed her the next meal. We eventually leave the restaurant to head back, thinking we'll have time to get home to feed her. Nope. Traffic is at a standstill once we hit Tacoma. And then speeds up to a crawl. And then Anya gets hungry again and is cranky from being in the car seat. She screams at the top of her lungs. I keep looking at the side of the road thinking "this looks like a nice spot to drop off the baby and let her fend for herself" (yes, I'm a terrible mother). We plan on going to Southcenter and searching for a bottle to feed her with (unsanitized, I was that desperate). But of course, traffic clears right when we hit Southcenter so we just went back to the house and Anya got to eat. I didn't have to leave her on the side of the road afterall. But I did leave her with Chris when I got home so I could get the echoes of screaming baby out of my head.

I guess the moral of the story is bring a plastic bottle next time. Chris, Anya, and I are driving to Portland next month. Pray for us please.

Tug o' War

Taken the other week. Laika introduces her favorite game to Anya.

A daugher shows her love

Truthfully, Anya isn't very cuddly.
She tends to show her affection through a swift series of martial actions. Full-on charges across the floor and a head first dive into whatever she deems worthy of her love. Be it the cat, dog, El-fent!, or an unsuspecting parent. This assault is often followed by a series of open handed blows to the face to seal the deal.
Some day in the not-too-distant future a crushed boy will be asking his mother why Anya from school is so mean to him. "She only acts that way because she likes you," she'll console. And he will go through his life thinking his mother was dumb when in fact she was spot-on.

Things to make a daddy proud

1. Anya can stand up on purpose by herself for up to 10 seconds.
2. Anya has started imitating my sounds. Today when I was saying "What's that" and pointing at various things she kept saying "Wha da?"
3. She's starting to get that objects have vocal signifiers. I can now point at something and say, "clock" and she'll say "Kwa". But she's getting it.
4. Speaking of which, she did seem very interested in the clock which makes me hope she'll have her father's obscession for punctuality (arriving at grandma and grandpa L's house on time not withstanding)

PEPS

We hosted PEPS at our house last night. Our house has terrible airflow, so luck would have it be over 90 degrees outside. It was a bit on the stifling side. As always, it was wonderful to see the parents and babies. I just wanted to eat them up, they are so cute (that would be the babies, not the parents. Not that the parents are unattractive by any stretch). The personalities are really starting to shine through as they get older. They are all very different babies. Unfortunately a few parents/babies couldn't be there last night. Hopefully we'll see them soon.

Anya was being her usual self; that is, on a mission, with no time for parental cuddling. Fortunately, there was no yelling in other babies' faces (or at least not that I recall).

Here are a few shots Chris took of Anya's friends in attendance last night.

Benjamin sampling a book. He has a contagious laugh; such a happy boy

Shirtless Anya (after grabbing my wine glass and spilling wine all over herself)

Amelia (and Tatiana & Mark) happily observing the other babies. She changes so much every time I see her.

Luca (and Christina) in his cute jumper. He is always quite the fashion plate.

Cora, crawling around on the floor. I swear this kid should model.

snapped

Shape Sorter

I thought this was kinda neat. She hasn't figured out the other shapes yet; just the ball.

Towel

I got to go out for awhile last night with some friends. Not to be outdone by her mother, Anya had her own party with the dish towel, dad, and the dog.

Blueberries

"One berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry!"

Quality control

Grass is also pretty tasty

Assisting dad

July

A few random photos from July...

Playing with stacking cups

bathtime

mighty baby

playing with Grandma L. at cousin Christy and Rogan's wedding

Clambering over mom to get to the cat

Fergus visits from Chicago