Friday, February 27, 2009
New monstrosity
We often do a little toy swap with Anya's friends. It's free, they get a new toy to play with until they're bored of it, and when they get their own toys back there's a renewed interest. A win for all. Anyway, we borrowed the giant plastic slide from Noah. I expect we'll only have it for about a week, since it takes up half of the living room. Anya is absolutely thrilled with it. It's all she wanted to play with at Noah's house and at gym daycare. So this should make her happy for a little while.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Impromptu Snow Day
We got a surprise snow day this morning, waking up to 2 inches on the ground. I dragged out the sled for (hopefully) the last time this season as Chris, Laika, Anya and I headed for Dahl Park at 7:30 this morning.
All ready to go!
Again, all ready to go. I just snapped one picture since I didn't want to drag the camera around to the park.
Anya enjoyed the trip to the park, mostly enamored with watching Laika play fetch. She would have enjoyed the trip back, except a bump in the sidewalk caused the sled to tip over and unceremoniously deposit Anya flat on her face in the snow. She whined the rest of the way home, occasionally muttering "cold" and "it's cold".
Now the snow is melted off the sidewalks and roads, but there is still some in the grass. And we're just about to head out for a playdate with Noah and his mom, Alexa.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Gymboree
I signed up Chris to take Anya to a free Gymboree class last Saturday. They were joined by Flynn and Josh, making it a nice little guys' morning out with the babies. Chris said Anya had fun; that she was loud and wanted to be the center of attention. I have trouble believing that. Not my shy, little girl.
Anya looooves parachutes. Also her favorite activity at "school".
fighting for dominance.
a clear victor emerges
Anya looooves parachutes. Also her favorite activity at "school".
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Zoo
Grandma Lodwig came over today and she, Anya, and I went to the zoo. Anya and I have been going to the zoo fairly often lately. But today she was especially gregarious and I thought I'd take a minute to jot this down in the ole virtual memory book.
On the way, there were chants of "zoo! zoo! zoo!" emanating from the back seat. So we knew she was excited to be going. Once there, after warming up a little to her surroundings, she pretty much walked/ran around the whole time. But the two things I found especially amusing were:
1) She was climbing on top of the hippo statue (for those not familiar with the zoo, it is meant to be climbed on by kids). A girl a few years older came and stood on it in front of her. Anya looked at the girl and yelled "sit down!!!".
2) Of all the sights at the zoo, her favorite today was by far the glorious letter "A". Let me explain. While walking, Anya spotted a woman 15 feet away with a stroller walking with a group of moms/kids. Hanging from her stroller was a large shopping bag. On this bag were various big, colorful letters, "A" being a prominent one.
Anya yelled "A!" at the top of her lungs and proceeded to chase the letter. The mom was amused and kept the stroller moving as Anya ran, finger pointing, yelling "A! A! A!...", with her object of desire continually just barely out of reach. This went on for something like 20 or 30 feet. I now don't remember if we pulled her away or what happened, but she never did get to touch the "A". It was pretty funny and all parents in close vicinity got a chuckle. I guess she recognizes the letter A.
Other than those two incidents, she mostly ran around and eventually got overstimulated (read: hyper). So we went home. And now she is sound asleep, building up more energy to run around somewhere tomorrow.
On the way, there were chants of "zoo! zoo! zoo!" emanating from the back seat. So we knew she was excited to be going. Once there, after warming up a little to her surroundings, she pretty much walked/ran around the whole time. But the two things I found especially amusing were:
1) She was climbing on top of the hippo statue (for those not familiar with the zoo, it is meant to be climbed on by kids). A girl a few years older came and stood on it in front of her. Anya looked at the girl and yelled "sit down!!!".
2) Of all the sights at the zoo, her favorite today was by far the glorious letter "A". Let me explain. While walking, Anya spotted a woman 15 feet away with a stroller walking with a group of moms/kids. Hanging from her stroller was a large shopping bag. On this bag were various big, colorful letters, "A" being a prominent one.
Anya yelled "A!" at the top of her lungs and proceeded to chase the letter. The mom was amused and kept the stroller moving as Anya ran, finger pointing, yelling "A! A! A!...", with her object of desire continually just barely out of reach. This went on for something like 20 or 30 feet. I now don't remember if we pulled her away or what happened, but she never did get to touch the "A". It was pretty funny and all parents in close vicinity got a chuckle. I guess she recognizes the letter A.
Other than those two incidents, she mostly ran around and eventually got overstimulated (read: hyper). So we went home. And now she is sound asleep, building up more energy to run around somewhere tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Sleep, or lackthereof
We've been a bit cranky at the Lodwig house for the past few days. Chris and I both have a lingering upper-respiratory bug and have had trouble sleeping at night because of it. Anya probably gave it to us. Bad baby.
Anya's crankiness and lack of sleep, on the other hand, is for a different reason. I think. I'm pretty sure she's starting that transition from two naps to one. Something like 90% of babies do it between 12 and 18 months, so 15 months seems right on target (way to be average, baby!). Yesterday, she took a short first nap and then skipped her second nap entirely, playing and/or complaining in her crib the entire time.
For most of the afternoon, she was in good spirits. But then 4:30 hit and I swear she turned into a poorly-behaved 3 year old boy. She kept spinning in circles, and then hit Laika with both hands while yelling "BAM!" (maybe she was channeling Emeril?) and then saying "Ha ha! Funny!" and then doing it again. Can we say overtired? It of course warranted a time-out. I assume she must have seen a boy at the park, community center, etc. doing something similar, because that behavior and words seemed unlike her. Anyway, we put her to bed a little earlier and she woke up at normal time.
Cut to today, and it was a carbon copy of yesterday. I put her down for normal nap times, thinking yesterday was a fluke. Short morning nap and skipped the afternoon, playing the entire time in her crib. She started her meltdown at about 5 today. No dog hitting or hyperactivity. Just super clingy and screamy. We put her down about an hour early and she was out instantly.
Tomorrow starts the fun process of shifting her nap and bed time until we find the "sweet spot" where she actually takes her nap and can go to bed without a meltdown. I'm hoping it will take 3 or 4 days, but that's probably optimistic.
As for me, I'm going to cave and take 1/4 of a sleeping pill tonight because I really need to get a full night's sleep. And hope that Anya will pleasepleaseplease wake up at normal time or later in the morning. Or I will have an afternoon meltdown and start spinning in circles.
Anya's crankiness and lack of sleep, on the other hand, is for a different reason. I think. I'm pretty sure she's starting that transition from two naps to one. Something like 90% of babies do it between 12 and 18 months, so 15 months seems right on target (way to be average, baby!). Yesterday, she took a short first nap and then skipped her second nap entirely, playing and/or complaining in her crib the entire time.
For most of the afternoon, she was in good spirits. But then 4:30 hit and I swear she turned into a poorly-behaved 3 year old boy. She kept spinning in circles, and then hit Laika with both hands while yelling "BAM!" (maybe she was channeling Emeril?) and then saying "Ha ha! Funny!" and then doing it again. Can we say overtired? It of course warranted a time-out. I assume she must have seen a boy at the park, community center, etc. doing something similar, because that behavior and words seemed unlike her. Anyway, we put her to bed a little earlier and she woke up at normal time.
Cut to today, and it was a carbon copy of yesterday. I put her down for normal nap times, thinking yesterday was a fluke. Short morning nap and skipped the afternoon, playing the entire time in her crib. She started her meltdown at about 5 today. No dog hitting or hyperactivity. Just super clingy and screamy. We put her down about an hour early and she was out instantly.
Tomorrow starts the fun process of shifting her nap and bed time until we find the "sweet spot" where she actually takes her nap and can go to bed without a meltdown. I'm hoping it will take 3 or 4 days, but that's probably optimistic.
As for me, I'm going to cave and take 1/4 of a sleeping pill tonight because I really need to get a full night's sleep. And hope that Anya will pleasepleaseplease wake up at normal time or later in the morning. Or I will have an afternoon meltdown and start spinning in circles.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Anya Spins
Anya has discovered that if she spins around she will get dizzy and fall down and that it's funny.
She's an ambi-turner in case you were wondering.
It's pretty funny to watch her fall on her butt and giggle.
I'd love to get a video of this, but mean Amy wouldn't go get the video camera last night.
She's an ambi-turner in case you were wondering.
It's pretty funny to watch her fall on her butt and giggle.
I'd love to get a video of this, but mean Amy wouldn't go get the video camera last night.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Girls will be girls
Maybe this makes me a bad mom, but before Anya was born, I had hopes that she'd be a bit of a tomboy: not afraid to get dirty, indifference to clothes/shoes, and especially skipping the whole princess phase because she decides it's dumb.
While Anya hasn't reached the ages yet to be interested/uninterested in the things above, she certainly hasn't escaped her biology. She is currently very much into baby dolls: feeding them, rocking them, walking them in a stroller, and cuddling them. She even wants her doll to come with us on errands and she holds baby close while we're in the car.
Grandma Lodwig took Anya to the community center to play last week. According to grandma, some "big kids" were rough-housing and knocked a baby doll onto the floor. Anya rushed across the room to the doll, picked it up and cuddled it to make sure it was "OK".
Like with any other toys, I try to neither encourage nor discourage her playing with dolls and just let her play with what she's interested in (ok, well, I did buy her a toddler tool set and encouraged her to play with it). But when I see her next to her little boy friends (Flynn, Noah, Toly, and Max), there is such an obvious difference in interests. The boys immediately go for the cars, and when looking at books they skip over the dolls and animals and immediately flip to the machines and trucks. Anya, on the other hand, flips past the trucks and focuses on the dolls and animals.
Not to say that Anya seems like a "girly-girl": she is very active and likes to get dirty. But I am still hopeful that part of her will win out and she will still skip over the stupid princess phase that's probably unavoidable.
While Anya hasn't reached the ages yet to be interested/uninterested in the things above, she certainly hasn't escaped her biology. She is currently very much into baby dolls: feeding them, rocking them, walking them in a stroller, and cuddling them. She even wants her doll to come with us on errands and she holds baby close while we're in the car.
Grandma Lodwig took Anya to the community center to play last week. According to grandma, some "big kids" were rough-housing and knocked a baby doll onto the floor. Anya rushed across the room to the doll, picked it up and cuddled it to make sure it was "OK".
Like with any other toys, I try to neither encourage nor discourage her playing with dolls and just let her play with what she's interested in (ok, well, I did buy her a toddler tool set and encouraged her to play with it). But when I see her next to her little boy friends (Flynn, Noah, Toly, and Max), there is such an obvious difference in interests. The boys immediately go for the cars, and when looking at books they skip over the dolls and animals and immediately flip to the machines and trucks. Anya, on the other hand, flips past the trucks and focuses on the dolls and animals.
Not to say that Anya seems like a "girly-girl": she is very active and likes to get dirty. But I am still hopeful that part of her will win out and she will still skip over the stupid princess phase that's probably unavoidable.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
peanut butter
I finally caved and gave Anya a little (salmonella-free) peanut butter on a cracker yesterday. It looks like we're in the clear for peanut allergies. Needless to say, we're pretty relieved. We had no reason to believe she'd be allergic, but these days it's one of those big things that looms over parents' heads until they know for sure.
And now the wonderful world of Thai food is open to our little girl. She had no idea what she was missing.
And now the wonderful world of Thai food is open to our little girl. She had no idea what she was missing.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Don-don
Just a quick little post while princess Anya is asleep and Chris & my dad made a run to the hardware store for some insulation. Dad (known to Anya as "Don-don") and Chris have been working nonstop on the basement since Wednesday. They moved a support pillar, added to and redid much of the electrical for the house, installed a new door between the garage and den, wired for cable and surround sound, and are now going to put in some lights, insulate, and start putting up drywall. For some reason, Chris keeps mislabeling the den/toy repository as "Man's world", but one of these days he'll get his vocabulary right. It just takes a little practice.
Anyway, here is a picture from a rare moment we let dad out of the basement:
It's nice having my dad around.
Anyway, here is a picture from a rare moment we let dad out of the basement:
It's nice having my dad around.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
saline
OK, I think we've got the only baby who likes getting saline squirted up her nose. Even to the point where she often asks for it at diaper changes ("saweeen! saween!").
Weirdo.
PS - my dad is in town for a few days helping us with some basement work. I need a kick in the pants to remind me to take some pictures of him and Anya while he's here.
Weirdo.
PS - my dad is in town for a few days helping us with some basement work. I need a kick in the pants to remind me to take some pictures of him and Anya while he's here.
Monday, February 2, 2009
American Amy
Some of you may know that I enjoy sewing and craftsy stuff. My friend Angelina certainly does. She decided that I'm going to have my own business designing children's clothes called "American Amy". For my birthday, she had clothes labels custom made for me. Aww. Well, I'm unlikely to start a business, but I sure will use the labels.
Yesterday I felt like sewing and came up with this little applique design for Anya. I made some mistakes and would change my technique for future applique to make it more polished (live and learn). It looks a little homemade, but I've decided that's part of it's charm.
Introducing the first item in our exclusive Spring 2009 line of American Amy children's fashion:
Yesterday I felt like sewing and came up with this little applique design for Anya. I made some mistakes and would change my technique for future applique to make it more polished (live and learn). It looks a little homemade, but I've decided that's part of it's charm.
Introducing the first item in our exclusive Spring 2009 line of American Amy children's fashion:
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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