Happy 1st Birthday Annie!

I'm ashamed to say that I am just now writing this post . . . almost a month and a half after you turned one. I could blame it on a lot of things, but ultimately, it just got lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I'm sorry that its late. Because it is so late, I likely won't remember the details the way that I would like. My speculation about that you'll be walking soon won't hold much water, because the reality is that I know you started walking at 12 1/2 months old. But, I will write now and not delay any longer.

The difference a year can make! We are so blessed to have you as part of our lives and family. We are thankful that you've entered our lives and cannot wait to continue to love you and grow with you.


You are still tiny, although I'm unsure how much you weigh. In your cradle roll class, there are a few babies who are younger than you (some by several months) and you are even tiny compare to them. And, as you can see in the pictures, you still haven't seemed to figure out how to grow hair. ;) You will keep a bow or headband on your head though, so that helps out strangers who might mistake you for a boy because of your bald head.



People constantly comment that you are such a happy baby, and how you always seems to have a smile on your face. You are generally a happy baby, but I think sometimes people's perception of your happiness is false. You are usually happy if someone is holding you or giving you attention. However, if you aren't getting the attention you think you need, you can become quite sad. For the most part though, you are easy to calm down as long as someone gives you attention.



You still use the crazy one-legged, half-sitting up crawl. You are soooo fast using that method of crawling, and you crack us up when we watch you fly across the floor. You also like to crawl with the bottle in your mouth, which is equally entertaining. Your cruising skills have continued to improve, and you'll also cruise with the bottle i your mouth. You seem to be very steady, and we kept thinking that if you actually tried to walk you probably could. You never really attempted it though before you were one year old; you'd rather drop to the floor and scoot away.

You continue to be very attached to the bottle which is very ironic to me since getting you to take the bottle in the first place was such a battle the first six months of your life. You've been eating some table food, but you never seem to eat that much as once. You are pretty open to tying new foods, but if it goes in your mouth and you don't like you, you have no problem pulling it back out. You are also quite the sorter when it comes to food. If you don't like/want something that's on your tray you start dropping all of it on the floor. If it isn't something you want, it will not stay on your tray or spot! Sometimes if you don't want us to give you a bite you purse your lips together and close them tight. It is pretty funny! You weren't too sure about your cake on your birthday. You ended up eating some, and I think you liked it, but at the same time I don't think you were overly excited about it either. I've posted the video, but overall it is pretty uneventful. :)


You continue to be an extremely vocal baby. You make all sorts of funny noises, and yell at us in lots of different ways. Overall you don't seem very interested in signing, although you have signed more and finished. You'd rather yell at us than sign to us. You also find yourself quite funny at times, and we love to hear you laugh. In the video below I was telling you "no" and you thought it was hilarious that I told you no. I'm not sure what that means for the future! ;)


Signs you do: more, finished - you much prefer to yell at us though to communicate
Words you say: Mama, Daddy, Ella, Maddux (something that sounded like Maddux anyway), bye-bye, hi/hey, "uck" (for yuck)
Favorite foods: cheese, nutrigrain bars
Favorite activities: chasing the dogs around, chasing your siblings around, putting things in things

Happy 9 Months Annie!

Once again, this month brings so many changes and milestones!

I always think it is so funny how babies like to prove you wrong. I don't know how many times I've predicted my babies will or won't do something only to be proven wrong. For instance, a week before you started crawling, I would have said there was no way you'd be crawling. You hated to be laid down on your belly (even though you sleep on your belly!), and almost always immediately popped up or flipped to your back when we laid you on your belly. However, about a week after you turned 8 months old, you started diligently trying to crawl, and within a few days of trying you were on the go! The video below is from the first day you were crawling. You have since gotten much faster, but you sill crawl with one leg underneath you - which allows you to easily pop into a sitting position.

You started sitting up unassisted last month, but this month you are officially stable enough to sit in a grocery cart - which makes shopping easier and more fun! You love looking around, smiling, and talking to me as we go throughout a store.

You continue to be a very vocal baby, yelling when you are happy or sad or when you just want our attention. I don't know how many times I've gone to check on you during Bible class because I can hear you, only to find out you are just talking loudly (not upset at all!). You can now say "Mama" and "Daddy" and sometimes I think you can say "Hi" but I"m not sure. You also finally signed "more" this month, although you much prefer yelling at us to ask for more instead of signing.

This month you started clapping and waving. In both cases, you just started doing them on your own - we weren't prompting you to wave or clap. Your wave is very funny: it reminds me of a pageant wave. It is very stiff and calculated, but also very precious!

You love Maddux, and often grab his fur when he passes by. Thankfully he is very tolerant of you! We haven't gotten a good video of it, but you and Luke have played a chasing game of sorts (usually around your walker in the living room) and you and Luke usually both end up laughing. It is great!

You have definitely been sleeping more consistently, and it has been amazing1 There are still nights it seems to take you a while to settle down (you'll be up several times in the first couple of hours we put you down, but eventually settle in for a full night's sleep).

Annie @ 8 months
Troy @ 9 months
Luke @ 9 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

Happy 7 Months Annie!

Once again, I'm behind writing this post. . . we've been slightly busy, and I've barely even opened my computer this summer. And, once again, I wasn't able to take a photo with your monthly sticker. :( I painted the living room, and in the process managed to misplace your monthly stickers. Good news, though, I found them, so I'll be able to take your 8 month photo! And . . . I'm way behind editing personal photos, but hopefully I'll come back and fill photos into this post later.

But, enough about me, and onto you!

Seven months! Wow, more than halfway to one year old (your siblings like to remind us often how close you are getting to one year old). You even said your first word this month (mama!) as I either walked into or out of the room. Sadly, I missed it, but daddy heard it! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you'd say "mama" first because you truly are a mama's girl.

Although I haven't weighed you lately, I know you are still tiny. People still often guess you are younger than you are based on your size. However, if someone really observes you, it is easy to see that you are closer to one than a newborn! From your strength and stability to your interactions and smile, you show us everyday how big you really are getting!

Ella has been loving holding you and carrying you around lately. I though as you got bigger, she might shy away more because you weighed more, but it has been quite the opposite. She asks to hold you many times a day, and she does a great job toting
you around. The boys also ask at times to hold you, and when they do, they love it! I wish I had been able to capture to huge grin Luke gets on his face when you get in his lap.

You still haven't been sleeping very well at night, although the few days right before you turned 7 months old you slept well (so maybe you are starting to turn the corner). I know the amount of traveling we've been doing probably isn't good for helping you get into a good sleep pattern. Not only are you not in your bed (and I think you pretty much hate the pack n' play), but your schedule has been completely out of sorts. You have generally been doing better napping, but if you have to sleep in your pack n' play for naptime, you usually don't sleep as well.

You continue to love solid food, and have become an expert "puff" eater. It has been really nice that you can enjoy your puffs during a meal because it makes things easier on us (you stay distracted while we eat!). And, despite the fact that I've thought your teeth would pop through at any moment over the past couple of months, they still haven't broken through!

You finally really figured out your jumperoo this month, and your jumping is pretty great. You like to jump as long as we don't leave you alone . . . it seems the moment we walk out of the room to do something while you are in your jumperoo you immediately start fussing and won't be happy until we get you out. Since you have figured out your jumperoo, your legs have been kicking it into overdrive! You often kick/bounce when we hold you, and are quite the wiggle worm!

Your giggles have brought us (and many others) much joy this past month. It is easy to make you smile and laugh, and baby giggles are the best! Ella loves to try to get you to laugh (and she's good at it!). I'm amazed at all the things that you find so funny that you giggle. I've included just a few videos of your giggles this past month.



Annie @ 6 months
Luke @ 7 months
Troy @ 7 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

Happy 2 Months Annie!

 

Happy two months! Once again as I write this monthly post, I feel as though you are older than your month age. Though you've only been on the outside for two months, you are definitely a precious part of our family.

 

Ella, Troy, and Luke are always concerned about you in some way. I think if I'd let him, Troy would hug you, kiss you, and sing to you all day long. He loves to "make you happy" by singing to you. He sits next to you in the car, and he loves to hold your hand and talk about how he taught you to hold his hand. He'll say something along the lines of the following: "Annie's holding my hand like I teached her" and he is SO proud.

 

You are sleeping really well at night - I keep telling people you are spoiling me! Most nights you sleep between 9-10 hours, and you've been doing that for a few weeks now. Every now and then you have a night that isn't quite as good, but overall you are an amazing sleeper. You love white noise and to be swaddled or sacked (as I call it) in your swaddle sack at night. You also like your swing, and take naps in it during the day. You do not like tummy time, but hopefully that will change soon.

At your two month appointment, you weighed 10 lbs, 11 oz (50%), and were 22 inches long (25%). It is getting harder and harder for me to carry you in your carseat...it is amazing the difference two pounds can make!

 

You started smiling (not just during your sleep) this month and I LOVE it! You love to be talked to, and you often smile when we talk to you. You also coo back at us sometimes.

We traveled twice during this past month, and you did great both times. As of right now, you seem to like your carseat pretty well, and I'm SO thankful for that. On both trips we took you slept the majority of the time.

 

I've gotten you to suck on a pacifier a few times this month, but overall you hate it most of the time. I still think you might end up being a thumb sucker. A few times over the past week you really been trying hard to suck on your hands, but you haven't quite figured out how to get your thumb out.

 

We are often commenting about who we think you look the most like at this age, and right now your dad and I think you look the most like Troy. However, there is something about your pout that reminds me A LOT of Luke.

Annie @ one month

Luke @ two months
Troy @ two months (I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

Happy 1 Month Annie!

You are such a sweet baby girl! In some ways it doesn't seem like you could already be a month old, but in some ways you seem much older than one month. You really have been an easy baby, and remind me of Ella as a baby in that way.

 

For instance, you sleep really well most nights considering you are only a month old. You got off to a rocky start in the hospital (barely sleeping at all the two nights we were there), and I was preparing myself for some really long nights ahead. But you have proven me wrong! Most nights you sleep at least a 4-5 hour stretch, and one night you even slept for a 7 hour stretch. You are spoiling me! We've had a few nights here and there where you've kept me up, but overall you are a really good sleeper.

You are also bigger than your siblings were at this age. I don't know how much you weigh, but you have definitely been growing! Your clothes are getting snugger (in fact, you've outgrown a couple of things already!), and I can tell you've grown when I put you in your bed, your carseat, or your swing.

You enjoyed your first Christmas this month as well . . . or should I say, you slept through your first Christmas. I think you slept through every Christmas celebration we had during the holidays!

You smile sweetly at times in your sleep, and it melts my heart. You also started making some sweet talking/cooing noises when I talk to you. You love white noise and being swaddled. You also like to be carried in my sling. You do not like pacifiers no matter how hard I try to get you to like them. You do like to suck on our fingers, and you've sucked on your hands a few times. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up being a thumb sucker, but you haven't quite figured that out yet.

Your siblings absolutely love you already (although Luke was really unsure in the hospital!), and have been quite patient with you. They all love to help out by getting diapers or my diaper bag for me. They also all love to sing to you when you are crying. There are times we've asked them to sing when you've been sad, but they've also started singing to you when you are sad without us asking them. They love to give you hugs and kisses throughout the day, and always insist on a goodnight hug. Luke loves to tell us "Annieee cwying" when you are crying. Luke also likes to direct us to put you down in your bed or swing, and looks around for you if you aren't where he thinks you should be.

Your siblings holding you for the first time: 

Luke @ 1 Month
Troy @ 1 Month
I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old  

Happy 2nd Birthday Luke!

As I'm sitting here writing this post, you are showing off just how big you are these days. You've got some sort of superhero toy that has a disc you can load and then shoot. You are loading the disc, then aiming and shooting it at me, with a huge grin on your face each time you succeed.

Your language and communication have really exploded over the past month. It is hard to describe how many more words and phrases you are saying compared to the previous month. You are putting many more words together into phrases such as "Gone. More please." One of my favorite things you say is "I'm coming mama" whenever I call you. Your voice is sooo sweet when you say it.

With your communication explosion this month has come your ability to really say Ella and Troy's names well, and to say them often. You've been able to say them for a while, but you've really started to use them to call them or direct them to do something for you. I often hear you say "Ell-A! Elp me! (help me!)" One day we went to drop Ella's water bottle off at school, and when we pulled up you started saying "Ell-A! Ell-A!"

You love to give directions to us these days, sometimes with words and sometimes by pointing. For instance, if someone gets up and leaves you start pointing for them to come back to where they were. Though you are still a stubborn two year old in many ways, you've really been obeying better each and every day. You do a great job coming (most of the time) when we call you to come. You also love to complete tasks that we give you to do such as taking something to the trash, putting shoes by the front door, or even going to find your cup. However, with that said, if you get something in your mind about how you are going to do it and we ask you to do it differently, you usually end up throwing a fit.


I think you really missed our dog Reeses while we were in Paraguay, though I'm not sure how much she missed you ;) ! You love to chase her around, even though she isn't very keen on that these days. You also LOVE to let her in and out the back door, and  you don't like if someone else lets her in or out. Not only can you open the back door, you can also unlock and lock it too. A couple of times you've decided you'll go outside and play on the slide or in the sandbox by yourself.

This past month you also moved officially into a twin bed. When we left for Paraguay, I took your crib down, and didn't intend to put it back up when we got back. I was pretty skeptical at how you would handle being in a twin bed (especially since at the moment you are sharing a room with Troy), but you've done pretty great. I think the first week you were in the twin bed you didn't think you were allowed (or could) get out of the bed without us getting you. You've since figured out that not only can you get out of bed by yourself but you can also open the door and leave your room.

You are quite the sorter of objects. You sorted (without instruction from us) your animals in the photo by color and kind, and also sorted all the jenga blocks by color. You also love to stack and build things

You've loved to color for a while now, but this past month you've started doing what I call "squiggling." You get really intense, and then draw these little squiggles over and over again. It is quite funny to me! Even your Bible class paper was covered in squiggles when you brought it to us. And, speaking of Bible class, you've moved into the 2 and 3 year old class, and seem to be doing great in there. I was a little concerned about how you'd transition from class in Paraguay to the older class back at home, but you've done well. We've been told by a few different people that you love to do the puzzles in there, and that you do a really good job with them.

Our one day excursion to Disney World was really fun with you! You were SOOO excited at all the characters, and loved waving at them during the parades. I wished we could have taken you to meet Mickey Mouse, but in our short time there we didn't get to do that. I know you would have loved it though!

Signs you do: more, finished, thank you, hungry, thirsty, please, sleepy, bath

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes, tongue, teeth, hair, face, hands, feet, belly, neck, arms, legs (You can also identify soem body parts by their Spanish name)

Animal noises you make: cow, duck, dog, anything that roars (especially dinosaurs!) (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, ice cream (if we offer you ice cream you start jumping up and down and yelling "yay! yay! yay! ice cream!"), and foods you get to eat with a fork

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.

Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things (in English and Spanish)!

Luke @ 23 months
Troy @ 24 months
Ella @ 24 months

Happy 23 Months Luke!

One month from being two year old! I'd say that it is hard to believe you are almost two, but it really isn't. You seem SO big these days (physically and otherwise), and although I might still call you my "baby" from time to time, you are far from a baby! You keep us on our toes at every turn, and we love the energy and surprises you bring to our lives.

You continue to amaze us with your physical skills. You love to jump, and have been able to jump for a while now (off both feet at the same time), but you've gotten really good a jumping many times in a row without pausing between jumps. You also impressed us with another skill (which I was shocked by when I saw you do it). Ella and Troy were swinging on the bar shown in the picture below, and you decided to join in. Not only did you grab onto the bar and hang on, but you also raised your legs out straight as well as raising them up bent. And you hung on for a good bit of time too! You also do a great job kicking a soccer ball (and you've gotten lots of practice while we've been in Paraguay!).

You've always been much more able to keep a poker face than Ella or Troy, and you continue to show that skill off (a skill which you got from your dad!). After watching Ella and Troy, I'm amazed at how well you can keep a straight face. Don't get me wrong, you smile a lot too, but you often keep us guessing with your straight face.

Despite the crazy schedule and circumstances we've been in throughout the past three months in Paraguay, you've handled everything pretty well, even when you've been exhausted. You've slept well in your tent bed (which I've loved for traveling, by the way), and even voluntarily gotten in it a few times on your own when you've been really tired. You, Ella, and Troy love to play with all your bedding stuff (blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals), and every night before bedtime everyone has to gather their stuff up to get ready for bed. When we first got to Paraguay Ella and Troy always had to gather your stuff, but lately you've been doing a great job helping out and putting your stuff in your bed.

I feel like there are countless times each week Trent or I say to you something along the lines of "you think you are so funny, don't you?" You love to do things, see if anyone is watching, and then grin really big when they see what you've done. One thing you've done consistently lately is to steal mine or Trent's seats/spots on the bed. As soon as one of us gets up, you promptly crawl over to the spot and sit in it, grinning, waiting for us to come back and "evict" you. You've also crawled under the covers like you were going to sleep in our bed a few times as well, and you are SO proud every time you do it.

You've become a great hugger this month, joining in at bedtime with the rounds of hugs. It is SO precious! There are still times when you aren't in the "hugging mood," but most nights you are happy to pass out hugs. You'll even sometimes give people hugs when we are leaving somewhere. You are also great at saying "Ciao" when we are leaving.

You continue to enjoy playing by yourself, and I think you will probably be excited to be back at our home in Texas where there is more room to spread out and Troy isn't constantly around you. We attended a birthday party this past month, and you spent a large part of the time off playing by yourself. You DO like to play with others too, but you seem perfectly content to entertain yourself. When you are interested in playing with Ella and Troy though, you have no problem grabbing their hands and pulling them right where you want them. Ella and Troy love it (for the most part) when you pull them away to do something. You'll also go get Ella to do things for you such as pick you up to put you on the bed if you don't feel like climbing up yourself.

You are still really good at turning on the tears when you don't get your way. You've been spending a lot of time in the corner, as you learn to calm down and get over your fit. Overall, I think you are getting better at listening and obeying, but you are definitely stubborn at times. :) 

You've been saying more phrases lately, and I love to watch your communication develop. Sometimes I'm shocked when I realize what you've just said. Some things we hear a lot include "More! Empty!" (when you run out of drink), "Night-night daddy! Night-night mama!" and "right here" (while you point at something).

Something kind of crazy happened this past month as well . . . you finally decided that shoes were OK! You've been resisting wearing shoes, especially since we've been in Paraguay, but I decided to really try to get you to wear them again because we were going to be traveling to Iguazu Falls. To my surprise, you've been keeping them on! When we put them on you, the first thing you almost always do is a big jump in them, It is pretty cute!

Signs you do: more, finished, thank you, hungry, thirsty, please, sleepy, bath

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes, tongue, teeth, hair, face, hands, feet, belly, neck, arms, legs (You can also identify many body parts by their Spanish name)

Animal noises you make: cow, duck, dog (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, and foods you get to eat with a fork

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.

Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things (in English and Spanish)!

Luke @ 22 months
Troy @ 23 months
Ella @ 23 months

Happy 22 Months Luke!

Wow, so close to two years old! You seem so big to me. You are getting difficult to pick up (for me) because you are so thick and strong. I'm not sure how much you weigh these days, but I'm not sure there is much difference in your weight and Troy's weight. You two are built so differently!

You are really coordinated for your age, with both your fine motor and gross motor skills. You do amazingly well with your fork and spoon, but also with just about anything where you need to use your hands. I've been meaning to write about it for at least a couple of months now, but you've been jumping (both feet off the ground and landing with both feet) for a couple of months now, and you LOVE to jump. We've also noticed that you do a few things that we call "gymnastic" moves at times. You hold yourself up with your arms in a way that reminds us of gymnastics, and one day you almost vaulted off of daddy (not sure you were intending to do that, but you did!).

Your speech continues to develop as well, and your communication gets better every day. We've been working on encouraging you to use your words more when you get frustrated instead of just crying and fussing about it. At night you love to yell "night night" to each member of the family (sometimes over and over again) from your bed, and wait for a response. If you don't get a response, you get louder with your "night night!"

You are generally getting better at listening and obeying, though you still have a lot to learn. You definitely have a better understanding when we ask you to do something, and it seems like you are doing a better job of following instructions. You can also be quite defiant at times when you want to do what you want to do, but we are also working on that. :)

You've really been enjoying playing games on the ipad, and you've been doing a great job putting puzzles together on the ipad. You've probably been getting to play on the ipad a little more than you would be if we were back in Texas, but with small spaces, and rain I'm glad that you enjoy playing on it.


On Monday and Wednesday afternoons you don't get a nap because we are teaching English using the Bible during that time. On Mondays we usually walk down and eat dinner after our English lessons. You've fallen asleep on the walk several times, and have even stayed asleep during dinner. I'm thankful that you are able to rest even though you aren't in your bed.

You also started giving kisses this month, but just like giving out high fives *you* have to be in the mood to give them out. You are so different from Ella and Troy in that way: they'd give out high fives or kisses to anyone who asked. 

Signs you do: more, finished, thank you, hungry, thirsty, please, sleepy, bath

Body parts you can identify: nose, ears, mouth, eyes, tongue, teeth, hair, face, hands, feet, belly (You can also identify many body parts by their Spanish name)

Animal noises you make: cow, duck, dog (I think you can do more, but I didn't take good note. . . .)

Favorite foods: Yogurt, chicken (especially chicken nuggets/strips), nutrigrain bars, donuts, mac and cheese, and foods you get to eat with a fork

Favorite activities/toys: Books, balls, little figurines (like Mickey Mouse), cars, buckle stuffed lion. You love to "put things in things" as well as throwing. You also love to play chase with the other kids. You also enjoy shutting doors and drawers. You also love to play peek-a-boo! You really love singing as well! One of your favorite things to do is to "wrestle" with your dad and siblings.

Words you say: I cannot keep up with the words you say anymore! You say so many things (in English and Spanish)!

Luke @ 21 months
Troy @ 22 months
Ella @ 22 months