Keeping promises

A quick photo retrospective of the last few months, starring Annika. If you would like to read the latest on the little girl, check out my post below.

Annika likes to laugh. Annika likes books.

The big idea with this pic was to get a cute one for our Christmas card with an "I heart Santa" T-shirt (courtesy of Godmommy Lisa) but we never really got one that screamed "Send this to everyone you know and love."

Annika on Christmas Day:

I don't wanna hear it!

Just like the subject line says...no need to go into detail about the long pause between posts. JUST GO WITH IT.

Now that's out of the way, let's talk about our favorite subject: Annika.

Annika continues to entertain me and Chris way too much. We basically talk about her all the time. She never ceases to amaze and impress, and we are bursting with too much parental pride. Is that normal?

Christmas with the baby was great. All three of us were sick during Christmas week, but we powered through and managed to have a lovely Christmas with my extended family. We were able to spend special time with Pop and Gamma as well as Gamma's parents which was a treat for Annika. She loves new people and absolutely loves the attention new people bring her.

Annika continues to worship SpongeBob. She is almost 19 months old. I'm pretty sure the appropriate age for that show is 4-8. Is my baby advanced? Absolutely. Is she that advanced? That's up for debate. In either case, you'll have to pry SpongeBob out of my withered, carpal-tunnel laden hands if you want me to take it away from her. She loves "Bob-Bob," Mr. Krabs, Patrick and even Squidward and when she's beyond hysteria, Bob-Bob never fails. Lazy parenting? Maybe. I really prefer to call it "parenting for the 21st century."

Chris counted her teeth recently and she has 16. Her teeth came in so fast and really, very little trouble associated with the pain of teething. As usual, Annika is a great sport about pain. Though that's changed just a bit now that she knows what a "boo boo" is and delights in telling you she has one and also demands comfort re: "kiss it!." I'm usually surprised that continues to work.

Developmentally, Annika can say three-word sentences (examples include "What was that?" "Kiss the boo boo!" "Daddy get up!") and knows about 80 percent of her ABC's. She can also count to 10 though she's developed a short cut which includes skipping the unnecessary numbers five and six. Next stop: She's taking her SATs in April.

Love to everyone who's been checking this thing for the past six weeks. Some of you may know that I have a new job (which is awesome) but leaves little time for blogging and even less for sleeping. I used to be able to work from home on Fridays which is a luxury I sacrificed for a kick-ass company, so I must tender my working-mom apology (read: excuse). I'm going to post pictures in the next few days (save your guffaws for when I actually don't keep my promise).

Annika is Filipino

A lot of people (and by a lot, I mean anyone who sees Annika in public places without her dad) have no idea that my little Tiny is one quarter Filipino. Sometimes I forget. But when we hang out with Chris's side of the family, I am reminded. I used to be the only sore thumb in the group (well, there's Dave, too), but now I have company with Annika. Score!

Here's a pic with Annika's gorgeous second (or are they first cousins, once removed? Can someone please explain that to me?) cousins.



Annika is learning Tagalog. She knows how to say "smelly" "talkative" and "wait a minute." She has a good accent too, I am told. Pretty soon she'll be able to call me names in a language I cannot understand. I suppose that's better than understanding the names she is calling me.

I am so glad Annika has such a large, loving family. My family is awesome, but small and spread out throughout the U.S. She is so lucky to grow up with them and they are so, so good to her. Just please don't teach her any swear words in Tagalog before she's 35. (Not that I would ever know).

Annika is thankful for...

- Nana and Papa.
- "Outside!"
- Counting to two.
- Her babies, Hank and Holly.
- Saying "hi!" to anyone and everyone.
- Crackers.
- Ice cream.
- Hearing Momma singing the "ABC's."
- Reading books.
- Photo albums of family and friends.
- SpongeBob and Patrick.
- When Daddy kisses her legs.

True story

Conversation had between Mommy and Annika:

Mommy: Would you like to go change your diaper now?
Annika: No! No! No! No change diaper.

~The end.~

This conversation is significant because she's 16 months old. Genius. She's a genius.

Big forehead = big brain (see above).

P.S. I miss you, Pop. Happy birthday.

Doc update...and more!

Annika is firmly average - at least in body. She is in the 50th percentile for weight, 25th-ish percentile for height, and 97th percentile for head circumference. OK - maybe 97th percentile for anything isn't "average" but it kind of is for our family.

I think we may be getting the hang of this parenting thing. After the doctor took his first few looks at Annika, he said "Any questions for me?" Chris and I used to write down every question we had for each doctor's appointment and these questions would often number in the double digits. This time I looked him right in the eye and confidently said "Not this time." Later I asked him whether she should be feeding herself to make it look like I had it together. Note to self: Have question ready for next time. (Oh, and he said that she could try to feed herself with a spoon...which is pretty much where she's at right now).

Yes, she went trick-or-treating last night. It was quite the affair! Papa, Daddy and I took her while Nana manned our door for other candy requesters. She didn't really like standing at strange doorsteps waiting for people to answer their doors, so one of us held her while we did our darndest to prompt her to say "trick or treat" which came out more like "tictret." But she did try! People are very excited to see little babies at their door. She had a good time, though was a bit overwhelmed. I think we hit about five houses.

She also took her second plane ride this weekend to see Pop and Mamma. (Mamma is Annika's version of "Grandma" - not to be confused with "Momma.") This time Daddy came which was *wonderful* for Momma. Anyway, the highlight of that trip was watching my parents watch her. She's just so beautiful, I love it when other people see it, too.

P.S. Yes, that is a construction cone hat that says "Caution: Gas leak below!"

Annika's first Halloween party

There is one thing that you should know about Halloween parties with nine children in a modest-sized home during an Indian Summer - they are scarier than any witch you'll see on October 31st.

Annika went to a Halloween party this evening at her friend Nico's house. The oldest child was five, and there were two babies at 6 months. The rest were from 12 - 26 months. It was sheer pandemonium. But those kids loved it. Nico has excellent toys, there was plenty of "kek" as Annika says, and hardly a tear was shed. Well, except when they shoved Nico into his penguin costume.

Annika is a "Heffalump" this year. I just found out that elephants existed in Christopher Robin's world. Who knew? Anyway, compared to last year's multitude of sobbing fests when her Halloween costume was within seven feet of her, she refused to take off this costume despite the incessant heat. What a difference a year makes.

Happy (early) Halloween!

Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere

We took Annika to a Pumpkin Patch today. Met up with some friends whom she mostly ignored in favor of walking up to every pumpkin and patting them. One by one, she said hello to each pumpkin methodically, obsessively. I say obsessively because Chris thinks she shows signs of OCD. Only time, and her therapist will tell.

By the way - I don't remember ever going to a Pumpkin Patch when I was a kid...and there's practically one on every corner in these parts. Is this a California thing, or a phenomenon in the last twenty years-type-of-thing?

A little snotty and a little fancy

Annika discovered that we have patent leather Mary Janes in her size (hand-me-downs - but she doesn't know the difference!) and was quite displeased the other day when we took them off her after a fitting. Screaming and shrieking "Shoes!" Miss Annika was having a Carrie Bradshaw moment. Anyway, we managed to distract her using Jedi Mind Tricks (water out of a sippy cup and a well-worn copy of Hop on Pop) and we got out of that jam. What this proved to me is that 1) at 15 months, Annika is dangerously teetering on the edge of the "terrible twos" and 2) we have a girlie-girl on our hands. I'm not sure what distresses me more. Girlie-girls are expensive.

Anyway, Annika is a little sick today - a low grade fever and some snot. This is usually cause for concern because we are ridiculous first-time parents, but is further compounded by the fact that I was exposed to viral meningitis earlier this week. Before you send me flowers, I have yet to have any symptoms, and I was very minimally exposed. I contacted our trusted health professionals who assured me that it was extremely unlikely that Annika could contract this if I have yet to demonstrate symptoms. It's more likely that she's nursing a nasty cold. So we are doing the humidifier thing, which is annoying because it spits out water all over the place and I even tried a steamy shower, which didn't work because our hot water didn't last long enough. Have I mentioned that we live in the ghetto?

So both subjects came to a head today when we attended a family baptism for Annika's dear cousin Pierce. She was able to sport her fancy dress and "Shoes!" and also was instructed to not touch other children and to keep her hands clean. Fun was had by all, as you can imagine.

Actually, it really was a lot of fun, and Annika had a great time for a sick kid. I think I need to tell my trusted health professionals about the healing powers of shoes and sparkly dresses.

The picture is after the day's events - please ignore the messy room and my massive face.

Countdown

We purchased Annika's Halloween costume this afternoon. Though I am relatively pleased with it, I'm not that excited. Actually, I had something specific in mind, but it appears that these articles can only be purchased in baby size online from random people. So determined not to get my identity stolen from online predators, I took my baby and husband to our local mall to get to the bottom of this costume thing for 2006.

I will not spoil the surprise by revealing the costume here, but please - let's hope it's nothing like 2005. Now, don't get me wrong...we had a nice Halloween last year at Godmommy Lisa's - but the little girl could never adjust to her costume. We have absolutely zero pictures of her either being 1) exceedingly cute or 2) remotely happy. I am hoping that my neutral excitement for this year's ensemble will translate into a more excited baby as I was tremendously looking forward to the sunflower outfit. I remember buying it and thinking "my baby is now *officially* the cutest ever." And that never exactly happened.

But please enjoy this blast from the past -



Is it bad that this picture always makes me chuckle?

Video magic

I've been meaning to show everyone this video for a while. But due to technology, it hasn't been possible. What the heck, Google Video?

She's about 13 months in this picture. She turned 15 months on Sunday...oh my gosh! I've been pregnant/had a baby for two years now!

Are you a baby or a little girl?

Grandpa was the first to discover a certain conversation that Annika will have with most people. It goes something like:

Grandpa/random person: Annika - are you a baby or a little girl?
Annika: Babies!

As Grandpa says, "She insists that she's a baby!"

Well, I also insist that she's a baby. I still call her Tiny and I still tell her often that she is my baby. However, she is showing signs of becoming a little girl.

She walks all over the house from room to room. Her appetitie for mobility is insatiable. For someone who never learned to crawl, this is a huge deal!

She talks. She demands "Milk!" and says "Up!" when she wants you to pick her up. She knows so many words that she can't say, but she really is understanding the world around her. It's as unsettling as it is touching.

She eats what she wants when she wants. She really doesn't like most baby food delicacies. (I can't imagine why!) She wants what we eat all of the time...to the point that we eat after she goes to bed which means a late dinner at 7:45! I get hungry!

She says no to just about anything. If she hears a question of any sort, her answer is "No!" complete with a head shake. If you wait a moment and ask again, she may just take that sip of water she just furiously denied. Oh, the fickleness of toddlers...or should I say "little girls."

Words

Words that Annika says...in no particular order and she is able to say about 80% of them in context. Enjoy!

apple
bubble
walk
wa-wa
babies
baby
momma
daddy
papa
ball
animal sounds: pig, cow, sheep, tiger, elephant, dog, cat, duck, owl
annika
no
book
hi
doggy
dirty
nana
nuts
eyes
nose
boo (as in Raiders)
dots
shoes
up
outside
cheese
crackers
milk
cheek
there

Show me your guns!

Chris really likes the movie "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy". And there's a scene where the lead character says while counseling his male friends on how to score a lady that they need to "give her two tickets to the gun show." And then he kisses his questionable biceps.

Well, Chris thought it would be funny to teach Annika that guns = arms. I can't wait for her first teacher to call me into the school's office in order to tell me how Annika was threatening fellow students with "her guns."

Anyway, when Chris (and I...ok, I do this too) says, "Show me your guns!" she does this:

I swear, it's cute. (And please don't call Child Protective Services).

Night terrors

Annika has slept through the night since she was four months old. She's the best. But on Saturday night she woke up SCREAMING! Screaming I tell you!

We couldn't calm her and couldn't put her back to sleep. Luckily, when the baby has night terrors, they're on a weekend, so Mommy and Daddy were very relaxed during this episode. That said, took her about 2 hours to go back to sleep. Every time we tried to put her back in her crib, she'd start up again. It was just terrible. I hate hearing her cry like that.

The next day was weird too because she had similar episodes when we tried to put her down for her naps. I was starting to get pretty concerned. But like her Mommy and Daddy, the baby likes her sleep and had no problems getting her rest on Sunday night (minus some nasty coughing fits that I won't detail here). But seriously...these night terrors are CRAZY! Crazy I tell you!

Note for Uncle Ben

Can you please post Part II? Thanks.

Baby's first baseball game

I went to San Diego this Saturday (ohmygoditwassohot) so I left my baby and my husband to fend for themselves. I was only gone 24 hours....what was the worst that could happen?

Don't answer that, but it was totally fine. Annika (from reports) was wonderfully well-behaved and managed to catch a night baseball game in San Francisco! Annika's bed time is 7:30, so a game that goes until at least 9 and requires another hour drive home...well, let's just say I didn't have high hopes and Chris was more than a little...reticent.

Despite a rocky start, Annika quite enjoyed the experience. Big smiles in the pictures I've seen and the stories include her making friends with the section they were sitting with, stopping two (very drunk) softball players in their tracks and receiving both a free Build a Bear giveway stuffed bear and a "Very First Baseball Game" certificate courtesy of the SF Giants. Oh - and the Giants won 4-3. Against the Padres. And that put them in first place. But then they lost today and they suck again. Stupid Giants.

Next stop for Annika: the New York Giants! Well, some day.

Support

I was having a rough day at work yesterday and the only inkling that Chris had about this state of affairs was a note that I sent saying, "very busy. annoyed and will be home late."

Because he is just so absolutely awesome and so completely understand of my demanding workload, he sent me this to cheer me up:



And cheer me up it did.

* This image is of Annika circa 8 months old. Look how short her hair is!

Big girl

Little girl can now say three words -

1. "Hi!" She can say hi prompted, and sometimes doesn't need to be prompted. For the most part, she recognizes that this is a greeting, but sometimes just likes to hear the sound of her own voice. She greeted me yesterday when I rescued her from the crib with a bright "hi!"

2. "Baby." She has no idea what baby means, but if I say the word baby, she knows that it's a word she can say, and often she just goes ahead and says it. She tends to whisper it, and my theory is that she's not quite confident with that word, but likes to try and say it. But really, she has no idea that a baby is a tiny person like herself. Though I do get a kick out of her saying it whether is means anything or not.

3. "Dad-dee." Daddy, more often than not, is the beneficiary of this word. That said, she also likes to say it when pointing to balloons, asking to walk, when she wants to play with her drum set or pretty much...whenever she wants to communicate anything. Anything and everything is "Dad-deee!" But if I say "Annika, where's Daddy?" She looks right over at Chris and gives him a big smile. (Conversely, if I say "Where's Mommy?" she looks around blankly. Seriously Annika - 25 hours of labor. What part of that don't you understand?)

Surprise!

I was shooting this at Negrete Manse during Memorial Day weekend, and while I was so engrossed in shooting valuable footage, I forgot there were sub-1 year old babies in the pool. Little Nico said "Take that, Lady!" You'll be happy to know I rescued her immediately - with zero help from any of the other 8 people at the house. Annika also got her hair wet.