Baby's first hot chocolate

Downing her not-too-hot, just right, hot chocolate:



"Uh-oh!" it's (predictably) on her shirt:



And yes, we still call her baby.

Belly pics: 20 weeks and 3.5 years

Jingle bells

Annika and I trimmed the tree on Sunday (after Daddy put it up, vacuumed the carpet of stray needles and hung the lights) and I can say this is the first year she's fully aware of Christmas and its traditions. Uncle Ben brought over an Advent Calendar (which Chris and I never had...so know nothing about, but apparently there's candy involved) and she's already made her first handmade ornament at school.

Trimming the tree was so much fun with her because every ornament would delight her. She'd say "it's so pretty!!!" and ask me every time she hung one if it was in an ok place. You'll note from the picture she was particularly fond of one section of the tree and that is where most of her ornaments were hung.

She is also excited about what she's getting for me and Daddy this year. When I asked her what she wanted to get him, she knew right away. She said, "I want to get him [this]." I said, wow, ok, and then I asked her for more specifics and she knew exactly how she wanted it to be. Chris said he's had similar conversations with her about my present except what she wants to get me and what he thinks she should apparently have led to a disagreement of sorts. I can't wait for the full story...I'm sure the punchline is that she is awesome and adorable.

Baby # 2 continues to grow and so does his mom...just not only in the tummy. But don't judge me!

I'm tired

Might explain the lack of blogging.  Might be a cry for help.  You decide.

Will post real pictures later this week, but please be entertained by what my son should look like right about now...

He started kicking right before Thanksgiving and he pretty much has a go at it all day. He's still a tiny little guy, so I'm a little concerned what I'll be feeling in the next 4 months.

Annika loves to talk to him and is so anxious to feel him kick. I swear to both Annika and Chris that some of his kicks can be felt on the outside, but neither of them have had the patience to wait for it.

Also, the Naming Game is in full force, but so far no luck. I have a frontrunner, but Chris isn't convinced. In the meantime, enjoy some names that made our longer list, but are pretty much done for one reason or another (read: one person liked it and the other one didn't):

Gavin
Augustus
Raphael
Grant
Remington
Kellen
Elias
Maximus

Figure out who proposed which name - could be a fun game!

4/28/09

Many of you know that when we first told Annika that we were expecting, she was absolutely adamant that it would be a 'baby sister.' She said that's what she wanted and she would teach it how to play with her dolls and would feed it a bottle. When pressed as to whether she could accept a a baby brother, she would pause and point at me and say, "You can have the baby brother. I will have the baby sister."

No, we are not having twins but we are having...a baby brother! Chris was convinced it was a girl and I had an inkling it was a boy, but you're never quite prepared for the official unveiling.

Chris and I are very excited, but disappointed for Annika who has become increasingly interested in the baby and had further asserted her insistence that it would be nothing but a girl. In fact, she had a few favorite names - Gabriela and Cutie Pie were her current favorites.

So, with a little trepidation and a lot of fear, we sat her down this evening to break the news. I brought her on my lap as Chris sat across from us and I said, "Baby - we have big news!  We found out if you're having a baby brother or baby sister today."

Annika raised her eyebrows.  "You did?..." she asked.

I said, "Yes!  It's a....baby brother!!!" And with much excitement as I could muster (the trepidation still a factor) I announced the news in a stage whisper with my lips pressed to her little ear.

Annika's face registered the news, and she sat for a second or two thinking about it. Finally, she hopped off the couch and starting jumping up and down, "A baby brother!  A baby brother! Yay yay yay!!!"  With big smiles she ran up and down the room and was genuinely excited about the news.

Chris and I hope that this new baby is as amazing as Annika.  Of course he will be. But wow, with moments like this, I do wonder.

Prayers

Many of you in the LA area - and beyond - know all too well about the Triangle Complex Fire. It's amazing how quickly it's moved and as it drew closer to the place where my parents call home (and I did for 11 years), I watched with trepidation. On Sunday morning, I checked online to discover that my parents' neighborhood had been evacuated.

I called them immediately and they were in a restaurant with my brother and his wife (they live in an area well away from the fire) and seemed a little shell-shocked, but completely safe. They had a hotel room and seemed to be ready for whatever came their way.

I, of course, immediately started crying, which I'm sure is the last thing they needed...but I'm hormonal! Anyway, I held vigil for the rest of the afternoon hoping that the firefighters would do their magic (and magic it is) to keep the fire safely at bay. They have...so far. God bless them.

It appears that we're mostly out of the woods and I say that with hesitation because the winds could change at any time. But it certainly gave me pause about family and possessions and how although I knew my parents were physically safe, to have to face the thought of your home going up in smoke....well, it's a lot. They are just "things" but those "things" are memories and hopes and physical representations of success and a lifetime. I'm so grateful that they have not had to deal with the worse possible outcome and my prayers go out to those who have had to face it. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

I love you Mommy & Daddy! Annika said she was worried about you and was thinking about you. Me too.

P.S. A quick prayer for the Taylors who also were evacuated. Much love to you - sounds like you are also safe, and I will continue to pray that remains the case.

Before & After: Guest Bedroom

The guest bedroom originally doubled as an office and a toy room. And when we had guests, they slept there.  You can imagine the sweeping "edits" we had to do to the room each time we had guests - cleaning up toys and papers and making room for a queen-sized air bed. Good times!

This is what it used to look like:

Now it's a dedicated guest room and I took a chance on the color because well, I don't sleep there!  Also, check out the shutters...part of my "vision."  The color turned out better than I thought and the hardwood floors give it a really nice clean look.  I kinda wish this was my room.

P.S. I know you're all much more interested in "NotAnnika". Don't worry - more to come!  xoxo

NotAnnika

Annika's 3rd Halloween

As promised, pictures of Annika...she requested to be a "nice witch."  Just so happens that the costume at Target is called exactly that. Destiny!

Annika very much enjoyed trick-or-treating, but the real action was back at the house where she gave kids their candy. It was definitely the highlight of her night.

Happy (belated) Halloween!

Before & After: The "Big Room"

Before the remodel, our kitchen had an attached family room that we really used more as a living room.  Our living room, in the front of the house, was bigger and was better suited to our TV and general living space. When the new house was conceived, I was really looking for a way to incorporate the kitchen more in our lifestyle - basically, I needed to be forced to cook. And one way was to have the TV and the life of the house in one room - the "big room."

It's not a novel idea, but was for us. Neither Chris nor I grew up in a house with a combined kitchen/family room, so we looked forward to having it in all one space. The result was the house was pushed out to its side, to make a bigger kitchen and the back of the house was slightly pushed out for our "breakfast nook." (Which is really where our kitchen table is...we don't just eat breakfast there - we eat lunch and dinner, too. :))

Anyway, here's what it looked like before:

Note the upper cabinets over the island that really doesn't allow anyone in the kitchen to interact with the family room. It sorta sucked.

The one thing I loved about the old kitchen space was the flooring - hardwood hickory. LOVED IT. It was what we designed the new kitchen around and I love it just as I did 3 years ago. That was a pleasant. We switched out white appliances for stainless steel, white cabinets and a darker brown island. I also insisted on Caesarstone countertops - though granite can be really beautiful, in all the houses we had toured during last summer when we thought we might move, *everyone* did granite. I also love the matte, smooth look of the one color.

Let me know what you think of the finished product - this is by far my favorite room of the house:









The only issue I have with this room is a lack of color. I only have one wall to add some...so still working on that. Donations welcome. (Just kidding, that would be rude!)

P.S. Halloween pictures of Annika to come....stay tuned.

Before & After: Doors

Our front door was very old, had a 70s style sidelite that had to go (sorry Laura) and it also was held up by tape since it was used to break in many years ago (before Chris and I lived here...and I swear we don't live in the ghetto, just bad luck).  We painted the inside white a while ago, and it looked ok - but needed to be improved.

We actually get a lot of compliments on the new door, and I love it too, but surprises me that others seem to like it...we looked online for weeks and every door seemed sort of stale...boring, etc. I kept coming back to this one - after it was all said & done (ordered online pre-hung, installed by the contractor and stained by the painters) the cost was very fair. We had a larger budget for the door, so to come under was pretty exciting...and very, very rare during this experience.

Doesn't it just say "Welcome to our home"?




Bonus: You can play the "where's Annika" game in the last photo.

Before & After: Annika's Room

Annika's room went away with the demo - the side of the house where her bedroom was turned into a longer hall leading to the extra bathroom and two bedrooms.  It's still a trip when I head out that way as I think "how far does this thing go??" I don't have pictures of the old hall, but please trust that it was much shorter.  This is what it looks like now:

To the far left you see a door to the new bathroom and if you go all the way and turn right, you run into an orange paradise. I have heard horror stories of parents letting their 3 year old select the color for their bedroom, and let me tell you....I understand them. Annika's first choice had been a bright green. And I'm making it sound nice. Then she shifted to purple - which I am not a fan of - then finally orange. Yellow is her favorite color, so I think she wanted a change. A reminder of what her room used to look like (when it was a nursery):



And this is the result of much...orange:





In this last shot, you can look up and see her loft. The loft was a big deal for me - how fun would that be as a kid?? We still have to get the ladder and rail installed, but I think it'll be a while until she ventures up there...it's high.

Before & After: Guest Bathroom

As promised, some photos of the remodel. A quick summary of what we did:

- Every room was touched in some way (new double-pane windows, new baseboards, fresh paint in every room, new carpet and flooring throughout).

- Some more than others (completely remodeled kitchen and family room, new master bathroom, extra bedroom and extra bathroom).

- Exterior lightly touched (new paint, landscaping in progress).

So, without further ado, here's what our previous guest bathroom looked like...you'll note the maroon-ish paint, older looking built-in cabinets and white tile (you can't see):

The older guest bathroom was just a little out of date - I liked the color a lot, but the cabinets were...old.  So, to keep costs (relatively) down and to still get a new look, we bought a pre-made cabinet from Restoration Hardware (we got a great deal, though they have the worst customer service in the world and I will never recommend them to anyone) and matching mirror and medicine cabinet and we designed the bathroom around that. Using the floor tile from the other bathroom and the laundry room, and a different paint, we changed the look:

The result makes it more modern all the way around. Unfortunately, we didn't have the budget to update the shower (simple white tile and weathered glass doors) but we did get a new toilet...I'm sure our guests will enjoy that piece of knowledge.

More to come!

Radio silence

Each year, as summer turns into fall, I get into a little funk. The timing this year was especially bad as we were still working on getting back into our house, work was busy and I haven't been sleeping so well. So mix all that into a little bowl and out pops lack of blog posts.

Now dear (4) readers, I want to assure you that I haven't abandoned you, just went on a little hiatus. We do have some exciting life updates to share and there is lots to report on Annika.

Because I hate to post something without pictures, I'll keep this brief, but here's a start:

- We moved back into the house! Nothing short of a miracle (and a lot of money and time), but we're home. We were soooo lucky to rely on the generosity of my in-laws, but it was time for them to get rid of us and time for us to have more space for Annika's 7,000 toys. Annika loves the house, loves her room and loves all the furniture she can climb on and stain. We love the space, the look of it - all our choices - and the space. This definitely deserves pictures, and I promise an awesome before & after pictorial in the near future.

- Annika is a little girl - NOT A BABY. Annika delights us every day with something witty or just plain ridiculous. She is insistent on getting in and out of the car herself (it's a tall car), eating what she wants (causes me much consternation) and knows the difference between wrong and right (but doesn't always practice that knowledge). She has a tremendous sense of humor, and knows how to deliver a one-liner. One evening not so long ago, Chris was eating some ice cream for dessert. Having recently discovered Jell-O, Annika had already had dessert, and was denied when she asked to "share Daddy's ice cream." I stood my ground (trying to readjust her awful eating habits) and she just stomped around decrying that it "wasn't fair!" I said, that's irrelevant. I finally relented (DON'T JUDGE ME!) and allowed one bite. She said "Just one bite??? Just one??? NO!" I said, one or none. She said "That's impossible." Finally, she ate it, walked around in circles for a bit, ran up to me and with her hands on her hips said, "MOMMA. I DO WHAT I WANT!" Um, excuse me 3-year old? She got a time-out for that one and later apologized for "being rude" but Chris and I couldn't stop laughing. Where does she get this stuff???

More to come...

Potty-licious

No pictures, please.

Annika is about 90% potty trained. I won't go into details, but suffice to say that she can handle most "business" on the potty.  The 10% part is that she has to wear a diaper to bed because she insists on drinking 24* ounces of milk every night before she goes to bed. (* this number may be somewhat exaggerated).

This good news leads me to Part Deux of more good news...being potty trained means she has moved up a "group" at preschool. She is now a proud member of the Blue Group (formerly Yellow) though she does miss her "Yellow friends." But don't be too sad for her, she sees those friends every time she's there during combined play time.

First stop on the Growing Up Train: Potty; next stop: Doctorate.

Annikasyncrasies

Annika has a new fun game - it's called "take a picture of me with ______".

"Take a picture of me with this blue thing." (location: Home Depot parking lot)


"Take a picture of me with Wall-E." (location: Circuit City)



"Take a picture of me with this red thing at the park." (location: the park)












Funny, I usually say, "Take a picture of me and I'll crush you."

Maui No Ka 'Oi

The first vacation that Chris and I ever took together was to Oahu, Hawaii and it was the first time I had ever been to our 50th state and I couldn't get enough. Warm days, sunshine all the time and the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen.

Since then, we've been to Kauai (where we were engaged) and the Big Island together (along with our very good friends), so Hawaii has always been special to me & Chris. I really wanted to share that with Annika, so I decided that WE WERE GOING TO HAWAII THIS YEAR.

Chris always told me that Maui was probably his favorite island, so I was pretty set on going there. We invited my parents to come along because we travel well together and I'm always looking for a way to have Annika spend time with her maternal grandparents.

I spent about a month researching the best condo, best area of the island, best plane tickets, etc. I love research. I love the Internets. Anyway, we got a fabulous condo on the West side of the island. We also got some pretty good airfare deals from Southwest which of course turned out to be a disaster so we had to re-book the whole thing on United, which was ok. I had to mention that part because it was not cool.

Annika thought that all of Hawaii would be a large sandbox, since she asked as we were landing "We're not in Hawaii...where's the sand?". Her time on the beach was amazing - when we could get her there. She really does not like the ocean. And she does not like the wind. Which turns out not to be a good combination on a tropical island. Annika's favorite question would be each evening "Does the restaurant we're going to have walls?"

Despite those obstacles, she really had fun. She is an excellent traveler and really rolls with the punches and with less sleep. She spent a full night with her grandparents while Chris and I had dinner which she loooved because she had devoted attention for 3 hours from people who want nothing more than to please her. Who wouldn't dig that? She was able to see fish and go shopping for SpongeBob Crocs and spend a full week with her parents. That last part was more exciting for me because it has been too long since we've really focused on our family as we've continued to adjust to the house remodel and our busy work schedules.

Now we're ready for the next vacation.

This Many (3)

Please turn off your cell phones

Annika saw her first movie a few weeks ago. It was a big deal because Annika loves the sound of her own voice. Loves it so much, that during the viewing of most any television program requiring more than 15 minutes of her attention, she asks question after question. Sometimes, I think she cares about the answer, but to be honest - I think she just likes asking. Maybe to get us to participate in the show with her? Maybe just so she can continue to babble?  Who knows...but we never thought she'd make it through a movie.

The movie in question was Kung Fu Panda. We were worried about this movie for two reasons: 1) It was longer than 15 minutes and 2) it had a scary subplot involving a snow leopard. Proving to us how much she's grown up, the length of the movie seemed to be of little consequence to her...but her fear of the danger that Kung Fu Panda and his friends encountered during the course of their journey was almost too much. She asked after the first "scary" scene, "Can I go home now?" And that quickly turned into "Can I leave?"

To paint a picture for you, Annika was sitting on Chris's lap for about 85% of the movie. Her little body is still too light for the 'old school' theater chairs, so she had to sit on one of us. During the height of her fear, I took her and cuddled her and promised her that it would be ok. She would settle for a bit, but then cry out in fear, "Please!  I want to go home!"

It was too much for me to bear, so I told Chris that we needed to leave (having had earlier made the unholy parental pact of  'it's ok to leave if she freaks out even though we're wasting 40 bucks') and he shook his head. I said, "No..seriously."  And he said, "No."

He went to the concession counter and purchased some "incentive." Every time the scary snow leopard came on screen, she was given a piece of candy. I thought it was genius...positive reinforcement to face her fears!

It was rightly pointed out to me later by a friend, "Yeah, now she'll turn to food whenever she needs comfort in the future."

Woops.  

Three reasons why Chris is the best father ever

Father's Day was 3 days ago, Annika is almost 3 and we are a family of 3. So in celebration of Father's Day and consequently, Chris, I present you with the top three greatest things about Chris the Daddy.

1. He loves being with her. Chris isn't the kind of guy that would rather be golfing, out with his really cool friends or driving fast cars; he is a family man. A true family man that wants nothing more than to spend his Saturday with Annika by his side. He wants to tickle her and play The Hungry Caterpillar game and ask her what she did at school that day. He actually wants to know. And when he's not with her, he talks about her all the time.

2. He really knows her. Annika has a habit of giving up rather quickly when something doesn't go her way. Chris and I talked about this at length last night, and he is really concerned that this is something that will be difficult to shake. He notices when she is cranky and when she's hyper and for the most part, knows how to handle it. He also doesn't push her to go poo-poo in the potty because he knows she needs to do it her way when she's ready.

3. He makes her happy. There is no better, stronger, kinder, warmer, softer, funnier, nicer person in the whole wide world for Annika. Chris is Annika's consistent favorite, and there is no other person in the universe who she wants to hold hands with more. Maybe the other caregivers in her life get a little peeved at this, but at the end of the day, Chris and Annika have a bond that makes every person around them smile.

Happy (belated) Father's Day to a truly amazing Daddy and husband.