17 months!

It's hard to believe that Annaliese is already 17 months old! The time has gone by so quickly, yet it is also hard to remember what life was like without her around! I've become quite accustomed to all the toys in the living room, the extra loads of laundry, and finding her sippy cups in random cupboards! She is becoming more and more fun every day!

I know I'll want to look back and know what her schedule was like and what things she is doing at this stage, so I will try to put it into words here.

Sleeping: Annaliese goes to bed around 7:00 pm and sleeps until between 6:30-7:00. She will usually play in her crib for a little while before wanting to get up. She has her photo album from Great-Grandma Norma in her crib, so I usually find her looking at everyone and talking to them...you can tell when she flips the page by the timing of her "hi!" and "bye!" remarks!!

              We are transitioning from one nap to two; she's been doing it at the baby-sitter's house twice a week for several weeks now, but it doesn't always work at home!

Perhaps a nap is needed!

Eating: Annaliese still loves to eat! Favorites include english muffins, oatmeal, cottage cheese, cheese of any kind, avocado, bread in any form, strawberries, oranges, tri-tip, cheerios, squeezable pouches, Jamba Juice or other smoothies, and anything that anybody else is eating!

I told Annaliese she needed to finish her breakfast before she could get up and play...so she crammed as much english muffin as she could into her mouth at once!!

Clothes: We have just finished packing away the 9 month stuff...they have finally become 3/4 sleeve shirts and capris...and it was just not a good look:) Most of her stuff is 12 mon or 12-18 mon. She is still loving her size 4 shoes!

But who needs clothes, anyways?

Teeth: 12; 4 front/bottom, 4 front/top, and 1 molar on each side top and bottom. We had our first dentist appointment about 2 weeks ago, and Annaliese is definitely not a fan of having her teeth brushed. She does, however, like the flouride drops she gets three times/week and the new strawberry flavored toothpaste!

Activites: Walking...everywhere! This child does not sit still...it is incredible! She is always on the move, carrying toys, 'vacuuming,' closing doors, coloring, and going in and out of the slider door! She enjoys being outside and going to the park, but she's not a fan of the slide. She likes to climb to the top of the play sets and then crawls around until I go down the slide with her! Annaliese doesn't like the sand on her hands, so she's taken  a few face plants and ended up with a mouthful of sand...but at least her hands stayed clean!

We baby-sat Holden all day, while Auntie Jenn was at work...I think Annaliese has a love/hate relationship with him! She likes playing with his toes, finding his nose (he doesn't appreciate that,) and giving him toys...but she doesn't like him holding on to those toys, sitting in her bumbo seat, or generally taking away any attention from her!

Story time with Daddy

the Beach!

Annaliese was given several new beach toys for Easter. We thought it would be fun to take her to the beach and build a big sandcastle...or at least just play in the sand! Truthfully, it was a bit chilly to be hanging out at the beach, but we went for it anyways!

 It took a bit of coaxing to get her to knock down the sand castle...she wasn't that interested. Really, she just didn't like to get sand on her hands!

 We got in a round or two of bocce ball while we were there

 Mesmerized by the other kids and the big bubbles!

 Annaliese spent most of the time just cruising around!

It is so much fun to take this little peanut places! She is so curious about everything and laughs at it all! How can you not help but smile when you look at her cute little face!!

Annaliese Goes to the Zoo!

We decided to check out the zoo in Atascadero...this was Annaliese's first trip to a zoo, so I was eager to see how she would react to all the animals. She was pretty disinterested in most of them...but very excited to walk around on her own! 

Before we went in to the zoo, we had a picnic lunch at the nearby park. 

After stopping at Subway for sandwiches and McDonalds for sweet tea, we headed to the park...Annaliese did great, considering all the open space to be explored!

 And she's off!!

 Packing up our picnic so we can go to the zoo!

 Annaliese finally gets it...walking is fun!

 She loved this chain-link gate that was at the entrance and exit to the aviary...much more interesting than the birds themselves!

Checking out the turkey

Rest break/photo time with Grandpa

Spring Break with Grandma and Grandpa

Grandpa and Grandma Hendricks were on Spring Break last week, and they decided to spend it here in California with us! They arrived Easter Sunday evening; we were very excited to see them! The week was filled with walks to the beach, visits to the playground, and even a trip to the zoo! Annaliese finally realized that walking is the best way to get around, and by the end of the week, walking has become her main way to get around!

 Grandma made Annaliese a little purse to carry around her new doll...she even made a little blanket!

 Annaliese loves carrying around her new purse!

 Ready for a walk to the beach for cinnamon rolls!

 Checking out the garden:)

 We went to Strother Park to see if it would be a good place to have Kyle's birthday party...naturally, we also had to check out the playground!

 Not so sure about the slide...

 And even less sure about this big one!

Grandpa had to check out the beach everyday...after all, this is California!!

 Playing on her swing set with Grandma and Grandpa in the backyard

Snack time:)

16 months!

Annaliese's 16 month 'birthday' came and went practically unnoticed...oops! I did manage to take a few pictures on the bear blanket, but I'm not sure they really show how she's grown. She wouldn't sit still long enough!

Our daily routine hasn't changed much since last month. Her vocabulary is expanding and she's attempting to walk more frequently! (More on her walking to come in the next post!) She is still wearing 12 mon clothes and size 4 shoes.