15 months!

Today marks 15 months since we welcomed little miss Annaliese into our home...and we are loving every minute! Her little laugh and that cute high pitched voice make me smile every time! Things are definitely busier and she can't be left alone anymore...she can now climb onto the couch without assistance! And from there she likes to crawl onto the coffee tables! Pulling cups off the end tables is high on her list of 'fun things to do in the living room!' 

In the past, I've laid the blanket on the floor and the struggled to get Annaliese to lay down next to the bear...we have a new strategy! We are to going to hang the bear and have her stand next to it from now on! She was much more cooperative!!

So what is life like with a 15-month-old-Annaliese? It looks a bit like this: 

Wake up time: Somewhere between 6:30 and 7:00

Sleep schedule: We are still on a 2 naps/day schedule with the morning nap happening around 9:00 and lasting for 1 1/2-2 hours and the afternoon nap starting around 2ish...that being said, it is currently 3:30, and while Annaliese is clearly very tired, and we have tried to make nap number 2 happen several times this afternoon, it does not seem to be going well. 

Food: Besides fresh veggies, Annaliese eats the majority of things that we eat...she makes it very clear when she doesn't like something though! Her likes and dislikes seem to vary from day to day, with eggs still being at the top of the list of 'dislikes.' She wasn't too fond of the peas I offered her at lunch either. And while she really likes beans, they reappear practically whole in her diaper, so I'm holding off on those for a little while!

         Favorite foods include avocado, strawberries, Jamba Juice smoothies, cheerios, and english muffins. 

Teeth: 8; 4 on the top, 4 on the bottom (the fourth one is just barely making its appearance...but we'll still count it!)

Clothing: Mostly all 12 month stuff at this point...we tried a 9-mon outfit yesterday just because it was such a cute one, but it was clearly too small!

Shoes: Size 4...and she is becoming much more tolerant of them!  

Things she likes: pushing around 'walking' toys, putting toys in and out of a basket, climbing, swinging, Brodie, brushing Mom's hair, zippers

Words: hi, yeah, no, daddy, ma, be (Brodie), outside, mil (milk)

Mobility: She is finally starting to walk! Throughout this past week she has started to take a few steps on her own if I set her down in a standing position or she'll pull herself up on the couch and take a few steps away from it. She's made it half way down the hallway on her own! However, if she wants to get somewhere fast or is lazy, the scooch/crawl is still her number one choice! 

 Grandma Kelley came to visit for the weekend (that was supposed to be a post in and of itself, but everyone got sick:( so not many pictures were taken

 Fun with Daddy!

Going on a picnic...appears like it might be a lot of work and she's not so sure it's worth it! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm not typically a fan of Valentine's Day...it just seems a bit too commercialized. I had fleeting thoughts of making cute Valentines Cards, especially after receiving a cute card from cousin Reed, but Valentine's has come and gone and they are still just fleeting thoughts, now turned towards next year. This is the closest to a card that we come: 

Thankfully, the grandparents are more thoughtful!

 

 Annaliese was very focused on opening and reading her card from Grandma and Grandpa Gillette

Daddy reading her the card from Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks

Kyle was also a bit more into the Valentines Day Spirit...he got us both flowers! A lovely bouquet of red roses was waiting on the table for me and Annaliese got her own special bouquet too!

Annaliese's flowers...she loves them! Her face lights up when she sees them in the morning!

Auntie Jenn volunteered to babysit for a little while so Kyle and I could go out on a date. We made ourselves a picnic dinner and took the Volvo out onto the beach...we caught the tail-end of the sunset, sat in the back of the Volvo eating our dinner, and played around with different settings on our camera. For not having anything planned, it turned into a fun evening!

And She's Walking!! (sort of)

Annaliese is finally starting to show an interest in walking around like the rest of us, although she clearly still prefers her scoot! She will confidently walk down the hallway if she's got a hand to hang on too, but once we let go, she usually goes down too! We did catch a few steps on camera though!!

So very sorry it's sideways...

Here are a few other pictures taken around the house throughout the week.

 Annaliese is a big fan of these alphabet books...she carries them everywhere!

 Looking for "Beee" (said in a high-pitched squeal!)

Still carrying the books around!

 Binky anyone?

 All tuckered out...

Playing with "Beee"

Adorable-ness

Annaliese works so hard to climb onto the couch...and she can usually make it up!

The Day to Day

Things have been pretty normal around here...and I'm not complaining about it one bit! It's nice to have the normalcy of the day-to-day. I've just had to be a bit more intentional about taking pictures of the everyday things. That being said...here are a few. 

'Uncle' Russ and 'Auntie' Jenn came over 2 weeks ago to watch the 49er game...and then we went over to their place yesterday to watch the Superbowl. Annaliese was able to sport her little 49ers onesie a few more times before she outgrows it!

 Kyle with Holden- he's about 2 weeks old here

 A little cheerleader-in-the-making!

Half-time!! Annaliese had to show Uncle Russ her swingset!

 Kailey came over to play one evening while her parents (Jeff and Amy) went out on a date...Annaliese got to show off all her toys. (Amy baby-sits Annaliese during the week while I'm at work)

Kyle and Kailey went outside to play on the swingset...Annaliese wasn't too excited about being stuck inside with me!

Poor Brodie...always stuck outside! And Annaliese is always trying to get to him!

14 months!!

I always like reading Auntie Sarah's monthly posts about Reed; it gives me a glimpse of what the next few months might look like! So I've decided to try to put into words what life is like with a 14-month Annaliese! I must say, she is getting to be more and more fun! She has such a little personality, a bit of a temper, and a very cute little smile!

We attempted a picture on the blanket...this is the best we could do!

So we tried one sitting up...

Wake up time: 6:30-7:00

Sleep schedule: Annaliese still takes 2 naps a day; a 2 hr nap in the morning and about 1-1 1/2 hrs in the afternoon. Bedtime is at 7:00 and she sleeps all night long!

Food: She doesn't appreciate eggs, but eats just about everything else we give her! At this point, we are giving her lactose-free milk, but she still eats other dairy products like yogurt and cheese with no problems.

Teeth: 7; 4 on the top, 3 on the bottom

Clothing: Mostly 12 month stuff; she has a few 9 month things still around- anything short sleeve still fits, but the long sleeve shirts have become 3/4 length sleeves! 

Shoes: Size 4...and she's not a fan. 

Things she likes: playing Mom's keyboard; carrying her toys around; taking her blocks out of the bag one at a time, and then replacing them, one at a time back into the bag; climbing; drinking out of Mom's water cup; bath time

Words: "Hi" "Yeah" She's constantly babbling, and her new favorite sounds like "tick, tick, tick" over and over...probably because Daddy always says, "Tickle, tickle, tickle" as he tickles her big belly! 

Mobility: While she is starting to do more walking along the furniture, her favorite way to get around is definitely still the little scoot, with her left knee down on the ground and her right leg up. There will be lots of celebrating when she finally attempts a step on her own!

My little helper

I was once told that when it comes time to make Annaliese a chore chart, it should be based off of the things that I really don't like to do. That being said, I always thought she'd need to learn how to fold clothes first. I don't mind washing them...but I hate folding laundry. Or do the dishes. Again, I don't mind cooking dinner, but I really don't like cleaning up afterwards. 

However, Annaliese has decided for herself that unloading the dishwasher will actually be her first chore. See for yourself. 

This isn't a guarantee that things will always end up in the right place, but it's a start. I did find a sippy cup in the bathroom cupboard...

It's the small things that matter

Lately, Kyle and I have joked that Annaliese is in a bit of a developmental rut. We say this because at 13 months, she doesn't really talk and she only walks if she's hanging on to our hands...both hands, in fact. She will babble all day long, say 'ya!' very enthusiastically and occasionally say 'hi' appropriately, but that's about it. Every once and again there's something that sounds like "Dada" but not consistently. However, I am so amazed by why she seems to understand. When asked to say goodbye, she waves. When asked where her socks are, she grabs her toes. When she wants more to eat at lunch time, she typically points to the food still sitting out on the counter. And tonight, while we were at a friend's house, she was heading towards the stairs, which she loves to climb. All I said was, "Annaliese, you need to stay down here for now." and she turned around and crawled back to the group! I guess she's busy observing and taking everything in, rather than talking and walking!

I'm also amazed by her fine motor skills. She finds the tiniest crumb on the kitchen floor and can pick it up! She's putting toys away (although usually not in the right place!), starting to figure out how to use her spoon and loves taking the blocks in and out of her little picnic basket. 

 Aren't those pretty cute little fingers!

 Yes, she dumps her cheerios out on the floor, puts them back into the bowl, and then eats them  one at a time!

All this to say, I guess Annaliese is just doing things on her own schedule. I'll just enjoy that I don't have to chase her down and focus on the little things that she's refining. That and the fact that when you ask her where her nose is, she no longer picks her nose, but simply points! 

Just a cute picture of Annaliese hanging out with Dad!