the gillette's

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

A Week with Grandma Kelley and Grandpa Jay

While we were in Hawaii, Annaliese was having fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We received a picture or video every day and it looked like they were having fun! Annaliese got to pet the dogs, play with rocks and Grandma tried very hard to convince Annaliese that walking was a good way to get around...I'm not sure Annaliese believes it. She wore a hole in the knee of her jeans from scooting around so much!

Kyle and I got back on Friday night and we stayed for the weekend...Auntie Sarah and Uncle Jon were out of town, so cousin Reed was hanging out at Grandpa and Grandma's house too!

We brought back both the kiddos little Hawaiian outfits...they weren't so sure about them!

Great Grandma Joan gave Annaliese this adorable little outfit:)

Aloha from Oahu

Kyle and I have been talking about how fun it would be to go on a vacation with friends...so last week we made it happen! We spent a week on Oahu with our friends Steve and Michelle while Annaliese spent a week with Grandma and Grandpa Gillette. I think it worked out well for all involved! Grandma and Grandpa seemed to be having a good time, and it sounds like Annaliese didn't miss us too much either. She even got to hang out with cousin Reed for a few days!

Kyle and I rented bikes for a day before Steve and Michelle arrived...Honolulu is not a very bike-friendly area!

We spent a day on the beach in Waikiki

Kyle and I went on a hike to a waterfall...the hike was gorgeous; the waterfall wasn't that impressive

Michelle, Steve, and I hiking up the path towards Diamond Head

We spent a day up on the North Shore...apparently the area is famous for their Garlic Shrimp Shacks...and by shack they mean 'truck.' So we tried it out...it was an experience.

Kyle and I decided to venture out to Goat Island...we were able to wade/swim out to the island and then walk around it...the waves on the other side were very impressive!

Eating pineapple ice cream at the Dole Plantation

A day at Pearl Harbor

"Mighty Mo"

We toured the U.S.S. Missouri, a battleship that was the location of the surrender in World War II and continued to be used up until 1992.

I must admit, it was a little bit weird to be away from Annaliese for an entire week, but it was actually quite nice at the same time. We had a very relaxing week and had such a good time. There is no way we could have done everything we did if she was around!

Thanks for coming along, Steve and Michelle! And thanks for hanging out with Annaliese, Grandma and Grandpa!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

15 month update

We had our 15 month check-up last week and the doctor says Annaliese looks good and is very smart! I decided to quit weighing her at home, because our scale at home is quite different from the one at their office...she weighed in at 18 pounds, 13 ounces this week, which drops her below the 3rd percentile! She seems to be getting a bit taller though, as her height is up to the 15th percentile! She's also working on 3 molars, which has been a bit rough on all of us!!

I love watching her sleep! She looks so cute and cuddly:)

Auntie Kelsey and Uncle Ben gave Annaliese the book Curious George Rides A Bike. To go along with the book, Auntie Kelsey made this dress for Annaliese...if you look closely, you'll notice the bicycles on the material!

Monday, February 25, 2013

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!

Monday, February 18, 2013

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!

Friday, February 15, 2013

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!!