7 Months

Obviously the big news this month is our transition from independent sitter to aspiring crawler.  The girl wants it badly!  She is most motivated by Sam and his things - are you seeing a trend  here?  She wants something in her mouth ALL the time, sometimes she almost looks possessed trying to get that accomplished, so that is a motivation as well.  When she collapses off of her hands and knees she generally resorts to "flying."  She pulls her head, arms and legs off the ground for extended periods of time.  I'm pretty sure she's convinced this will actually get her somewhere.

At 7 months Annabelle's days go something like this: She sleeps about 11 hours at night (7:30-6:30) without waking.  She naps from 9-11 and 2-4:30, if allowed the opportunity.  Unfortunately sometimes that isn't possible, so she often sneaks a third nap in there, especially on days when I have preschool pick-up.  She nurses 5 times per day (6:30, 11, 1:45, 4:30 and 7:15, all times "ish") and eats about 3 oz of baby food at lunch and dinner time, whenever that might be.

I am finding her preferences for solid food to be in line with what you'd expect from an adult pallet.  She hated the over-cooked broccoli (who doesn't, it gets so bitter!) and prefers the roasted acorn squash to the steamed butternut squash.  That one smelled so good in the oven I almost made soup for myself instead of baby food for her!  Green veggies go down easier when mixed with a sweeter one, like carrot, and fruits are preferred over all.  Crackers are her true joy.  She received her first one from Gommy at a wedding I was in a few weeks ago - I am told the child was heartbroken when she dropped it.  I get it, for all she knew it was the only one in the whole world!  What joy she must have felt to be handed another!  Oh, and she really only eats her food warm - including bottles.  Little Miss Priss.  Sam still eats his veggies raw and/or frozen.

Still no teeth.  Not expecting any, there is a history of late teething in my family, but it sure would help her out.  She really wants to feed herself but doesn't have the pincer grip required for bit size pieces yet!

The girl has a serious hair situation going on.  The top is coming in curly.  I think that if it were longer it would form some nice spiral curls.  But it is still short, so it mostly just sticks straight up in mohawk fashion.  Headbands and bows are now more necessary than ever to help contain the crazy.  The sides and back are still really short, so we'll have to wait and see what happens with it in the long run.

I am pleased to announce that we are getting better at making her laugh.  We've found a few ticklish spots (her neck always, belly sometimes) and she loves to "fly."  After this week I can also tell you that she like to ride Sam, with adult assistance of course.

And here are the lists...

Likes:
-Chewing on anything and everything
-Neck Tickles
-Fruit and Crackers
-Holding Mommy's hair while she nurses

Dislikes:
-Broccoli
-Being left alone
-Going in and out of the car seat too many times in a row

Getting Ready...

Look out world, Annabelle has places to be!  Remember how I talked about her new sitting skills?  Well just about as soon as she had completely mastered that and we felt comfortable leaving her be in her new position, she decided she wasn't content.  Now, just about as soon as we sit her down she leans forward and pulls herself onto her hands and knees.  She has also learned to get up on her hands and knees from her belly.  Once there, she rocks and rocks.  All signs point to a crawling baby within the next few weeks. 

Watch her work!

This is going to mean new things for all of us.  Sam will have to learn to share more, and to keep up high the things he really doesn't want to go into her mouth.  I am going to have to baby-proof again.  Together we'll have to weed through the toys that just aren't safe for her and put those in a special place.  Will she be into the same things that Sam was, or will she find new things I never worried about before? 

Soccer

It appears we have entered the world of extracurricular activities - Sam has started a soccer class!  I debated a bit about signing him up for a team (the YMCA league starts at three), and then I got a postcard in the mail advertising the Soccer Shots program.  It is awesome!  The 45 minute class meets on Saturday mornings (inside a community center...A/C!).  The first half is spent with cute little drills and exercises, and the second half is a little scrimmage.  It really is the perfect introduction to the game for this little group of 12 3-4 year olds.  Other perks: no cleats or shin guards required, and Coach Alex provides all the balls.

Sam missed the first class (we were out of town) but slipped right in on week two.  We signed up with several of his school friends and he enjoys seeing familiar faces there.  He spent a good portion of this last week practicing his skills and asking me, "What's Alex's other name?"  It took me a minute before I realized he was trying to remember the word 'Coach.'  Alex is wonderful with the kids.

Here is a video of his first scrimmage.  You'll see at one point that he is concerned about a boy who fell and lost a shoe, that is his carpool buddy and classmate Leo.  Can't wait to see him progress over the 10 week "season!"

I Love You, Too!

This picture is for the woman who, three years ago, rolled her eyes and snarked, "he must be your first child" as I took a similar picture of Sam.  Look, I took a picture of my 2nd kid's first time sitting up in the grocery cart, too.  And I even remembered my camera (unfortunately the battery was dead, so this is a phone picture).

I am even making her baby food myself.  Looks like I love my second kid, too :-)

While the Cat's Away

She's been eyeing it all morning.  After all, he plays with it all the time and he is fascinating.  But he is also quick, and a bit selfish with his toys.

But he goes to preschool...

Another Year Begins

Today is Sam's first day of 3-Year-Old Preschool!  He was very excited this morning.  After some trepidation at orientation last week, he walked in this morning like he owned the place.  He didn't want to stop to take a picture with his teacher, he wanted to get right down to playing.  He may be in for an awakening when he realizes that this class is much more structured than the 2's class was!

He was made to wash his hands upon arrival this morning, before he did anything else.  Apparently this will be required every day.  I'm not sure if I'm insulted, that they think my child is arriving dirty, or pleased that the are slowing the spread of communicable disease.  What do you think?

We took a lot of pictures this morning.  Its hard to get him to smile, hold the sign still and look at the camera all at the same time.  He has really grown up since last year -he didn't even take a Lovie for nap time.

Hungry Girl

As promised, we have started feeding the little girl some solid food!  She has been demonstrating all of the signs of readiness - increased ounces at each feed, waking up earlier in the morning, interested in our food at dinner time.  Today in the church nursery she took an entire 8 ounce bottle!

Saturday was the big day.  I mixed up some baby oatmeal at lunch time and off we went!  As you'll see, she didn't really dig the taste too much.  You can use this link to access the video.  Enjoy Sam's commentary, but please excuse his excessive need to move furniture and my unfixed hair.

Tonight's dinner menu included "Fresh, ripe avocado hand-mashed with a splash of breast milk."  She took to it better than the oatmeal, especially once I thinned it out a bit.  She ate a whole slice! 

I pray that she is a better eater than her brother was/is.  I really am not sure I can handle the stresses that he caused me again.  We are off to a good start...

Game Time!

Its football season!!!!  We're ready at our house, are you?

So yes, its very difficult to get them both to sit still for a picture.  I actually kind of enjoy the movement you see in this one - fairly indicative of how things really go at our house!