Weaning

For some reason, I never thought about it. I mean, I had to wean from the pump, but that was fairly uneventful and didn't involve Annabelle.

And there in lies the problem. I forgot about the bottle. The other day I decided it was time. She's eating three meals a day and will drink from her sippy cup. I read somewhere that you can just try to go cold turkey. And as Annabelle has transitioned easily in the past, I thought this would go easily too.

But the problem isn't her. I mean, she'd clearly prefer the bottle, and eats much more when I give it to her. But the problem is me. I'm the one laying in bed at 11:30 at night considering if it is really necessary just yet, or if I introduced the cup early enough, or if I should just go right to the cup, or if I should just wait until she's one. And the bottom line is, I'm bummed.

I haven't grieved that she's growing up. Every stage of her development has been more fun than the last. And right now, she is the star of my world (and really, anyone else she encounters). But she'll barely sit in your lap long enough to get one sock on her. Except at bottle time. I will miss that time so much. And at 11:30 at night, I feel it warrants a short, but therapeutic cry.

Sunday night, as we were literally walking Annabelle upstairs for bedtime, the sirens went off. We knew there was a storm coming, but didn't expect that. Being the worrier that I am, I turned us right back around and asked Joel (maybe forcefully) to put up her pack and play. She usually has no problems sleeping there, but that night she wasn't having it.

This posed us with a slight problem. For those of you that don't know Annabelle personally, she's not much for relaxing in your arms and drifting off to sleep. No, it goes more like the battle to keep a slippery, wet fish in your hands.

And that's how it started. I laid down on the couch with her with the tv muted so that I could keep an eye on the storm. She would watch the tv and then glance over at her dad and then watch tv and then writhe her body around to see the lightning through the windows and then watch the tv. Slowly I started to notice she was giving up.

So I began to hum "you are my sunshine", which is the song I always sing to her at bedtime. She would lay here head down on my chest and begin to make noises, as if mimicking the noise she could hear from my chest. It made me giggle. Which made her fake laugh in hope that I would giggle again, which I did, and the cycle continued for long enough that I could recognize, and memorize, what was happening. My heart warms now just remembering.

And she eventually fell asleep. And I held her until I knew I had to put her in her bed.

And even though I will miss our times with the bottle, I am praying for times when there will be no bottle, but only a need for safety, or warmth, or just plain cuddle time. And though those times may only come once in awhile, they will be ours alone.

My girl's a reader!

Not quite yet, but she's a page turner, so we're heading in the right direction. This video may be long and boring to some, but I know we have family that will appreciate it! I am proud of her... but especially love the cheesy smile she keeps flashing for the camera. I actually think she's squinting her eyes due to the bright light coming out of the camera. This is just two videos from last night of her reading, and then crawling.

Weekend getaway

Potbelly roast beef.

Caribou.

Lou Malnati's deep dish. Free appetizer.

Flaco's Tacos (amazing find).

Tuscany in little Italy. Butternut squash ravioli with browned butter and nuts.

Dunkin' Donuts.

Italian beef sandwiches with the Lullo's.

Is it bad that I judge a successful trip on the quality of food consumed? Based on the above menu...our trip received an A+!

Annabelle and the city of Chicago are now BFF's. She loved it so much she chose not to do much napping, but was an incredibly well behaved and happy girl. I continue to be proud and impressed by her everyday!

Joel and I got the gift of going out on a date on Saturday night (thanks to Auntie Carrie!). We boarded up on the Blue Line and headed towards Little Italy where we had a fabulous dinner at Tuscany's. Then we ventured to the Redhead Piano Bar. May not seem like a big deal to most, but due to many trips to the Hard Rock Cafe with my family in younger years, I had always wanted to try it. Very fun!

All in all, we came home well fed and exhausted. And closer to each other.

Appointment

Believe it or not, We have had an eventful couple of days. Well, in Annabelle terms, anyway.

Yesterday she gave me a big surprise when she decided to push up on all fours and, slowly and methodically the way she does everything, begin to scoot her legs and arms. Crawling. Though she hates it. She whines with each move of her limbs. But let her hold onto your fingers and she is ecstastic.

Today was the doctor visit. She's big. 20 lbs, 2 oz. 27.75 inches. Ear infection cleared up. Doc not worried if she wants to walk before she fully starts crawling. No shots...hurray! And he basically told me to trust myself regarding food...clearly she's eating okay! I let her drink out of a real cup the other day. She kinda liked it, but the mess is a lot to deal with. She's getting better with the sippy cup, so we may start to wean out the bottle a little bit.

Our little family is a true thing of joy. Joel is an adoring father, and as mentioned before, the feeling is mutual. The rhythm of our life is healthy and moving right along to summer.

This weekend we are embarking on another little adventure. Our vacation time this year is filled with extended family trips and bear hunting for Joel. In a desire to still get in a family vacation with the three of us, we are heading to the Windy City. I know that sounds crazy since we are near there all the time, but we never get the chance to get down to the city. It's close and convenient for a quick trip, and we even have free babysitting one night! To all my family and friends near there, we love you dearly, but are really looking forward to the time jus the three of us. Hopefully we'll be back soon for visiting with family and friends!

525,600 minutes

Well, not quite. I don't know what the math would be for 9 months, but it's been lot of minutes!

Annabelle is nine months today! As one of my friends so aptly put about her daughter, she's been outside now as long as she was inside!

And we're crazy about her. Her smile, her expressions, her toes, her chatter...we can even tolerate the snot and spit up because of our love for her.

One of my favorite moments with her is when she sees her daddy walk through the door at the end of the day. She takes a moment to let it all register and then, a smile that could light up the worlds breaks out across her face. Her arms start to wave and her feet start to kick. As much as we love her, I like to think the feeling is mutual.

Speaking of waving, Annabelle is starting to wave at people. Or, at least she's mimicking the waving people do at her.

And she's cruising. Crawling, that's for babies...I don't crawl mom. But put me on my little feet and I'm the happiest little girl. With support, either someone's hands or a piece of furniture, she moves those little feet to explore the world. Not sure how things are going to develop from here, but crawling isn't happening in the near future!

We take her to the doctor this week...look for a report after that.

Happy 9 months in this world, my sweet Annabelle.

My Outside World

My family, for the most part, is my world.

But I have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved with Young Life (http://www.younglife.org/) for over 13 years now. And with the help of my husband, I have been able to continue hanging out with some awesome high school friends even as a mom.

On Mondays nights, I kiss my husband and little girl while they're eating their dinner, put my guitar on the seat where Annabelle is usually attempting an escape from her car seat, and head towards Neenah.

I meet with some crazy adults who feel similarly as I do, and then we wait. As the time approachs, we set up sound systems and overhead projectors. We sing along to Taio Cruz and Katy Perry and drink as much caffeine as possible.

And before long, they come. Usually in pairs. Usually through the back door. They feel comfortable, almost at home. They eat whatever we leave out for them and know exactly where to find the drinks. When critical mass seems to have entered, they come on up.

Their energy, even on a Monday night, is contagious. Since I lead music, I get to stand up front and watch as they run across the room, fighting over the two couches, with the look of anticipation.

They are incredible. We play games, sing songs, and when the time has come, we talk about Jesus. Nothing gets old about that. "The basics" we call it. But do we need anymore than that? He was and is and will be incredible, miraculous, God.

And then the best part, we sit and talk and listen to music. They play ping pong and cards and hang around as long as they want. They keep me young.

Tonight we have our annual Young Life fundraising banquet. Though it is not meant to be for me, I always leave encouraged and reminded of why I do this in the first place.

March Madness

Anyone who lives in Wisconsin (or anywhere in the midwest) will tell you that winter is long. Some make the best of it with skiing and sledding and cross country skiing. But even those people are starting to get squirmy right now. And those of us with small people in our homes may be even more itchy to get out. This mom definitely is. Annabelle will love to get outside...all kinds of new things to discover and touch and inevitably, put in her mouth. Oh, and the parks, so many, so little time.

But we did our best to make the best out of winter. One of the keys to our sanity in January and February was swim class. That's right...Annabelle took swim class at 6 months old. Through that class and Book Babies at the library, we made some new friends. Here is Annabelle with Kallyn and Sawyer (and mommys Denyal and Caitlyn).

We have had playdates and lunch dates and visitors. Recently, I agreed to do some subbing at a local private school where Annabelle will be at the childcare right in the building.

But between now (Annabelle is 8 months old) and the last time I posted, so much more has happened. I was able to pump until Annabelle was six months and she had milk until her 7th month. Though I wish she was still receiving milk...life is much less complicated now. Formula has one thing going for it - convenience. Not a selling point, but definitely a plus. Adding solids was a breeze with this little hungry monster...she loves to eat, and in particular loves to feed herself.

Annabelle has so much personality. She's clapping (well, really close), standing, pushing herself around, chatting, and so much more. Her personality is becoming more apparent the older she gets. She loves people! And that is an understatement. She loves to sleep, but wakes up with a smile. Bath time is the highlight of her day. Here is a video of her attempting patty cake with her Grandma L.


Hopefully as I keep up, my writing will be more eloquent or at least, interesting. For now, I just wanted to get an update on here.

The anniversary of my grandmother's death just passed. Here is what I had to say about that: http://www.carpentertradition.blogspot.com/.