Mommy Heaven

I am in mommy heaven this morning.

Yesterday, I had my 12 week appointment for Sweet Pea. They have this new device that is basically a handheld ultrasound machine. I got to see the baby doing somersaults and waving its arms. I didn't get to hear the heartbeat, but I did get to see it. So clearly, we're all healthy! The appointments the second time around are so much faster. She must have asked me 3 times if I had any questions, and I racked my brain, but none came up.

Also, we got a new doc. And so far, we love her. We talked with her at the first appointment about the whole C-section/VBAC possibility. She was straight forward with her information. I really wanted to be able to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section) this time, and she made me feel that it is an option. But, through her wisdom and gentleness, she shared with us that if the babies were 18 months apart, the risk would be too high. If the were going to be 2 years apart, the choice would be completely ours (risks are fairly even for VBAC or C-section). But at 20 months (which Sweet Pea and Annabelle will be), its hard to know. Take into consideration that the doctors could not determine why Annabelle never dropped, the doctor found that to be concerning. We also have the wisdom of Joel's uncle (an anesthesiologist), who was very concerned for us to try for VBAC. Though the decision has yet to be made, we are definitely leaning towards a planned C-section.

As for Annabelle, she is wonderful! For the first time in weeks, Annabelle and I have no where to go today. This morning I just watched her walk up and down our block. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about what a blessing she is to me, to Joel, and to our family and friends. She is something special.

catching up...oops!

It has been a long time since I have posted here. We have been enjoying our summer to its fullest potential!

Annabelle is a toddler now. She is walking and jabbering and even doing sign language! She can say please (and how is it that even through sign language she can be demanding?!), more, milk, and all done. Joel and I love to watch her develop cognitively. She is just putting the pieces of the world together. She knows where her hair, nose, eyes, toes and belly button are. She still gives a cheesy smile when you bring the camera out and squints her eyes at the light from the video camera.

Her food repertoire is expanding. She loves bananas, toast with peanut butter, Mexican rice, and today she had Thai spring rolls! Unfortunately, she's not currently digging her vegetables.

She has two naps a day, and clearly still needs them both. She sleeps anywhere between 11 and 12 hours a night. We have the occasional wake up, which I always attribute to teeth pain.

This week, she is starting to love being in the water. If she peaks out the back door and sees her pool, I can't get her out there fast enough. She mostly likes to stand in it, bend down and splash, and play with her toys. I am trying to be intentional with laying her down on her back in the water and sprawling her out on her front... she just laughs at me!

Which is the other new thing about Annabelle...she's getting her "own personality". In so many ways, it's adorable. And then there are those moments when she's melting down over a book, a shirt, the way I took her out of her bed, etc... there is no way for me to decipher what it is she wants! From what I hear, its just the age and their frustration over not being able to communicate.

The personality trait that is most clear about Annabelle is that she loves people. She is the greeting committee no matter where we are, waving at any person that she can see... no matter how far away they are. Her smile charms even the most stubborn of people. And if they take the time to talk to her, she is in heaven.

We love her more and more all the time.

I decided to include this video. It will not win me the mom of the year award. I know she can seriously injure herself crawling and walking with an object in her mouth...she survived! :) But since then, I did put the kazoo in a hard to reach spot so she can only play while being supervised...and not while walking around! It is still one of the funniest videos of her that I have! :)

Air travel with a one year old

Survived, and dare I say, thrived? I should probably not until we make the trip back.

Two days ago, I was rather anxious about our 16 hour day of travel with a baby who doesn't sleep anywhere but in a crib.

Last night at 9:30 p.m. PST, Annabelle went to sleep in a pack n play in a hotel room. Other than that, she had slept all of 1 hour the rest of the day. The best part? No crying, screaming, freaking out, or other such behavior. She made lots of new friends, had some moments of fussyness, and ate way too many puffs. I'm sure she picked up some infectious disease as I let here crawl all over the airport floor, but she needed to work off some energy.

The guys at TSA were awesome to us. Yes, that is what I said. Our car seat came back in one piece. Yep.

Not sure if it helped but we used these ear cover things we bought to protect her ears from loud noises (ie. Dad working on the house), and I remembered they mentioned they can help with air pressure in the plane. Other than needing to distract her from the large things on her head...they worked like a charm.

We were all exhausted by the end.

But one of my favorite moments for me was sitting next to her in the car on the way to the hotel. She would chit chat and then suck her thumb. And every time she put her thumb in her mouth, she would reach over and put her hand on my arm. For a baby who doesn't cuddle, it melted this mother's heart.

She is the best. And in 9 days, we get the joy of celebrating her birth. What a year...

memorial day weekend

Busy! Family visits, wedding, parades, pool, and finished projects galore!

Check this out... happy birthday to me! Joel amazes me over and over again with his abilities. You would never know this wasn't in the original home. What a gift! (To see the before picture: http://hintzadventures.blogspot.com/2011/05/p-word.html)

Annabelle was a trooper as we carted her around from place to place...even spending her first night away from us since she was a few months old. The sleepover at Grandpa's was a success!

On Monday, all the projects were complete and we had nothing on the schedule. We took Annabelle to the Memorial Day parade. She loved the bands, especially the flags! In the afternoon, we set up her pool and let her splash around. We have to watch her closely because she has absolutely no fear. She was crawling around in it and kept sticking her face in. As you can see by the next picture, she is getting brave with her standing but has yet to attempt that first step.

Looking adorable in her gear to go swimming...

We leave for California in 9 days!

Finished

Though we still have college furniture, the basement is done!!

The "P" word

In our home, that "P" word is PROJECT. Joel has a constant list of them going on in his head at all times.

A couple weeks ago, we had a small breakdown about our basement. It's been the ugliest two shades of yellow since I moved in. And since we put our only t.v. and computer down there, we see it more often than we used to. I wanted to repaint and clean out some of the junk we had been keeping. I also wanted a small corner for Annabelle to keep some toys in.

BEFORE (the beautiful model is Sarah Peterson who was my first roommate):

AFTER (This is an unfair picture but part of the basement is still getting work done, so you'll have to wait for the full finished version!) This doorway did not have any casing or molding on it before.

Joel finished the other side of the basement before Annabelle was born.

The second project is something we have discussed for a long time. We currently have no access to our backyard (small as it might be) from the inside of the house. You have to either go through the garage or the front door. Since we got married, I have been asking for a sliding door from our dining room. And I'm getting it!

Here is the before shot (the door is going where the window on the left currently is):

Once it is finished, I will present the new and improved!

The last project (for the time being) is the toy box that Joel is building for Annabelle for her first birthday. I can't wait to show it off, but again, you'll have to wait for the pictures!

Milestones

I hit a milestone. Yep. I prepared my first meal with a clingy child holding on to my legs. At night, Annabelle is wanting a little more attention than usual. The kitchen was littered with blocks and Tupperware and spoons, but Annabelle only wanted me.

Annabelle also reached a sweet milestone. She now plays "So big" with us! I'm not sure if other parents have felt this way, but it is about the sweetest thi

ng you'll ever see.

Let me show you...

What's fun for us lately, is that she's starting to see cause and effect. As in, when the camera comes out, the flash goes off. Therefore, I should blink my eyes so I don't have to see so many spots.

Evidence #1 (she's also showing off her mouth full of teeth and looking completely ridiculous!):

Evidence #2 (and what I think is cuter than the first):