"The Art of Napping: An alternative approach to celebrate the 4th of July" by Annalise

The 4th of July came and went without much fanfare as the day was filled with....napping. We did, however, have a wonderful BBQ at Grandma/Grandpa's where Annalise took at stab at corn on the cob. She likes corn, but this was her first cob experience.

We thought we struck kiddo distraction gold when she decided to eat each individual kernel one at a time. As she delicately twisted each kernel off, we knew this would eat up tons of time (pun intended), allowing us to eat our dinner without needing to tend to Annalise. We grinned ear to ear (pun intended again) in satisfaction, but then our smart Anna bug knew this wasn't going to meet her stomach's demand for consumption. She figured it out quickly after. Alas.

You may not know, but Annalise is actually a vacuum. If it wasn't for the pretty face, arms, and legs, you'd think she was a vacuum sucking up every last bit of food in sight. Annalise has always been good about eating, but now she REALLY enjoys eating. Always interested in whatever food is being consumed and mostly willing to shove whatever type of food in her mouth. Packed ever so tightly, Annalise loves to cram her mouth silly with food. We usually try to prevent this chipmunking-style of eating as it lends itself to choking.

Here are some pics of her in action.

Fireworks weren't going to be an option for us because of Anna's bed time. Wait a minute, what's with our neighbors setting up chairs in the street. Wowee were we in for a treat. Little did we know, we live very close to a local fireworks venue. Cool!

The day after the 4th of July, we took a trip to Mission Bay park and enjoyed the surroundings and nifty kiddo park. We'd never been Mission Bay park, despite the number of years we've lived in SD. Annalise...

Played in the sand

Went down a slide

Met a friend

Went on the swings

Took a break

Stood on a big fish

After the park, we had lunch and went to Belmont Park. Neither of us had been to this seaside amusement park. It's more a boardwalk carnival with a handful of rides. Annalise was trying to determine if she was tall enough to ride the roller coaster.

Though no roller coaster, the next best thing was the Merry-Go-Round. Annalise's very first amusement park ride and she loved it! I'll admit I wanted her to melt and cry just for the cute photo op (like this), but after 1 or 2 rounds she really started enjoying it. By the end of the ride, Anna was telling us she wanted more. Of course, we did it again, but this time Momma went.

After this it was homeward bound, cotton candy in hand (not for Annalise), blanky in position for the ride home, and our minds full of fun memories.

All by herself. :)

Thanks mama! All your hard work paid off.

At 4 months....

At 17 months...reading on her own.

The other morning mommy came into a quiet living room and found her little tot reading peacefully on her chair. How cute!

Nap Time Etude by Annalise

Some kids teeth just don't grow in...

Odd number of teeth, but still adorable!

Easter Egg Hunt

You've already seen photos, but now here's the video. We thought the Easter egg hunt was going to be a total flop for Annalise. Seriously, how was she going to learn how to hunt for eggs and then put them in her basket? See for yourself.

Communication ahoy!

At 15 months, Annalise understands a lot more than we think. We'd like to think it's because Annalise is brilliant, but perhaps it's standard development for a tot her age. A few months ago (around 12 months of age?)we realized she understood words we'd never taught her, and was also able to respond to commands and questions.

I believe our first revelation came when asking her to get the "tractor", a pint-sized plastic toy we'd only called by name a handful of times. Wouldn't you know it, she got right up, walked over to the John Deere look-a-like and brought it back with some nice diesel vrrr vrrr sounds. Well, it was more like a "aabrrrrrraaaaarrrrrrrrrruhhhh uhh rrrrr". Maybe she was replicating a misfire or something. I digress.

Her baby signs started to increase as well. Before, she was always good at flailing her arms wildly to signal "all done" and the occasional "more", but frankly, my daddy eyes questioned the sloppy signs spawning momma's excitement that our baby is 'signing to us'. Well I was wrong. Now, Annalise has since amassed the following signs and enjoys mimicking us like a mirror. Avast! Here ye Annalise's veritable cornucopia of signing repertoire:

More
Please
Thank You
Hat
Sleepy
Where?
All Done
Food
Milk
Cheese
Drink
Banana

Pretty neat huh? Yeah, I was a skeptic about the baby signs, but it really is neat. Her spoken vocabulary is more limited:

Ma ma = Mom
Da da = Dad <----I personally believe this was her first intentional word
Buh-Bye = Buh bye<----She says this the most.
Chee = Cheese
Wheh = where
Dis = This
Ba = Balloon,
Ba = Bottle
Ba = Banana
Ba = Bath
Ba = Antiestablishmentarianism (just kidding)

This doesn't include words or commands she understands, which boggles my mind as to how she learned them. Again, I cite brilliance (mom's side). Often I'll experiment and ask her to go get an object and, more often that not, she knows what I'm talking about. Some examples:

Annalise, where's your big blue fish (stuffed animal)?
Annalise, go get your towel for your bath.
Lets get some pajamas
Sit down, please
Stand up, please
Lets go outside
Time to put your shoes and socks on.
Drink your water

She packs suitcases well, too.

Happy Easter!

What a great day to be reminded that God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for you and me, and then to rise up alive and overcome death. Because of this, we can have a hope in Him despite the trials that we encounter and face daily. For Tracy and I, it's also a great reminder of the great miracle that is our Annalise.

After the never ending clean up from Easter brunch, Annalise embarked on her first Easter Egg hunt. Surprisingly, the hunt went well, without the need for parental assistance. She found them and plopped them in the basket all by herself! Has it really been a year since last Easter?

On the move.


Found one!


And another...


"Daddy and Mommy didn't hide these very well did they?!"


"I see more over there!"



"Will it fit in my basket?"


"Yep!"


Guess this egg managed to go undetected.


Spoke too soon.


Playing


"Off to play with my new toys."