Cold, colder, coldest

Last weekend we took a trip to Mt Baker with Gramma, Grampa, Uncle Scott and Aunt Natalie. We met our friends the Abernethy's and Rosenlunds as well. I was very excited about this trip for multiple reasons. First, I missed the ski season last year (it is frowned upon to ski while pregnant). Second, I wanted Anya to spend some quality time with her grandparents and Uncle and Aunt. And third, I knew I would have lots of help with "little miss" as I have come to call her. We rode up with my parents on Thursday and Myles drove up after work on Friday. On Friday I watched Anya as everyone else enjoyed a beautiful day up on the hill. Not to worry I had two beautiful days ahead of me right? WRONG! Saturday my parents volunteered to watch Anya and we headed up in the rain to ski (this is never a good thing especially if you are only 30 minutes from the hill). We lasted about 2 1/2 hours before we decided it was too wet and the snow was really mushy and warm. Oh well, we enjoyed some skiing with friends and family and even had a beer in the lodge.

Saturday night we had everyone over to our cabin for dinner. I started to feel lousy but trudged right through it. By the time we went to bed I was feeling really crappy and Anya was breathing labored with a nose full of snot. She had been sleeping very well in her pack and play up to this point. Both Myles and I hardly slept listening to the poor girl snore and snortle every few minutes. By Sunday morning it was still raining on the hill but that didn't matter because we were heading home with a sick kid and a sick mom.

Visions of our bed and Anya in her own room played in our heads as we started the 3 hour drive home. Anya slept nearly the whole way which was much better then the crying fits we endured driving up with my parents. Arriving home we unpacked and turned on the heat. As we continued to unpack our cold house was not warming up.

Here is where it gets really fun.

Myles messed with our furnace for a good hour before he admitted he could not fix it and we had to call a repair man. We packed ourselves back up (because a 55 degree house is no where for a sick baby and sick mommy to hang out) and went to my parents.

At this point the repair man was coming Monday and we figured we would be back in our house after our Boat Show presentation on Monday night. NOT SO!! The repair man had bad news- our furnace had bit the dust. After our seminar at the boat show we returned to my parents to sleep again. My dad was also sick with the same thing Anya and I had so we were all quite a group. Long story short we just came home yesterday (Thursday) so it was a full week of Anya not sleeping in her crib. Things got pretty harried at my parents with her naps not working and bed time a challenge. Poor thing woke up 6 times on Tuesday night (so that means mommy did too for those of you not catching on).

Our house is warm and we are officially 24 hours back into our groove and life is much better. Both Anya and have finally started to feel a bit better, but poor daddy has it now. Grampa is on the mend but Gramma has it now too.

Quite a week- I have to say I'm glad it is over. My parents were so gracious to have us bunked out for so long and I know it wasn't a picnic for anyone. A sick baby reeks havoc on all lives she touches! BEWARE!!!!!

On other news, Anya is climbing the stairs like a champ. She has no concept that she could fall down them and you have to be behind her the entire time but she gets VERY proud of herself when she gets to the top.

She also plays with Boone. His nasty, smelly, slobbery toys are preferred especially if they are still warm from his mouth. She chases him around and he plays keep away eventually allowing her to play with his toy. It is hilarious to watch. Anya might have some doggy tendencies though. After watching and learning from Boone she carries his toys around in her mouth as she crawls. She also rolls around in his bed just like her best dog friend. She thinks he is her big brother!

ER visit

We had some excitement last week. Anya had her first visit to the ER after eating mangoes and yogurt. She has had mangoes several times in the past so we still are not sure what triggered the reaction. Basically she was eating and got very cranky. She had pureed mangoes and some cut up fresh mangoes. After finishing that we decided to try some Yo baby yogurt. After the first spoonful she began violently vomiting and did not stop until ALL contents were out of her little tummy. This in itself was frightening because witnessing your baby puke is scary and you feel very helpless. After the initial incident subsided we noticed hives breaking out on her face and neck. At this point we decided it was time to pack her up, head toward the ER and call the doctor.

As a child I had a severe allergic reaction to a soft cooked egg and remained allergic to eggs for most of my childhood. I was concerned that Anya was having a similar reaction and I did not want her to go into anaphlaxsis (your mouth and throat swell making it impossible to breathe). Once we arrived near the hospital the doctor on call had called us back as we sat in the Whole Foods parking lot debating whether or not to actually go to the ER. At this point Anya's hives had subsided and she was babbling and breathing normal. The doctor listened to our explanation of the incident and advised us to go to the ER just to be sure her lunges were functioning fine and to ease our mind.

So into Overlake ER we go and have a great experience. We are in and out in one hour and of course Anya was perfectly fine with just a red rash left on her face. She was cooing and talking to all the nurses and doctors making us look like foolish first time parents rushing a perfectly healthy child to the ER. Had the doctor not instructed us to go into the ER we would have returned home and felt better, but since we had been basically told to go we felt we should obey.

We have avoided mangoes fearing this was the main cause of her reaction. Just to try again we gave Anya a very small amount of Yo baby this week during the day (when the doctors office is open) and with Benadryl on hand. She did not want to eat it which was the first sign for us that perhaps this was the perpetrator. She ate one or two very small bites, then smeared it on her hand and rubbed her face. About 5 minutes later everywhere the yogurt had come into contact with her skin she had red spots and a few hives. So obviously there is something in the yogurt that doesn't agree with her but the hives are mainly topical and don't seem to be anywhere else then where the yogurt has physically touched. We are baffled and will most likely see an allergist to determine whether she is indeed allergic to dairy (god we hope not!)

After the traumatic evening we spent a relaxing Saturday at Oma and Opa's in Gig Harbor. Later in the evening we celebrated Myles's 31st birthday with his parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers in law, nieces and nephew, and my folks. It was a great dinner and Anya had a blast with her cousins once again.

Crawling and da da da

As previously mentioned the crawling phase has begun. She is slow right now so I can look over at her every few moments and still feel that she is safe. As the weeks roll by however she is gaining speed. I have a feeling my life as I know it is soon to end.
She has been teething lately so crankiness has reared its evil head. It is as if my docile, beautiful daughter turns into a whining she-devil at the drop of a hat. I imagine it must be terribly painful to cut teeth but man does it set her off.
Eating is going well- she tries new things all the time and has yet to reject any type of food. I am introducing some spice and flavor this week. Today she had curry sweet potatoes and squash- sounds good huh! She LOVED it. I also pulverized Cheerios (grandpa's suggestion) and mix that with milk. It is a delectable dish to little Anya.
I have a lot video so I will post most of them. It is fun to see her in action now, crawling, playing and making noises.
She started saying da da da da last week which of course Myles takes full credit for. Ma ma ma is not coming yet but I'm sure she will be saying it soon. Da da da is said for anything though; me, the dog, Myles, the car, the ball, so she really isn't saying "daddy" yet (no body tell Myles!)


Naked time is fun time. Anytime she is cranky a simple way to put a smile on her face is to take her clothes off. She is, after all, a classy lady.
Not a whole bunch more to report, just wanted an excuse to post more pics and videos.

7 month stats

The results are in:
Anya weighs a whopping 14 lbs 6 oz placing her in the 25% for weight
She is 26 inches long- 50% in height
Her head size is in the 55% - must be all those brains like her mom! :)

Crawling into 2010

It's official- she's crawling. Anya waited until the first day of the new year to crawl forward a few feet towards a toy. Like all things baby, this crawling started slowly, now only 4 days into it she is already speedy. Time to child proof- UGH! Things that are especially interesting and crawl worthy so far are: Anya's reflection in the mirror, Boone (much to his chagrin), bright toys that light up, toys that rattle, wooden spoons, Tupperware, mom's toes (I think a foot fetish is beginning), and of course the electric heater and cord in her room.

We have attempted to catch the crawling on video but she is being tricky and only crawls when the camera is turned off. Stay tuned for some action shots, I'm sure we will get some soon.

She also hit the 7 month mark on Jan 2nd. We have her "6" month check up today so I will be able to report her "scores" later. I am interested to see where she falls in the height/weight percentiles now.

Christmas was wonderful. She enjoyed the parties and can stay up fairly well as long as it is a social event. We are encouraging a later bedtime (around 7) and the parties helped. The presents were a hit but as expected the wrapping paper, tissue paper, and ribbon were much more entertaining at the time of unwrapping. We spent Christmas Eve at our home with both sets of grandparents and Anya's aunts, uncles and cousins. As an aside, I witnessed a funny interaction between cousin Chloe (3) and Anya. Anya coughed and Chloe politely reminded Anya she is supposed to cover her mouth when she coughs- hilarious! Hopefully Chloe will continue to educate Anya on the finer points of social etiquette as she grows.

Christmas day was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's with Uncle Scott and Aunt Natalie. Among the many gifts Anya received were books, shoes, clothes, and lots of toys that make LOTS of noise. I guess all those annoying loud toys I bought for Brayden, Kaitlyn and Chloe that I thought were funny at the time are coming back to bite me! As a family tradition at Christmas dinner we always have poppers and Anya wore her hat like a champ- one of the family.

New Years was spent with the Freemans and Bhatias. Lydia and Anya went to bed at 7, but Anya decided to wake up just in time for the celebration. So she toasted in the New Year with us and watched the fireworks explode off the Space Needle all in the comfort of her jammies!

2010 is going to bring so much adventure. I can't wait for Anya to begin walking, talking, running, and SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. All of which I'm sure will occur during this next year.

Christmas Elf

It's almost here.... our first Christmas with Anya. I have to say, even though she won't really "get" Christmas for a few more years it still is fun having a baby to share the holiday with. I didn't go crazy with presents for her figuring she will be more interested in the wrapping paper and ribbon anyway.

What has Anya been up to lately. Well she sits up totally unassisted and has been doing this for some time now. She is almost crawling. She gets on her hands and knees and slides forward. Backwards she can really get around but the forward movement is still slow moving.

She talks A LOT! I wonder where she gets that from? :)
Basically she makes one main sound- it is a mix between a growl and a roar. She demonstrates it here in this video. We call it her Pterodactyl noise and hopefully she will add some more sounds to her vocabulary soon.

Our daughter is a narcissist. She loves her own reflection and kisses herself in the mirror when ever you allow her to get close enough. Actually one of the only things she will make a real effort to crawl towards is her own reflection in the mirror. But hey, who can blame her, she is the center of our universe now and thinks that is just great!

We have been busy feeding the little monster. She basically eats anything put in front of her at this point. We have introduced squash, sweet potatoes, yams, avocado, banana, apple, pear and other misc items. We usually mix it with cereal but sometimes she chows on the veggies or fruit solo. It is a messy endeavor and she of course enjoys it more when she has the food in her hair and on her clothes. Myles and I tease about designing a suit that is similar to what adults wear to go into crawl spaces- a light weight zip up with a hood- to put over babies outfits when they eat. We would leave the face and hands exposed but nothing else. They would also be disposable so no laundry either. Sounds like a good idea huh!

Her laughter is contagious and can be brought on by the most ridiculous things. Sometimes all it takes is a look from me and she cracks up. She is ticklish and loves to have people "eat her feet". We played this game in the grocery store yesterday and she was hysterically laughing causing those around her to smile and giggle as well. We try to spread the cheer since she is such a happy baby!

We went and saw Santa a few weeks back and she was happy to sit on his lap. I'm not sure what she asked for but I'm sure she will get it!

She still wakes once during the night and I feed her. It is not that bad to wake up once for 15 minutes and I really enjoy our quiet time together. Since she is so busy now during the days, this is our only time to cuddle. I NEVER thought I would still WANT to wake up at night to feed my baby- oh what a change of perspective.

One of her favorite activities is sitting on our bed and eating my pajamas while I get ready.

Anya has had her Christmas with Myles's side this past weekend and spent some time with her cousins. It is fun to see all the kids together and Anya just loves them all.

Traveling with Anya

Lots to update: Anya successfully flew to LA and back without major incident. It is difficult to fly with a baby. It starts with the packing.... a three day trip to LA should require no more then a carry on bag and a purse right? WRONG when you take a baby you have more stuff then you thought possible. From bibs to diapers, toys to breastpumps- everything must go.

Security is an interesting process now. Not only do you still have to nearly disrobe yourself in front of perfect strangers but you must remove the baby's coat and shoes as well. Was there a baby shoe bomber.....I think not. Safety first yada yada yada. So we wake our peacefully sleeping child, remove her from the car seat and take most of her clothes off. Meanwhile no one is telling me what to do with the collapsible snap and go and car seat. Do I wheel it through the metal detector? At least I was smart enough to take the baby out. Oh no, you must break down the entire stroller and somehow shove it through the conveyor belt detector. Once on the other side of the x-ray machine they confiscate my bottle of breast milk to test it. We are busy passing Anya back and forth, reconstructing our stroller, putting our shoes and clothes back on, what a mess.

So the major message in all this is PLEASE be patient with the people in line traveling with children- it is much harder on them then it is on you to wait a couple extra minutes while they try to organize themselves. OK I'm getting down off my soap box now.

The plane ride was fine. Myles would get up (if the seat belt sign allowed him too) to swing Anya if she was getting fussy and needed to sleep. I fed her on take off and the pressure change never seemed to bother her on the way up or down. There was very little crying either way but that was mainly due to our maintenance of the situation trying to head off any fussiness before it began. Kudos to those that travel singly with their baby, I don't know how you do it.

LA was nice and a bit warmer than here- the Ritz at Marina Del Rey was gorgeous as expected. We were excited to swim but the pool was too cold and the hot tub too warm so we took a swim in the bathtub. The groom was one of Myles's good buddies and Myles was in the wedding. Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner and left the babies with some sitters the Ritz recommended. Along with Anya we had the Piskel's baby Lucy, and the Boswell's baby Owen all staying at the Ritz. When the babysitters arrived none of us wanted to leave our kids with them. They were scary to say the least. But we had no choice so off to dinner we went leaving our precious babies with scary strangers. We called every hour or so and within a three hour window all three babies had woken up at least once. The hardest part was knowing we would be leaving them again the next night for even longer. Thankfully the wedding was at the Ritz so we could check in and the second set of babysitters were so much better.

If you can't tell from the pictures we spent a lot of time in our hotel rooms and Anya loved all her time on the king bed. She and Lucy had a great time playing together too.

Returning to Seattle on Sunday we were exhausted and so was Anya. Her schedule was all wacky and none of us had slept that well but we all had a great time.