Adventures in Baby Food

I wasn't sure I would do this with the second child, but the health and economical benefits are great. I started making Annelise's baby food today. Starting with vegetables supposedly doesn't let them get addicted to the sweetness of fruit. So in the next 10 days or so Annelise will get try two winter squashes and sweet potatoes. Today I made Acorn Squash. Pulling out the food processor portion of my blender and the extra set of ice cube trays sent me back to when I was doing this for Danny. I got out the wonderful, easy to follow baby cookbook (Mommy Made and Daddy too!) and got a refresher course on the introduction of new foods. Does this look familiar to any parents out there?


Annelise had an interesting time with the new taste. I wouldn't say she didn't like it, but it was definitely new to her palate. You can see the progression in these pictures. What fun!

September 30th

For some reason, Danny was fascinated by the first day of fall (which was last week). He counted down the number of sleeps, just like he counts down until his birthday, a visit from grandparents, or a special trip. In our first week of fall, we have had all kinds of weather. Wednesday we had 85 degree heat, with not too much humidity. Thursday night we had a crazy thunder storm with a huge amount of rain. This morning, it is cool and crisp.

We opened all the windows to air out our place and noticed our leaves are turning. Our property has about 20 trees, in our front, side and back yards. We have a large tree right by our front window and those are the leaves we first noticed. I snapped a couple of pictures, including Danny trying to get an orange leaf! I am actually wearing my fleece socks (aren't they great?), and it is in the low 50's this morning. So refreshing!


One of the best things about this morning is knowing that we have no plans this weekend. We hope to get some work done in our yard, and I want to make some baby food for Miss A, but other than that, no agenda!

I'm Sad...

That is what Danny said when Meema left on Tuesday. My mom was in Maryland for 6 days this last week. Danny got so much attention. He would wake up in the morning and go down to the basement (in the dark) and stand by Meema's bed and say, "Wake up, Meema!" And from that moment forward, he had someone to play with. Annelise enjoyed being held by Meema, too. We mostly stuck around our town, did some shopping, went to campus, etc. When we saw her off on Tuesday, we took the train into DC's Reagan airport, which saved us a lot of time sitting in traffic.


The kids are doing well. As you can see from the picture, Annelise is working on getting to a sitting up position from laying down. Thankfully, she is not showing any signs of wanting to crawl, but she can still get around with her stomach scoot. Danny has been enjoying school, but is always hesitant until he gets there. We love his teacher. It is so interesting to see what she does with the kids to help them learn. My view of teaching is with older kids, so it is fascinating to see Danny as a student in preschool.

Six Months

Today Annelise is six months old. I can't believe how quickly this time has gone by. Yesterday Annelise's second tooth poked through.

"Watch for Blue Lips and Shivering"

That's what someone told me about the cold weather and when to get Danny out of the snow! I thought it was amusing. I went to a new playgroup today and joined their yahoo group yesterday. I asked about clothing/weather and got plenty of great (and interesting) replies. The playgroup was a lot of fun. About 20 kids and their parents were there today. Most of the kids were younger than Danny, but there were a couple who were close in age. There were several babies Annelise's age, which has nice potential. I talked to a few parents, who were very kind and had nothing but wonderful things to say about the community. Fortunately, the playgroup is convenient to dropping off Danny for school. He had fun playing at a great park, too!

Playtime

Look what sitting up has done for our kids! Danny and Annelise can play side by side! (As long as Miss A doesn't get a glimpse of that car that she would love to shove in her mouth!)

Annelise absolutely loves this flower toy. It lights up, plays music and is light enough for her to pick up and put in her mouth! (Thanks, Wolbrechts!) It doesn't make annoying electronic toy sounds, either!

Weekend Visitors

This last weekend we had some of our family visiting us. It was so fun to have Randy's dad and Francie here to hang out. We kept it low key, which was so relaxing! We went to the aviation museum, showed Randy and Francie the U Maryland campus and pretty much just hung around our house talking and working on projects.

Danny really, really enjoyed having Grandpa and Nana Francie around. He is now at the age where he remembers the last visit and there is no "warm up" time with them. Danny just runs for their arms and is ready to spend time with them. There were some funny moments, like when Danny fell in the toilet because Grandpa left the seat up! And some touching moments, like when Danny was trying to plan a way to hide Grandpa and Nana Francie in our house so that they couldn't go home. As Danny said last week..., "Why don't we move Maryland and California closer together?" Oh I wish we could.

Sitting Pretty

Annelise is now sitting up! This is something I have been really working on with her for the last couple of weeks. I didn't want to miss the weeks where she would sit and play and not want to crawl. Somehow I missed that time with Danny... he began sitting up, crawling, standing and cruising all within a two week period. As you can see, Annelise continues to work on those teeth that are coming in!

So Happy Together

At least Annelise is happy! She just loves watching Danny play.
He can make her laugh like no one else!

Crime Scene

Thursday evening I rounded the corner to go down the stairs and found a surprise. A giraffe crime scene. I don't know where they came from, I don't know why it happened, but there were three giraffe toys (one being Annelise's) scattered on the stairs. Random act of violence? I don't think so. I asked Danny, and he could give little explanation for what had taken place on our stairway this evening.

Bejeweled Demo

I have now hit a new stage in my mommy life. My son actually has a schedule (albeit limited), and I am responsible for his transportation. Today I found myself waiting in the car (Annelise asleep in the back seat) for his preschool class to end. I realized that I am going to need a book/magazine/sewing project that is portable for these occasions. Guess what I found myself doing today? Playing the Bejeweled Demo game on my cell phone... not exactly productive, but enjoyable!

The Force Field Has Collapsed

Unfortunately, since Danny has turned three, he has become much more likely to get out of his bed when he is supposed to be going to sleep. For the last 1 1/2 years (since we turned the crib into a toddler bed), Randy and I have considered ourselves very lucky because Danny would never get out of his bed, calling for us instead. We had even nicknamed it the "force field" because he never crossed it. About a week ago we joked that it was weakening, because we could hear him tiptoeing in the hallway, but now it has officially collapsed. This morning I was woken by Danny running into my room, to our bed. Tonight seems to be an especially rough night, because Randy and I were downstairs and it sounded like we had a very large rodent moving around upstairs. I actually don't mind that Danny is seeking his own independence. My main concern is his sleeping sister!

It's a Buggy World Out There

(or at least here). Look what we found tonight outside our kitchen door. Danny was sleeping, otherwise he would have been fascinated. A praying mantis, I believe? It is definitely buggier, here in Maryland!

Computer Time

Randy and I now have to share our desktop computer with Danny! This last week (during an especially busy morning), I stumbled on the fact that Danny's mouse skills were good enough to navigate most of the Sesame Street website. Last time I really spent any time with him on the computer was before Annelise was born, maybe in March, and I had to do all the clicking. Not anymore!

First Tooth

After many weeks of drool, it has finally arrived! Annelise's first tooth made an appearance on Friday. This one has been relatively easy, no swollen gums, no middle of the night crying, just a lot of drool and chewing on EVERYTHING!

Weather Part 2

I figured out one advantage to the rainy, cooler weather (which is just a little taste of what will come later this fall). Dressing my daughter in a navy blue corduroy dress with bright floral tights! Cute!

First Day of School

Ok, so it is only preschool... but it still brings a tear to my eye!

Today was Danny's first day at preschool. It was absolutely pouring down rain, so it seemed like a major event getting out of the house. We got to school with plenty of time, and Danny and I discussed that I wouldn't be staying the whole time which he wasn't so sure about.

When we arrived in the classroom I stayed for a little while. Danny was very overwhelmed with the endless possibilities of toys and activities. After about 15 minutes I said that I was going to go. He said, "Ok!", gave me a kiss and a hug and out I walked! I decided to stick relatively close to school, so Annelise and I ran some errands and picked up Randy from work. When we got back to the school, Danny was so excited to see us, that he began crying. Come to find out, he had a few moments where he missed his mommy. Danny's teacher said she was able to console him easily, but he did cry a couple of times and said that he was sad because his mommy wasn't there.

These things take time, I guess. We have had lots of changes over the last weeks and being at a new school away from me is just one more thing to get used to. Danny said he had a lot of fun and is very excited to go back tomorrow. By next week I'm sure he'll be settled!

3 Year-Old

A season of birthdays has now ended with Danny's 3rd birthday. (Boy, am I glad Annelise's birthday is in March!) Since we have had stormy weather it was the day of inside play! We went out for lunch to Chick-fil-A, Danny's favorite, and then went to a mall with many different play areas. Danny was happy! Now he needs to get used to saying that he is 3! The day ended with an ice cream cake with Barney on top (long story on how this cake got to be so big for just the three of us, or on how the whole cake is not decorated with Barney, but Baskin Robbins made it up to us!).

Weather

That rain that I wrote about earlier this morning is actually part of a tropical storm called Ernesto. We, being north and inland, are safe, but the winds and rain are pretty fierce. Ok, ok, I know I can handle it, but I'm actually starting to get nervous about the weather in my future. Living in California my whole life and Southern California my whole adult life, I don't know what to do about "weather." The weather doesn't actually bother me as much as the fear of not knowing what to do about the weather.

Let me explain some of my fears. What if the electricity goes out for an extended amount of time? What if I send my dear son, Danny to school dressed inappropriately (and the mothers and teachers talk about me behind my back)? When should I buy boots, gloves, snow pants, etc? What kinds of clothes do you dress an infant in? Is she cold? Do I overdress her, or dress her in just a bit heavier clothes than I am wearing? Do my breastfeeding hormones affect the temperature that I feel (rendering me helpless in determining if Annelise is hot or cold)? What if I can't drive in the snow? How much extra time should I plan for when I have to drive in rain or snow... traffic is bad enough in this area without the rain or snow! Some of these things I'll figure out over time. I have decided to talk to one of the moms that I met at the preschool and to Danny's teacher and just ask them to help me with the kids' clothes. That may save embarrassment later. Those of you have lived in "weather" can laugh all you want, but I will figure it out!

Annelise is Five Months!

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time flies! She is just a sweet little baby.

Annelise is getting really good at rolling and scooting to wherever she wants to go. She can push up her little legs to get on her knees and then push her body forward, sliding on her stomach. I will set her on the floor in our living room while I am cooking dinner, and next thing I know, she is under the piano, stuck, but happy to be looking around. Soon, we will have to get a gate for the stairway and maybe a really big one, to close off the kitchen. Annelise can almost sit up unassisted. She is really beginning to interact with her toys, which has been so fun to watch!



She continues to sleep through the night, despite a cold, and she is now putting herself to sleep without being rocked/nursed to sleep. I need to wash the 9 month clothes, because as you all know, we grow them big!

Busy Times

The last week has been wonderful, but very busy!

We had friends visiting from out of town. Nancy, Andrew and their 2 1/2 month old, David, came south from New Hamphsire. We had so much fun! Nancy, the kids and I did a lot of shopping, we went to the aquarium in Baltimore, we all did some sightseeing in Washington, we visited the University campus, each couple had a "date" night (neither family has found people to watch our kids, yet!), Nancy and I went out to celebrate my birthday and 12 years of friendship, and both Randy and Andrew managed to get work done!

School started for Randy. He began teaching yesterday and feels great about the start of the school year. Danny's school year will start on Tuesday, so we have had parent meetings, school clean-up, etc. I'm feeling very good about getting the family back into a routine.

The last two days have been remarkably cooler, with rain today. Should I hope... or is it just a false start on the fall? I sincerely hope the warm, sticky weather is gone, but I won't count on it, yet.

Over the next days, I will post some pictures of our adventures!

The Desk that Was

Well, I have another desk to write about. Randy received one of his graduation gifts this last week. His stand up desk. (Who would have guessed it... Randy is fidgity and likes to stand up while working!) They almost had to take off a door to get it in the building, but it made it! Good thing they have an elevator. It is obviously the nicest piece of furniture in Randy's office! Randy loves working at it! I included a picture. Doesn't Randy look happy? He's finally doing what he has worked so hard the last seven years to do!