Sweet 16

Anika is 16 months today. This past month she just barely figured out how to climb on top of the ottoman and launch herself over the arm of the couch in order to stand on the sofa. Today, however, she forgot how to do it. I must admit, I am not disappointed that she cannot remember how, but I am surprised.

At the moment she is a bit miserable. She has a stuffy nose and a cough and a horrible diaper rash, all of which seem to stem from the fact that she is getting all 4 pointy little canine teeth simultaneously. Up until now we haven't had much of an issue with teething. She is a pretty easy going good natured little champ. But this one is a bit harder on her. poor thing.

I posted last month about all of her words. Well she has lots more words now, and is getting to be a pretty good mimic. My current "favorite" word is when she asks for her Bib. It sounds a lot like "boob" and I just picture myself trying to explain that one in public. Monty is May may, Bridget is BB or Babbette, Da da and Mama are obvious, even though she used to say Daddy. She asks for nack when she needs a snack and says day day instead of thank you and peas instead of please, but uses please and thank you in the appropriate spots of the conversation. Her favorite song is "hush little baby". She hates getting her diaper changed most of the time, loves brushing her teeth, LOVES shaking the bell ornaments while we sing jingle bells.

Still is a big fan of bathtime, and adores her ponies from great Aunt Chan. The pink pony gets carried around the house while Anika yells "NAY". The brown rocking horse gets ridden, and Anika can mount the pony and make him sing all by herself - though she sometimes needs help getting down.

She can eat applesauce from a bowl with a spoon all by herself and probably 2/3 of the applesauce gets to her mouth. Just this week she has started furrowing her eyebrows to tell me she does not like the question I am asking her or she is not pleased.

Ani adores music of almost every kind. Loves to dance, clap, and is trying very hard to get the sign language right for "sing" so she can tell me when she needs a song. She gives kisses on command (or request) and loves to play chase up and down the hallway, though she prefers it if you chase her. Curtains are a big guilty pleasure, as mommy is displeased with playing in them but they are so much fun to hide in. Today I was wearing a long sweater and she decided to hide in that since I have moved all the curtains out of reach.

Most nights she wakes up once or twice before we have gone to bed, but she sleeps through the night until morning. Probably mommy and daddy are noisy with our tv watching and talking. She is very cuddly and still loves to be in the wrap that Jenna made for us while I am cooking dinner or we go for a walk. Hopefully she will still love it after being cooped up on the planes at Christmas time.

She used the potty for the first time this month. Mostly it was accidental, but after she pooped on the floor while getting down onto the potty, she did manage to pee in the potty. It was very exciting. Anika was a bit scared so we have not had a repeat performance. Plenty of time for that later. She does love to sit on the potty, naked or clothed, and we read books and sing.

I hope you have enjoyed this little update. Its good to remember how wonderful it is to have a 16 month old. I want her to stay 1 forever. It is so lovely. We are better rested now, and enjoying each other's company. This week has been hard with the teething and cold, but most of the time she is a joy and I can't imagine my life without her. So in case we don't meet again this month on the blog - Happy Christmas to all!

Phillips Family Photos

We took photos this summer while we were visiting my brother Dave and his family, but I don't think I have posted them yet. So here they are. Enjoy.

Words Words Words

It seems that 14 months is a time when toddlers often pick up new words. I thought it would be a good exercise to try and remember what words Ani is saying, what she is signing, etc. If I don't write it down now, I will never remember.

So,

words she can say:
Bah (ball)
Daw (dog)
on
on (sometimes it means again)
awlp (help)
MMMMoooore (more)
moo
Neigh
Daddy
yesh (yes)
nnnnoooooh (no)
nnnnooooh (nose - I know, it sounds the same as no, but the z sound isn't there yet. this is usually accompanied by pointing at her nose)
Ah dun (all done)
AAAAHHHHHHH (I am very frustrated right now!) - ok, so that isn't a word. But she is definitely using this one very often and trying to communicate so I felt it belonged here.

words she can sign:
more
light
milk
water (she can't actually do this sign yet. BUT, when I do the sign she makes a very specific hand motion not at all the same as mine, which I believe is her attempt to do the sign. So, she can sign water, but it is just a sign she has made up on her own)
food
please (this one is adorable - usually very emphatic and done with both hands, just in case mommy isn't getting the hint)
shoe
all done

Hope you have enjoyed the vocabulary update.
:)

And finally some pics.

Ani and her little buddy playing with water in the bathtub. Aren't they adorable?

Its music day! Heart and soul anyone?

Ani and her Aunt Sarah just before Sarah has to head back to the airport.

My happy girl rolling around on the floor just a day or two ago. Look at all those teeth!

Why all 1 year olds should have a Dog

1. No need for Mommy to sweep after meals
2. someone who will eat the asparagus when you don't want to
3. there's always a friend to cuddle with, even if he doesn't like it and growls
4. there's always someone to follow around the yard
5. a buddy to sleep under the crib and chase away monsters

13 months

Well, I have more video and pics to post, but unfortunately up until a few minutes ago, I misplaced my camera. So you will just have to wait.

Ani is 13 months now and she is quite a character. She walks around regularly now - and has mostly given up crawling altogether. Last week she discovered running, which is so cute since it ends in lots of tumbles. I am sure it will get less cute when she gets faster, but for now it is adorable. Her arms are still in the air like frankenstein's monster in order to maintain balance, so if she keeps that up we may have to dress her like a monster for halloween and have her walk around the neighborhood.

After much debate, we have decided not to delay most vaccinations. Perhaps this is not much of a choice for most people, but there is compelling anecdotal evidence to suggest that waiting a few years on the vaccines is not a big deal and may be beneficial. We have chosen not to wait for the very simple fact that our pediatrician recommends we don't, and many of the early vaccines are for diseases that could be fatal if an infant catches them. We considered not immunizing her for chicken pox, which is recommended now, simply because it appears to be a stronger immunization if the just gets the disease in childhood. But since she is too little to respond when we tell her to stop scratching, we decided it would be best to give her the first dose, and then decided later if we want her to have the booster, or just be exposed to the disease after that.

So... this means that right now Anika is covered almost head to toe in little red spots. Apparently one mild but common side effect for both the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and chicken pox vaccinations is the appearance of spots that resemble the disease we are immunizing her from.

She is also enjoying playing each weekday with her buddy Bridget. They are just one month apart and very cute together. They are learning how to hug, and while one child usually ends up falling down and crying, they seem to enjoy it and keep trying. They are also just big enough to take turns riding on our little push airplane and pushing each other up and down the hallway, which is super adorable.

At 18 lbs 15oz fully clothed, she is still in the 5th% for her weight, 50th% for height, and 75th% for head size. An interesting combination, no?

As far as words go, Anika has made great progress with nodding. She now mostly knows the difference between nods and shaking her head no so it is easier to figure out what she wants. She can also ask for more using sign language, which she does regularly.

Most excitingly for mommy, she has begun to put herself to sleep with Mommy sitting near her crib, instead of rocking forever. It also means she is going longer in her crib at night, hooray!

She has now cut 10, possibly 11 teeth altogether. The last 2, possibly 3 molars have come in the last 2 weeks. We were surprised because she skipped the pointy incisor teeth and went straight to the first molars, but apparently that is what is supposed to happen. Go figure. All the other teeth were right next to each other but the pediatrician probably knows what she is talking about so I am not sorried.

Well, as the laptop battery is dying, this shall end the post today. Much love to all

Happy Birthday Anika

Ani turned 1 year old today, and I think she had a pretty special day. It actually started yesterday. We had a pre-birthday trip to King's Dominion to play in the water park. Aunt Sarah is here visiting so we took Sarah to the water park and we took turns going down slides and playing with Ani in the pools and kid parts of the park. Anika LOVED being in the water, and had a great time. I am happy to report that even though it was quite hot outside, there were no sunburns for baby.

Then, and this is most exciting, she celebrated by sleeping in her crib in her own room all by herself all night long for the very first time. It was WONDERFUL. Of course we cuddled a bunch extra during the day today to make up for the lost cuddle time.

Today we stayed in the house and played. Anika had cake before dinner with strawberries on top. She loved the strawberries but was not into the cake at all. I guess we are doing something right.

I hope you enjoy the video.

July update - 11 months

Well, we are off visiting relatives, which for the most part seem to be the folks who read the blog anyway (sorry Jenna, Stephanie, and Karie). This week we are with the Phillips family in Cathlamet, WA. Apparently instead of celebrating the fourth of July, in Cathlament they have Bald Eagle's Day today and the town fireworks will take place this evening. Ani is now 11 months old and getting bigger every day.

She's mostly done with baby food and willing to eat just about any kind of adult food we can cut into small pieces. She says "hi" to everyone we meet, and some inanimate objects. She can also say Daddy very clearly and sometimes she can say "yay" "whee" "yeah" and "doggy". She loves the kitten at her grandparents house. The kitten is named Zoe and Anika adores playing with her. So far Zoe is very gentle and never puts out her claws so she and Anika are good friends.

On Monday we will fly to LA for a week to visit my brother Dave and his family, which should also be fun and exciting. Well, that's about it for now.

Packing, Packing

I know it has been over a month since the last post, and I do apologize - I have been so remiss. But I am merely writing to tell you I shall be remiss some more. My digital camera is not near my computer so I cannot load any pics I may have taken in the last month to update you.

Anika has 7 teeth now - 4 on top and 3 on the bottom. She was 10 months old today, which is a wonderful age. Last night as i was getting ready for bed (Mike was out), she woke up and cried for me, so I sat on the bed and patted her tummy and she scooted her little body next to my leg and went right back to sleep.

It was a nice little moment. All she needed was to snuggle with her mommy and then she was safe and comfy and cozy and ready to drift off to dreamland again. I of course promptly abandoned her to finish getting ready for bed, but then we cuddled together for a while as she slept and I thought how wonderful it is to be a mom to a little person who is happier just being next to me than anywhere else in the world.

So we are packing up all of our belongings, because the summer of travel has almost begun! First we will move out on June 23rd and spend one night in a hotel (as my last day of work for the summer is not until June 24th). Then we will spend just under 3 weeks at the lakehouse (aka my parent's house in NC). After that it is off to Washington state to show the Phillips side of the family how much Anika has grown and spend some time catching up with all of them. It sounds like Jon will even be there so it will be one big family reunion.

After 1 week there, we move on to LA to visit my brother Dave and his family for a week. This will be our first time staying in their new house, so it will be very exciting. I just hope we will have been able to save some spending money because there are so many things to do in LA (and eat) if you can afford to go out.

Then its back to NC for a few days before we pick up Monty (who will be staying with Nana and Grandpa Locke while we are traveling) and head to our new little house by Willow Lawn.

After that, I train my replacement at VCU for 2 weeks, and then I start my full time stay at home mom daycare service. I'm open to catchy business name ideas so the government can snicker at my taxes "Julie's jubilant daycare" "Babes in Arms Childcare" "Julie's Playhouse" etc.

Milestones and Mother's Day

Anika finally has a top tooth. The little bugger broke free from the gums on Monday - making Monday Anika's favorite growth milestone day. She was born on a Monday, and now has cut all 3 of her teeth on Mondays.

Next Monday will be her 9 month birthday. I know, I know, you only get birthdays once a year, but 9 months is a very big deal for her mommy, who has now had her on the outside just about as long as she was on the inside. It only seems right that this particular milestone happen right around Mother's day.

For those of you who are interested in my other baby, Monty, he is adjusting to life with a little sister. She adores him, and he is being very patient with her (most of the time). I am proud to report that he has been seizure free for 9 months - so he is also celebrating his own anniversary. Hopefully his epileptic period will just be an anomaly we cannot explain but that never gets repeated.

To all my mothers and grandmothers who may be reading this post, Happy early mother's day. I never appreciated how hard it was to be you until I'd stood in your shoes for a while. Sometimes it used to seem like not that big a deal, since so many women are mother's and seem to be surviving - but this job is tough. Rewarding in new and surprising ways everyday, but still tough. Thanks for all being such great models for me.

Anika's top 10 list

Here is the list of Anika's Top 10 favorite things (or at least what I think she would say if she spoke English)

10. Electrical cords

9. Looking in the mirror

8. Scratching the sheets with your fingernails and making a fun noise. (preferrably at 3am)

7. The sound your little teeth make on a metal spoon

6. The wind in your face

5. The lines between things - like the edges of carpets

4. Daddy coming home

3. Mommy in physical proximity

2. Monty's tail

1. Playing with water

Thesis Time!

Its that time of year again when the grad students at VCU scramble to finish their degrees and enter that big bad world of (un)employment. So this week I am on two thesis committees, both planning to defend.

I am actually, secretly, super excited about it. At the moment, reading theses is the only theatre type intellectual stimulation I am getting so I am trying to enjoy myself.

I must add that one of my thesis students was in my grad pedagogy class last fall, and a quote from one of my required readings made it into her thesis. While it could very well just be kissing up to the committee, I choose to believe that I inspired her.

Anyone else out there trying to get an MFA in theatre who needs a thesis committee member, let me know. I'd love to. and I am apparently very inspiring.

Anika's First Haircut

We finally cut Anika's hair - and it is much more manageable now! Here are the pictures of the process.
Final Product. She was such a champ. No crying at all. I am not sure she ever even saw the scissors.

Part way through. Michael was her stylist and I was the photographer, and attention seeker.

Just starting out.

Learning to Crawl

Here she is, crawling like a champion last week, her final week as a 7 month old.

Resurrection Day

Today is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. For Jesus' followers, it was a day when all hope was lost and faith had become a distant memory. God had allowed him to die, and I believe that the third day was traditionally believed to be the day when the spirit left the body. But in an act of grace unparalleled in human history, Jesus returned to life, conquering death and sin and bringing an everlasting hope to humanity.

We were sitting in service today as a family, in the very back of the balcony because the room was so full, and I was so grateful for that hope; that I have something to believe in that transcends death and guilt and pain; that each time I look in Anika's face, I see the wonder of new life. On this easter sunday, resurrection sunday, I hope that wherever you are, you know the peace of God. And if you don't, then I pray that you find it.

To new life, the chance to begin again, and hope in the midst of heartache.

Almost 8 months

This week we went to upstate NY to visit family and meet Anika's youngest cousin, baby Nicholas. We spent so much time actually just being with family that I didn't take any pictures, or almost none, but we did manage to see my friend Jen Badia, a photographer in the studio I used to work at. She met us outside of work time to catch up and take Anika's first professional pictures (I know her uncle Dave is a professional, but they don't count if it is your relative taking the pictures). So here is just a taste of what we have. Jen wants to play with the images, so this is just a raw version of what may come later. She's an AWESOME photographer, and especially great with kids.

So I hope you enjoy this "Almost 8 months" picture

Sunday Carrots

Happiness - is a bowl of mashed carrots and pears on a Sunday

7.5 months - standing, stepping, talking, and Pig Tails!

look at those gorgeous eyes

my favorite

So here are some pictures I took today of Anika playing. This week was very exciting. On Monday she pulled up for the first time to a standing position - no help from any adults. by Wednesday she decided that just standing up next to a toy by herself wasn't good enough, so she nonchalantly stepped around it until she was on the other side. She hasn't mastered crawling yet, but it looks like walking will not be far behind.

Tuesday (I think) Mike came home and Ani took one look at him, grinned, and said "Dada". No other sounds or babble. I think she really knew his name. And of course, today is her first official day of PIGTAILS!!!!!

Featured in the photos is one of her Christmas presents from her Aunt Jeannette, a little plastic toy that sends streams of air out of various places and makes the attachments twirl and the balls in the tube spin around and a little monkey pops up whenever she presses the button. Along with the air is fun calypso music. Anika actually really loves this toy - and we do not mind it except there is no VOLUME CONTROL! Why oh why do toy manufacurers not put in volume controls? Picture, if you will, a pivotal moment in a program like LOST, where Mom and Dad are waiting to hear what a character will do in a crucial moment, when suddenly loud calypso music eclipses all sounds in the room. Now if this fun little toy had a separate on/off switch for the music, these little problems would solve themselves.

I'm just saying.

Foods Ani likes:

Pears (still the fav)

Avocado

Banana

Carrots

Foods she doesn't like:

Peas

Things she says sometimes:

Dada

Mamamamamamama

screaming

r rolling

grrrrr

ninininininini

chewbacca impression

7 Months already

Boy, time does fly. It has been a month already and no updates on the blog! Sorry for those who have been eagerly awaiting my updates. So, Anika is 7 months now. At her 6 month checkup she was 13lbs and 13oz - which put her in the 10th% for weight. Interestingly enough, she was in the 75th% for height, so we may just be raising a supermodel after all. The doctor said not to be too concerned though. Most babies grow tall, and then fatten up and then get taller, and then fatten up, etc. so she thought that if we brought her back in after a few weeks she would probably have evened out those numbers a bit.

No news on the teeth front. She still just has those same two bottom teeth she got in January. Those top ones are definitely working on growing, you can see them under the gums, but none of them have broken free yet.

Anika is now tall enough to sit in her jumperoo without standing on an enormous Bible. She can actually reach the floor! I guess it is better to not have a child jumping all over a Holy book, but it was fun to say she is standing upon the word of God. Alright, so no one thought that was clever but me, but it was still fun for me.
:)

The job/phd search continues. No acceptances yet for Michael to Phd programs, no interviews lined up for jobs for me. We are just hanging out in a holding pattern. We are hoping to spend most of the summer at my parent's house in North Carolina, and we talked to our landlord about that yesterday. He seemed to only be ok with us leaving early if we could find someone else to take our places. We haven't yet asked him if we are allowed to sublease the apartment if that becomes necessary. So if anyone is in the market for an apartment in the fan....

Anika is working toward crawling, but not quite there yet. She can roll, and she can reach for things on her tummy, so if she really wants something she does a combination roll and reach in an attempt to get there. It actually works sometimes, but it sure takes a lot longer than crawling would. She spends a lot of time now on her knees, reaching for things, so it is only a matter of time before she starts figuring out how to use those knees more effectively.

Anika has now started solid foods - She can eat rice cereal (which makes her constipated when eaten alone) and pears. I made my first homemade baby food pears, and they are actually pretty tasty. I also made baby food peas, but she hates them so far. So we will save the rest in the freezer and try again another week. She took several bites of peas, and eventually started gagging because she didn't like them. So now, whenever I feed her pears, she gags on the first bite, just in case I am sneaking peas into the mix. Once she figures out that it is pears, she shovels the rest down just fine. So I have a little stinker on my hands already.

She talks all the time - mostly incoherent babbling, but it would be complete sentences if she was able to achive words. She can say "Da-dee" and "Mamama" and sometimes looks really convincing, like she knows what she is saying. But we are pretty sure she doesn't quite know yet. But hey, we'll take what we can get. She is also pretty fond of screaming with joy - especially when her favorite doggy enters the room.

Monty is doing quite well. He has not had any seizures since the baby was born, and is adjusting to being "a dog" now, instead of the baby of the family. We had a big snow last week - even VCU had a snow day - and Monty LOVED it. Anika didn't seem to notice really, but Monty treated it like manna from heaven. He claimed every tree in the neighborhood for Monty land.

So that is the scoop. Until next time, stay smiling.

6 Month Birthday

Happy 1/2 Birthday Anika! This week Anika turned 6 months old. Her wonderful babysitter, Sarah even made her a crown, which made her laugh and laugh whenever we showed her the mirror. So here are some pictures of my little 6 month old. Enjoy.

A New Cousin and a second tooth!

Happy Groundhog's Day everybody. I heard today that the groundhog's predictions are accurate approximately 38% of the time - so hopefully Puxatonie Phil is not batting well this year with his prediction of more winter.

But on to more important news. Anika's newest cousin was born on Saturday. Nicholas James Hampp entered the world at approximately 4:30 pm lat Saturday. This is her second boy cousin to be born since her birthday, and Ani is very excited to meet the new arrival. It may have to be in a month or two, but she'll be biting her nails till then.

Which is now easier to do since the arrival of her second tooth! It has just poked through her bottom gums, so now there are two teeth right next to each other down there. If you zoom in the picture without her thumb near her mouth, you can just see her first tooth sticking out - its first photograph.

Just a lazy Saturday

This is hopefully the first of many posts highlighting just a typical day in the life of 5 month old Anika. She played in her jump up today, practiced sitting, and of course ate and napped. Whew! What a busy day. If her tongue wasn't in the way you could see her brand new tooth.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

This month we braved (what for us in Richmond) was a cold wintery night, so we could see all the lights at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. My friend Kara and her daughter Bridget joined us for an hour or so of looking at fun lights and decorations. I'll bet Anika would love the gardens if we went back this summer when she can run around. So here is our family picture (minus Monty who of course was not allowed to hang out in the gardens).

One of Michael's lovely students gave us the tickets for Christmas, so a shout out must go to whichever boy or girl thought of that one.

5 months old

Wow, I haven't posted since Christmas, shame on me! So this is a very exciting week for Anika. She cut her very first tooth on Monday (MLK day) January 19, and while she wanted to be held a little bit more than usual we did not have the common fever, crying, and rash that can accompany it. Whew hew! One tooth down, lots more to go.

This week Anika has started doing pushups and extending her hands all the way so she can look around the room. It is very exciting when she pushes her legs around to and makes you think she could crawl at any minute.

Well, her happiness in her jump up has ended so I must go, but more to come eventually, I promise.