Show-and-Tell Day

Today, Annika's day care class had show-and-tell time. There was no doubt that Annika's favorite toy, her stuffed bunny, would be the item of choice. Annika rarely goes anywhere without bunny... hence, we have two of them, just in case one goes into the laundry or simply goes missing temporarily! (Fortunately, bunny took a recent trip to the washing machine, so he wasn't as "loved" looking as he can be.)

Annika during show-and-tell time:

Annika and her dancing bunny!

Make sure you have speakers or headphones for the full effect. Enjoy!

Feeling A Bit Guilty

When I was pregnant with Annika, I loved just about every second of pregnancy. I felt good, barely had morning sickness, slept well (aside from the frequent trips to the bathroom) and didn't have an ache or a pain until labor started. This time around, I basically ache or hurt a good chunk of the time. I simply feel older this time around (with Eric very kindly points out truly is the case ... thanks, dear!). My back has been unhappy for months (God bless my doctor for giving me a Rx for prenatal massage and God bless my massage therapist!!), but that isn't even as bad as the fact our little guy has somehow figured out how to go to town on the nerves that magically make it feel like my tummy and upper legs are getting electrocuted from time to time. Not fun during the day ... REALLY not fun at night. Speaking of nights - last night, I'm pretty sure he taught himself how to do the hokey pokey while I was trying to sleep. This boy is active and has no qualms about pointing out that his current living conditions are feeling a bit cramped.

On an up note, my most recent ultrasound (thanks, Nicole - you rock!!) estimates that our little guy is over the 5 pound mark and is growing just like he should. Woo hoo! (How did women manage not knowing things about their unborn babies and still sleep at night back in the days before ultrasound exams??)

Sometimes it is the little things that just make my day

Some days are crazier than others. Some days are more maddening than others. On those days, I try to remember the little things that make me happy. One of the things I rely on is the website that Annika's day care maintains. They post pictures of the kids and little updates. Seeing our little girl having fun at "school" and playing with her friends gives my heart a lift .... especially when I feel guilty/sad for not being the one who takes care of her all day while I'm at the office. Her daycare teachers frequently capture her sweet smile and it gives my heart such joy to see it appear on the website ... just when I need it most. It makes gray days sunnier and good days even better.

Today's little thoughts

I find myself praying for two very important people today. My brother-in-law, Randy, is in the home stretch of taking the California bar exam. He's been studying like a fiend for months and I hope he is kicking that test's backside! The other person on my mind is my best friend's dad, who starts chemo today to fight lung cancer. Dick McEntee is an amazing man - he's one of the most spiritual, intelligent, caring, compassionate, and kind-hearted men I've had the privilege of knowing. The fact that he's now sitting in a chemo chair having massive amounts of toxic drugs pumped into his body is incredibly scary and unfair. Good luck to both of these terrific men!

Yesterday, I realized that we have about 5.5 weeks until the baby's due date. If he follows his sister's timeline, that means we have about 2.5 weeks until he arrives. ACK! All of a sudden, I feel like we need to scramble to prepare for him, yet there really isn't much to do. I need to wash the linens for his cradle and bassinet, get his clothes washed and put into drawers, and finish packing our hospital bag. I'm also hoping to put a few dinners into our freezer, but said freezer is rather full (greatly in part to the applesauce I made last fall). I think I need to organize our freezer and figure out how much room I really have to work with.

My van desperately needs a trip through the car wash. It also needs to be vacuumed.

1st Gymnastics Class

On Saturday, Annika went to her first-ever gymnastics class. We figured with her love of flipping over just about anything in our house, doing summersaults, and hopping, this would be an ideal outlet for her. I found a 6-week class for 2-3 year olds through Seattle Parks & Rec. Perfect!

We arrived at the class' location and Annika wasn't quite sure at first. It took her about 5 minutes of watching the other kids before she felt comfortable joining in on the activities and then she was HOOKED! She had a great time running around, walking on the balance beam, walking up the vertical mat and then flipping (with help) over the bar, climbing over the foam blocks, and jumping on the little trampoline. She had such fun, in fact, that she didn't want to leave once her 45-minute class was done. There weren't just tears, there were TEARS when I finally picked her up and carried her out of the room so we could head home.

The class had a lot more parental participation than I expected, but thoroughly enjoyed. One of the dads at the class asked if this was Annika's first class and when I confirmed that it was, he said, "Wow. She's fearless!" Yup ... hence, the gymnastics class. Much better than flipping off the side of the couch and jumping over the dogs! Summer Olympics, here we come. ;)

Up and over!


She made it from end to end on the balance beam all by herself


Flyin' high


Hop!

Our Valentine's Day

On Sunday, we went to a family dinner at Eric's aunt/uncle's house. Eric's cousin and his family were in town (visiting from NY), hence the family gathering. Eric's cousin and his wife have a little girl (Ella) who is a month older than Annika; the girls have only been together one other time, but play together like they're longtime buddies. They had a great time tossing Ella's blankie to each other and hopping over pillows. Of course, we all ohh'd and ahh'd over the newest family member (baby Jack), who was born in October. Annika was enthralled by Jack and wanted to hold him whenever possible. It was fun to give her a little baby practice and to see how gentle she was with Jack.

Not to be outdone by my doughnut experiment the day before, I made some cookie as a post-dinner treat for everyone. The little girls had an especially good time licking the icing from the cookies and walking around with red/pink smears on their faces!


Eric with Annika and Jack